In my previous post (No-Cost Academic Travel) I described the concept of a working vacation–a 2 to 6 months overseas posting taken while on temporary leave from your teaching job (perhaps during sabbatical or summer break) while earning enough money to finance your stay in the host country.  This is not unlike what many recent college graduates do when they opt to spend a year or two in the Peace Corps, VISTA, or Teach for America.  However, we need a few minor "tweaks" to make this idea palatable to mature academics and recent retirees long past their college graduation ceremony.

While it is difficult to make sweeping generalizations about such a large and diverse cohort as "mature academics" or "recent retirees," I think it is fair to say that as a group we share some or all of the following characteristics that distinguishes us from more youthful nomads:

1.  Commitments.  Unlike students who head off to Europe and don't rush back–because it means finding a job, going to graduate school, or settling down¬–people in the 30 to 70 age bracket (and beyond) typically have deep community roots and significant family and work commitments that make it virtually impossible to get away for a year or two, a typical duration for the Peace Corps, VISTA, and similar programs.  To consider a working vacation most academics would be limited to leaves of about two to six months—a summer vacation or one-semester sabbatical.

2.   Skill sets.  Established academics typically have a Ph.D., Ed.D., M.D., J.D., M.B.A., or M.F.A. degree and have honed their scholarly skills to a high level. By comparison, programs like the Peace Corps are aimed at recent college graduates with little or no professional experience.

3.   Families. Unlike young students, mature academics often arrive in country with a spouse and one or more children in tow. While living in a remote village far from the nearest health center might be something we would consider in our youthful idealism, most of us would hesitate to accept those arrangements when traveling with children. Being posted to a country with a history of violence might not scare off young travelers, but it would be disconcerting to those of us with dependents. Working vacations need to be set in a safe environment and include appropriate schooling, health care, and recreational activities for families with children.

4.   Expectations. Young people may be content simply to live and work in an exotic location, but professionals and their families will probably not be lured overseas by work experiences alone. While contributing to a developing economy and interacting with local experts is of primary importance, senior academics will also expect an opportunity to experience the culture, history, and natural beauty of their host country.  A working vacation must permit participants to take full advantage of what the host country and its region have to offer.

5.   Comfort Zones.  Finally, and perhaps of greatest importance, is that "grown-ups" want and expect a higher level of comfort than we had when bumming around Europe in our teens or twenties. We no longer travel with a backpack, student discount card, and $20. Most of us would be unwilling to crash for the night on someone's couch. Reasonable accommodations, personal safety, quality health care, public transportation, good sanitation, and access to healthy food are of great importance.

In summary, I am describing an overseas experience, called a working vacation, similar to a Peace Corps posting but modified to make it more attractive to established and recently retired academics between 30 and 70.  It would last for about two to six months, take advantage of advanced academic skills, and provide comfortable and safe living accommodations for participants and their families within an environment where work, professional growth and cultural immersion are of equal importance.  And, best of all, you will earn enough to cover most or all of your expenses.

In this column in the coming weeks and months I will show that this type of working vacation is an ideal way for any academic–high school, two-year college, four-year college, professional school–to combine a paid job with adventure travel and give both you and your family the opportunity to live in and become part of an overseas community–all on the “other guy’s dime.”  My wife and I have done this 15 times over the past 30 years, from Australia to Zimbabwe, Mauritius to Mongolia, Turkey to Tibet. 

You can read about our travel adventures and cultural experiences in my book On The Other Guy’s Dime: A Professional’s Guide To Traveling Without Paying.

Michael Schneider is the Academic Travel Editor for Wandering Educators. You can read more of his work at http://otherguysdime.wordpress.com/, and learn more about his new book, entitled On the Other Guy's Dime: A Professional's Guide to Traveling without Paying.