Considering a Sabbatical? The National Parks Want You

[RNCollins]

Considering a Sabbatical? The National Parks Want You
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/04/travel/considering-a-sabbatical-the-national-parks-want-you.html

By Lauren Matison / Travel / New York Times / nytimes.com / Sept 4, 2019

“Two-thirds of all full-time employees in the United States are currently experiencing job burnout, according to a recent Gallup study. While we aren’t great at taking advantage of earned time off — a whopping 768 million vacation days go to waste every year — a survey by the American Psychological Association last year found that even a two-week getaway is merely a stopgap as work-related stress returns before our tans have faded.

Yet a growing number of people are finding new ways to cultivate stability and avoid or overcome burnout. Three years ago, after nearly a decade at design agencies, Ilyssa Kyu, 30, quit her job to catch her breath and spend more time with her newborn daughter.

“I took a leap of faith and did my own sabbatical,” said Mrs. Kyu, who went on to not only bond with her daughter but also explore the trails and tribulations of national parks over five months. The results? A book, “Campfire Stories: Tales from America’s National Parks,” and the creation of a crowd-funded start-up, Amble. The company’s monthlong retreats pair creative professionals with budget-strapped park conservancies that support National Park Service projects, such as wildlife protection and trail rehabilitation....”

The founder of Amble, Ilyssa Kyu, hiking The Narrows in Zion National Park.
Photo: Dave Kyu

 

[sfwilshire]

I can barely come back from a vacation. If I went on sabbatical, they'd never see me again at the office.

Sheila

 

[DaveNV]

Sorry, I missed this thread because I was vacationing in a National Park...

Dave

 

[bnoble]

I have a sabbatical coming up in a few years. This looks like a great way to spend part of it!

 

[WinniWoman]

Sorry, I missed this thread because I was vacationing in a National Park...

Dave

Same!

 

[WinniWoman]

These make the best vacations ever! If I have to get on a plane there had to be a national park at the destination.

 

[amycurl]

I wish I had known about this when I took my (luckily, fully-funded) sabbatical last summer. I mean, I did spend five weeks in Europe, and my daughter had seen many of the parks on her 7,771 mile road trip with my mother the summer beforehand. But now I'm wanting to take *another* sabbatical....*sigh* *looks at the work she will need to do this weekend* *sighs again*

 

[klpca]

We're just going to take a permanent sabbatical in a few years. We've given a lot of thought to working in a NP. Probably as a camp hosts, (although some of the stuff I have seen people do in campground restrooms definitely gives me pause. There are some sick puppies out there). We have friends whose parents were camp hosts for years and loved it.

 

[klpca]

. While we aren’t great at taking advantage of earned time off — a whopping 768 million vacation days go to waste every year

No tuggers, I suspect. We are pretty good at using up those vacation days!