Why do we work our butts off for 40 yrs straight to enjoy just one retirement? Doesn’t it make more sense to enjoy some of your retirement time when you are younger and generally more healthy? Similar to career breaks, mini-retirements are generally longer and will often be spent doing interesting things such as learning new skills, volunteering or simply living in a new country.
There are many ways of spending your mini-retirement, some of which may even uncover an economic alternative to returning to life as a stressed out rodent.
Mini-retirements may only last a few months but are more likely to span a couple of years. Shorter periods tend to be career breaks.
Introduction to Mini Retirements
Imagine swapping your Zoom calls for sunrise hikes in Tbilisi or surfing in Siargao for a few months, without quitting your career. Welcome to the world of mini-retirements and career breaks, a growing trend where professionals pause their 9-to-5 grind to recharge, explore, or reinvent themselves. In 2025, with remote work normalized and an estimated 40-80 million digital nomads globally (nearly half from the U.S.), these intentional breaks are no longer just for the ultra-wealthy or the reckless. They’re a strategic way to live more fully now, not decades later. This article explores what mini-retirements and career breaks are, why they’re surging, how to plan one, and why 2025 is the perfect time to take the leap.What Are Mini-Retirements and Career Breaks?
A mini-retirement is a planned break from work, typically lasting weeks to a year, focused on personal growth, travel, or passion projects, with the intent to return to work later. Popularized by Tim Ferriss in The 4-Hour Workweek, it’s about redistributing retirement’s joys—freedom, exploration—across your life instead of saving them for your 60s. A career break, often used interchangeably, leans more toward a longer pause (3-12 months) to reassess career goals, learn new skills, or simply rest. Both differ from a sabbatical, which is typically employer-sanctioned with job security, though the lines are blurring as companies adapt to flexible work trends.In 2025, these breaks are booming.
A 2024 LinkedIn survey found 46% of professionals globally have taken or plan to take a career break, driven by burnout, remote work’s flexibility, and a post-pandemic “you only live once” mindset. X posts echo this, with users sharing stories of three-month stints in Bali or six-month coding bootcamps in Lisbon, calling it “life-changing” and “better than therapy.”Why Take a Mini-Retirement or Career Break?The appeal is simple: they let you live life on your terms. Here’s why they’re gaining traction:Combat Burnout: With 60% of U.S. workers reporting burnout (Gallup, 2025), a break offers mental and physical reset.
Skill-Building
Many use the time to learn coding, languages, or creative skills, boosting employability. Platforms like Coursera report a 30% uptick in enrollments during career breaks.
Travel and Culture: Digital nomad visas in places like Malaysia or El Salvador make it easier to work or explore affordably (e.g., $800-$1,800/month in Kuala Lumpur).
Life Reassessment: Breaks allow space to pivot careers or test entrepreneurial ideas—think launching a blog in San Salvador or freelancing from Tbilisi.
Employer Support: Companies like PwC and Salesforce now offer sabbatical programs, with 25% of Fortune 500 firms providing flexible leave options in 2025, per SHRM data.
X users highlight the emotional payoff: one nomad tweeted, “Took a 4-month break in Crete. Learned Greek, surfed, and came back sharper. No regrets.” Another said, “Burnout was killing me. Three months in Da Nang reset my soul.”How to Plan Your Mini-Retirement or Career BreakTaking a break sounds dreamy, but it requires strategy. Here’s a step-by-step guide to make it happen:Define Your Purpose (100-150 words)
Decide what you want: adventure, skill-building, or rest? A clear goal shapes your plan. For example, a coder might spend three months in Taipei learning AI, while a marketer might volunteer in Montevideo to explore social impact work. Write down your “why” to stay focused.
Set a Timeline and Budget
Mini-retirements typically last 1-6 months; career breaks may stretch to a year. Estimate costs based on destination—$800/month in Podgorica, Montenegro, or $1,500/month in Chania, Greece. Save 3-6 months’ expenses, factoring in travel, insurance, and a buffer for reentry. Tools like Nomad List or Budget Your Trip can help. Many nomads freelance part-time to stretch funds, with platforms like Upwork seeing a 20% rise in break-takers in 2025.
Navigate Your Career
If keeping your job is key, pitch a sabbatical or remote work arrangement. Highlight benefits like refreshed productivity—70% of employers in a 2025 Deloitte study value such flexibility. If leaving, secure a return plan: network, update LinkedIn, or line up freelance gigs. X posts suggest honesty with employers: “Told my boss I needed 3 months off. They offered remote work instead. Win-win.”
Choose a Destination
Emerging hubs like Tbilisi, Kuala Lumpur, or San Salvador offer affordability and nomad-friendly visas. Tbilisi’s $800-$1,200/month cost and tax-free visa make it ideal for savings. Kuala Lumpur’s 100-500 Mbps internet suits tech workers, while San Salvador’s no-income visa and $900-$1,500/month living costs appeal to adventurers. Check visa requirements on sites like VisaGuide.World.
Plan Logistics
Secure travel insurance (e.g., SafetyWing, popular among nomads), book initial accommodation, and test internet speeds (Speedtest.net). Join X communities or Nomad List forums for local tips. For example, San Salvador nomads rave about Zona Rosa’s cafes, while KL’s Batu Caves are a must-visit.
Prepare for Reentry
Plan your return before you leave. Update skills via online courses (e.g., Udemy, Coursera) or network at nomad meetups. A 2025 Harvard Business Review study found 80% of career breakers return to equal or better roles if they stay engaged professionally.
Challenges to Anticipate
Financial Risk: Savings can dwindle without income. Budget conservatively and consider part-time remote work.
Career Gaps: Employers may question resume gaps. Frame your break as skill-building or cultural immersion on LinkedIn or in interviews.
Isolation: Solo travel can feel lonely. Join coworking spaces like KL’s WORQ or San Salvador’s Conexion to build community.
Reentry Shock: Returning to routine can feel jarring. Plan a gradual transition, like freelancing before a full-time role.
Why you should do it now
The stars are aligning for mini-retirements and career breaks. Remote work’s mainstream status—80% of U.S. companies offer flexible arrangements, per McKinsey—makes pausing easier. New digital nomad visas in Malaysia, El Salvador, and beyond simplify logistics, with low or no income thresholds. Affordable destinations (e.g., $900/month in San Salvador) stretch savings, while coworking hubs and 5G networks ensure connectivity. X buzz reflects this momentum, with nomads sharing tips on “mini-retirement hacks” and destinations like Tbilisi trending for their low costs and vibrant scenes. Plus, with burnout at record highs, taking a break is less a luxury and more a necessity for mental health and career longevity.Tips for a Successful BreakStart Small: Test the waters with a one-month break if a year feels daunting.
Stay Connected: Use X or Slack communities like Digital Nomad World to find events and peers.
Document It: Blog or vlog your journey—many nomads turn breaks into side hustles via content creation.
Balance Work and Play: Schedule work hours even in paradise to maintain discipline.
Embrace Flexibility: Plans change—be open to new destinations or opportunities.
Mini-retirements and career breaks are more than a pause—they’re a chance to rewrite your story. Whether you’re sipping coffee in Kuala Lumpur’s skyscraper cafes, hiking San Salvador’s volcanoes, or learning a new skill in Tbilisi, these breaks offer freedom, growth, and perspective. In 2025, with the world more connected and flexible than ever, there’s no better time to step away and rediscover what drives you. So, pack your laptop, book that ticket, and take the leap. Your future self will thank you.
So how do you fill in your days when you are retired?
One area is to learn new skills. in fact thats pretty much what I did back in 2005. My online marketing skills were pretty raw back in the day but by embarking on a mini retirement meant that I could teach myself the skills to ensure I would not have to go back to working for other people.
A classic is to learn a language. Why not take off to a French speaking part of Africa or Latin America and live like a local and end up talking like a local. Having a second language is huge asset in this globalized world now.
Language learning can be combined with teaching English which again can equip you with new skills that will be useful back home.
Mini retirements can also be cheap. You don’t have to live in a hotel if you plan on spending three months in Buenos Aires learning Spanish. There are plenty of apartments which can be very affordable in cheaper countries and it’s even possible to have a more expensive lifestyle than you would expect at home.
Volunteering is another way to take a mini retirement providing you avoid the many companies offering short term volunteering holidays. Some volunteer posts will even pay for your food and lodging too. A good place to look at volunteering is idealist.
Finance is obviously an issue and mini retirements do need to be financed. I financed mine by working online in affiliate marketing making a modest amount and choosing to live in places with low cost of living.
Mini retirements do not need to eat too much into your savings though. Consider the money you would save by temporarily cutting your ties with your home country. No rent to pay, no council taxes, no car to run…If you own a house then why not rent it out for one year?
Doesn’t it make more sense to enjoy some of your retirement time when you are young and healthy?
The concept of the mini retirement might be new now but I predict the next generation will be taking them regularly.
Check out the book below for more on mini-retirements…
If you are interested then check out travel insurance for australia and NZ website.
Some online discussions about mini retirements
In theory it sounds great. But I’ve never had that easy a time finding jobs. I don’t network or interview well which seem to be far more important than work ethic or skills. So I don’t think I’d be willing to leave a job without another lined up already. If I thought I could get away with it though it would be a great way to do some leisurely travel on the cheap (time constraints usually drive up costs significantly).
level 2
AsSubtleAsABrick
13 points ·
3 months ago
I don’t network or interview well which seem to be far more important than work ethic or skills.
Tell me about it. Maybe people can see through my to my negative attitude (I hate just about everything to do with the corporate life). Sad part is I am definitely part of the 10% that does 90% of the work.. Get the top rating every year and steady promotions and raises, but have no idea how to convince a stranger I know what I am doing (or if I don’t that I can figure it out quickly).
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level 2
saltyhasp
2 points ·
3 months ago
The other thing… if your building a career, you can’t really do that. If switching jobs, you have to have the new job lined up before giving notice at the existing one. If working for a company, …, no way they will give you that time off. Maybe some exceptions… but generally no. So not smartest plan unless you work in a field that people do a lot of job changes and you don’t need the negotiating leverage a current job gives you.
As far as liking the idea though… of course… it has it’s merits… but also huge issues.
level 1
swimbikerun91
41 points ·
3 months ago
I’m a fan of the idea. Taking a year off at 25 is going to have a substantially larger impact than at say 40 though. It’s all going to come down to personal priorities and balance.
What’s worked well for me has been switching jobs every 1-2yrs and taking a 2-3wk break in between. It’s a nice way to bake in an extended vacation without any work hanging over your head, but also not so long that it has any major impact on FIRE goals
level 2
FucktusAhUm
22 points ·
3 months ago
I hope you mean 2-3 months not 2-3 weeks.
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level 1
WE_FAM_NOW
18 points ·
3 months ago
I did this in my late 20’s and moved to Spain for a couple of years. My finances took a back seat, but the experience I had of living abroad and traveling extensively is something that I carry with me everyday. I went from doing the whole 9-5 thing to traveling almost every weekend to a new destination, and working only about 15-20 hours a week teaching English. We could’ve probably bought a house in SoCal in a down 2008-2009 market and reaped the benefits, but I do not regret what I did one bit. As a matter of fact, now that we have 2 young kids, and even though we make about 240k a year, the plan is to once again move to Spain. This time around my programmer wife will keep her income and I’ll teach again. We’re planning on selling the house and investing the proceeds from the sale, which, with a little luck, will be about 220k. With our 401ks and Roths, we’ll have about 550-560k in investments. We’d like to stay in Europe as long as possible, but when we’d move back, we’d move to a lower cost of living situation (I’m thinking Denver) and use some of the money for a nice downpayment on a house, which would result in a lower mortgage payment. Typing this out makes me feel great, as if all goes well, we’ll be able to spend lots more time with our young kids, enjoy travel at the leisurely pace we do, have the energy to do adventurous things, and still have a good amount of money to regain our foothold in the US if we want to.
level 2
IAmBlakeM
2 points ·
3 months ago
My wife and I are in a very similar position. We both lived abroad in our early 20s, now we have two young kids, $250k combined income (though we’re in a LCOL flyover state), and have considered moving to Spain for a year or two in a few years. We have about $220k in equity in our house and $550k in investments right now, plus a paid off rental generating $1k/month, and our plan would be to use the home equity to pay for the trip itself, plus give us a significant cushion to rejoin the workforce once we get back. Nice to see people with similar plans, because it’s not been a very popular idea among our friends and families (why would you leave such good jobs? why move away from your family? etc etc).
Have you looked at Frugal Vagabond’s website? I have no affiliations with it whatsoever, but he and his wife did this with their young kid, and there’s lots of useful info there about the visa process, etc.
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level 2
JBuck25
21M, College Student, 1.1% FI
3 points ·
3 months ago
Did a study abroad in Italy two summers ago and it made me want to travel even more. Congrats on your situation! Hope it goes well and thanks for sharing!
level 2
attorneyevolved
1 point ·
3 months ago
good plan I think!
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level 2
EclecticFella
1 point ·
3 months ago
How much does the part time English teacher gig pay?
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level 1
thrifty-b
12 points ·
3 months ago
I think there’s a trade off to be considered here:
A mini retirement every 5 or so years will be great to not get burnt out and to enjoy life while you’re young. On the downside it means not getting promotions as easily, not getting salary increases as often and taking longer to build significant wealth. In the end it will take much longer to reach FI.
On the other hand not taking mini retirements means a higher risk of getting burnt out and working your life away. On the positive side you’ll grow your wealth much faster and reach FI earlier (at which point you could retire, work part time or take long mini retirements etc).
Like so many things related to FI, there’s no right answer,…just what makes sense for you.
level 2
cautious_fire
3 points ·
3 months ago
I agree, it’s very personal and difficult to know up-front. Sometimes life takes unplanned turns, which can be any number of things: your own heath, that of a family member, burnout, tragedies, etc., or just the birth of a child and wanting to spend time with them.
My opinion is that the average person needs to take more time off than they do — or are permitted to based on how ingrained work culture is in our society. Especially American society, where available PTO can be very limited and it’s looked down upon if you actually take it in decent-sized chunks and don’t constantly keep on email, etc.
There are a few options to make it work:
Get good at selling yourself and do contract work, where you can stop for a reasonable amount of time and mostly pick back up where you left off
Become a teacher/professor where you can take a decent chunk of the summer off
Marry someone who’s independently wealthy
Become a beach bum or similar (not usually practical or desirable)
Work towards FI(RE)
I’m on my second “mini retirement”, with the first a few years ago for about a year, and the second one now.
This short TEDx video is worth watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSHNDyinZSQ
Lots of it is redundant for folks here, but I could relate. Why have all of your “time rich” life when you may be too old to enjoy it as much as you could have in your 30’s or 40’s?
For most of us, I think pursuing FI is the best tool to enable these mini retirements even if it postpones actual retirement.
The biggest risk is that some industries (e.g. software) can be finicky when it comes to this kind of time off, especially as you get older. A person in their 40’s with multiple career gaps? Yikes! I personally worry even though I’m more prepared than a lot of people, but then I take a step back and look at the trade-offs.
level 2
epsilon246
1 point ·
3 months ago
I wonder if it really does impact salary increases and promotions. Everyone promises promotions, but in my experience they’re pretty randomly distributed, even if you kill yourself. No shortage of loyal employees who work late and go a decade without any reward.
On the flip side, I can’t even think of many anecdotes of folks going the sabbatical route. Just daydreams. Would be nice to see data.