The Need to Unplug
When I left my job at a Fortune 500 company to embark upon a year long international travel sabbatical, I thought my dilemma was unique. Why was I not satisfied with a life that, by all standards, was successful? True, as a 9/11 survivor, I had more reason than most to reconsider my life and how I wanted to spend the rest of it. As it turns out, however, I was not alone. While most of my coworkers and friends were exclaiming, “I wish I could do what you’re doing,” plenty of others of all ages were packing their bags. I met several of them in my travels, which took me from the rainforests of Central America to the bush of South Africa.

There is no doubt that many in our modern society are in the midst of an existential crisis. The tremendous success of books such as Po Bronson’s What Should I Do With My Life? memoirs such as Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love, and the resurgence of Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist exemplify the inner struggle faced by many working professionals today.

We find ourselves seeking answers amidst a cacophony of artificially constructed distractions. Our free time has all but evaporated as we put in longer hours at jobs we no longer enjoy, just to be able to afford “the next best thing.” To fill the growing inner void, we stock up on the latest self-help and philosophy books, thinking that the answers lie within their pages. But the truth is, no single book, film, or philosophy holds the answers for each us. Rather, the answers we need are written on the pages of our own hearts. The trick is escaping to a place where the distractions are minimized, and the opportunity for a successful inward journey is maximized.

Where and How Long?
Where should I go, and for how long? The answers to these questions depend largely on how well you want to get to know yourself. Are you someone who, as in my own case, has never really known themselves? Anything shorter than three months would be a gross disservice, merely another band-aid approach. The ideal time period for this deep of an inward journey is six months to one year. On the other hand, if you are someone who has merely lost touch with your true self due to outside distractions, anywhere from two solid weeks to a month may be all that it takes. The key, of course, lies in the destination.

It is extremely important to choose a destination that is completely foreign to you, although by foreign I do not necessarily mean out of the county. If you are a city slicker, perhaps some time spent on a dude ranch would be sufficient. I chose to call my book Unplugged because the more we stay connected to our existing matrix of consumer driven ideals, the harder it is to truly spend time in inner reflection.

Your location should also meet another important criterion: it should be more natural than digital. Your daily surroundings should enable you to hear the sound of birds more than cars, of the ocean more than planes, or perhaps just plain silence. In addition, access to the Internet, cell phones, and television should be very limited.

Option #1: Volunteering
When most people think of going off to see the world through an organization, they most often think of organizations like the Peace Corps. While the Peace Corps is certainly a worthwhile organization that offers a life changing experience, it is not for everyone. The main barriers are its twenty-seven month commitment, and the lack of choice in your destination.

There are, however, many other volunteer organizations that have much shorter term opportunities available. The only catch with many of these other organizations is that there are quite often (in fact, most often) significant fees involved. When I first looked into volunteering, I couldn’t understand why I would have to pay a fee to volunteer. After all, I have a wide array of skills, speak four languages, and am a hard worker. Why should I pay to volunteer?

After I researched it further, I discovered that most of these organizations are funded primarily through volunteer contributions: That is how they get the money to pay their staff, conduct their research, and provide food, shelter and training for their volunteers.

There are many types of volunteer organizations. There is an extensive resource list available on my website and in my book. Briefly, there are volunteer organizations for:
• Working with wildlife
• Working at animal sanctuaries
• Working with children in indigenous communities
• Teaching English
• Working on ships or sailboats
• Participating in archeological research
• Building housing for the needy
• Working with doctors or medical personnel in remote locations

Truly, there is no shortage of opportunities to see the world while making a difference, the biggest difference being in your own self!

Option #2: Schools: Language, Trade, or Sport
If volunteering is not your thing, there is always the chance to learn a new skill. Cooking schools, sailing schools, language immersion schools, and even trade schools abound overseas. Or perhaps you’ve wanted to learn to dive, horseback ride, mountain climb or ski. Many specialized sporting schools exist as well. Just be sure when selecting a program that it will allow you plenty of time for meditation and reflection...the goal is not to fill up all of your waking hours. You will need several hours of downtime (at least three, not counting the evenings) per day for reflection. Without this, your trip or experience will be pointless.

When selecting the type of experience you are about to have, you will be faced with myriad choices. Perhaps you’re an accountant who’s secretly dreamed of becoming a chef —cooking school in Paris might appeal to you. Or perhaps you’re a chef who’s always dreamed of sailing around the world —you might be inclined to go to Miami to take boating lessons. Perhaps you are of Italian heritage and you’d like to finally learn to speak Italian fluently —a language school in Rome might seem right up your alley. Those may also seem to be good ideas, and they are, but....

Paris, Miami, and Rome are all cosmopolitan locations. You will hardly be able to unplug there. In fact, you will surely find people are even more connected than you are in those locations. So, when I say a location foreign to you, the first and foremost criterion I am thinking of is the absence of the usually omnipresent digital distractions.

That is not to say that your goal of chef school in Paris should be forgotten, just rethought or postponed. How about trying a school in a more rural region of France instead? Instead of language school in Rome, why not a location deep down in the heel of the boot, where English is still a rarity? Instead of Miami, why not take your boat lessons in Costa Rica? The key is to both follow a buried passion while reconnecting to a more natural environment. If after a month or two of cooking school in the Pyrenees, Paris is still calling, you have really lost nothing. But in the meantime, you will have had the chance to get to know yourself without the hustle and bustle and distractions of city life.

Option #3: Monasteries and Convents
The previous choices have all more or less been directed at those of you needing a break of at least three months, those who really need to get to know yourselves (perhaps for the first time). For those who are lucky enough to be relatively self realized, but just need time away from the system for reflection, healing, or both, I recommend a third choice: monasteries. (Before you skip over this section believing that I am suggesting you become a monk or a nun, read on.) Monasteries are actually wonderful places for those seeking a shorter term break: They are often remote, surrounded by nature, and definitely devoid of the trappings of modern consumerism. Moreover, many of them are located in absolutely stunning locations, and welcome visitors.

I became aware of this option long after my sabbatical was concluded, on a plane from London to Phoenix. My seatmate appeared to be a nun, but she was dressed in a powder blue habit, unlike anything I’d seen before. My writer’s curiosity forced me to ask her about it, and thus began an interesting conversation that lasted for several hours. She showed me pictures of her monastery in Monterrey, Mexico. It was a gorgeous structure, apparently still under construction, perched high on a cliff overlooking the ocean. When she learned that I speak Italian, she invited me out to the monastery to give lessons to the monks, in exchange for being able to stay there. My husband could join me too, she said. (Other opportunities to exchange a skill for a stay were possible.) She showed me more pictures, each depicting the nuns and monks in their brightly colored clothing, their happy countenances shining as they ate, drank, and worshipped in this stunning retreat by the sea.

Wherever You Go…
Unplugging is a journey you must undertake by yourself, but you will not be alone. Once you disconnect from your artificial world, you will encounter many others on this same quest. You will have new experiences, learn new skills, be enlightened by different philosophies, and make new friends. You will also get to know a fascinating, unique, and worthwhile individual—your true self.

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