Getting ready to hit the road for 12 months (Berlin, Germany)

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(1 day until departure) I am in the final stages of preparing for a 12-months sabbatical. Over the last few weeks and months, I have dealt with wide range of issues – from booking my first few flights, finding a language school to brush up my Spanish, getting some vaccinations, purchasing travel insurance, subletting my flat, handing over my work to my colleagues, to saying goodbye to family and friends.

The last time I did a bigger trip in 2008, there were virtually no processes in place at my company for a longer leave of absence. In the end, I had to quit my job to go travelling. This time around, things are very different. Over the years, many big companies in Germany haven given worker-retention and motivation some serious thought. The result is, that I was able to save part of my salary every month for the past few years. This money now allows me to take a year off work without having to quit my job. And when I am back in 12 months, I will go back to my old team and my old job. It really is very straight forward, and I am very grateful to my company, my boss and my colleagues (who are taking over some of my work) for giving me the opportunity.

Happy as I am to start travelling again soon, part of me feels somehow a little sad. I am having a good life in Berlin; many things that I value and enjoy are here, and I sure will miss many of them – my friends & family, the cultural scene in Berlin, my badminton club, my yoga classes, the lifestyle, my flat, and even my great team at work.

But these things will still be there when I am come back. Now it is time to hit the road, and I am super-pumped.

Next stop: Madrid (Spain).

To view my photos, have a look at pictures.beiske.com.

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Comments

[Jennifer Holly]

Lange her....
Hey Ben, deine Mail heute morgen zu sehen war wirklich eine Überraschung. Mensch hab ich lange nichts von Dir gehört. Ich hoffe es geht Dir gut! Alles was ich sagen möchte ist....genieße Südamerika und Grüße mir Brasilien. Ich bin gespannt auf deine Eindrücke und freue mich, Dich begleiten zu dürfen. Ich wünsche dir eine grandieose Zeit. Bis bald, Jenny

[Walter Hastler]

Oh, was für eine Überraschung - Ben is on the road again!
Lieber Ben, was für eine Überraschung! Du wirst es nicht glauben aber ich habe wirklich häufiger an dich gedacht. Klingt völlig unglaubwürdig, stimmt aber trotzdem. Ich habe mich oft gefagt, ob Ben jetzt verheiratet ist und Kinder hat und wo er wohl lebt? Ich weiss auch nicht, warum ich nicht einfach gefragt habe. Jetzt bist Du schneller und schreibst deinen Blog einfach weiter. Wäre Twitter nicht aber eine gute Ergänzung? Benutzt Du noch deine alte eMail-Adresse? Ich folge Dir! Walter

[Samira]

Was eine Überraschung: Ich wusste gar nicht mehr, dass ich Deinen Blog abonniert habe. Habe ich aber offensichtlich, denn heute wurde ich über diesen Blog-Beitrag informiert. :-) Ich wünsche Dir spannende und erlebnisreiche Monate. Hab eine schöne Zeit!

[D MJ Binkley]

Welcome Back!
I'm so thrilled to hear you are on the road again. We are eager to read your blogs. Looks like you are packed and ready.

[Sven]

Enjoy your trip and live the moment
Hi Ben, I'm really happy for YOU that it's starting again for 12 months. Adventures, interesting new people, great and small moments lie ahead of you. Enjoy Spain and especially South America - will follow where you are and look forward to your reports. Have fun SVen

[Sepulchre]

Welcome back to the travel nomad scene Ben. Your sudden blog post alert gave me a smile as I'm working on a sabbatical for 12 months and to Central America also. Wish me luck on getting permission from work! Enjoy the travel sensation.

[Ali]

10 years later!
So good to see you blogging and travelling for an extended period again! Congratulations on the sabbatical :)