Taking a year off without ruining your career

His then-wife's company had an office in Brussels, so he attended graduate school there at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, earning a master's degree in international business economics. (Buckenmeyer is now remarried.) His year off enabled him to indulge his passion for European history and travel extensively on the weekends. He took out a small student loan to help finance it.

Buckenmeyer is a self-described history buff, so he visited dozens of important World War II sites, including Normandy and the D-Day beaches. He read voraciously about them and the fall of the Berlin Wall. There were less academic pursuits too, like hang-gliding classes.

"It was a recharging year," he says. "I realized academia is where I belong." He blended two loves — academia and entrepreneurism — and now works at The Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Notre Dame as its associate director.

For some, volunteering may be a more appealing way to spend a year off. There are volunteer organizations that get employers to sponsor the experience. Take Building Blocks International, a service fellowship that enables employees to work full-time for four weeks to a year while using their management skills at community-based organizations around the world. Companies that work with BBI include Pfizer, UPS, King & Spalding, PwC and Cisco. Fellows usually receive their full salary.

To participate, employees apply either through their managers or to a committee. Aside from the good work done, it's a real resume booster.

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Since most companies won't fund a year off, money is a major roadblock. Although the Rettigs had a healthy nest egg from stock options, they still needed a budget. They settled on the target number of $100,000 and sold many of their belongings, including their house and cars, to achieve it. The Rettigs brought a laptop equipped with Quicken to lay out a framework for what they could spend on a weekly basis.

Buckenmeyer puts it more bluntly. "Saving is such a lost art," he says. "When you're 24, you should think about the fact that when you're 34, you might leave a job and want to travel or do something else." He also suggests taking turns with a spouse to fulfill life dreams. For instance, one spouse might be able to work abroad [and travel with the other person on weekends] to keep the income steady. A few years later, switch.

If you're not totally able to swing a year off, Rold Potts, author of the travel guide Vagabonding, suggests taking work on the road. Obviously, some jobs aren't conducive to this, but many are. He recommends pitching it to the boss by explaining that it will ultimately make you more productive. It's not that different than working from home. Why not make that home in Italy?

"Travel need not be six months on a beach with Mai Tais," says Potts. "It's being immersed in another place. This puts you in a position to manage your time in a way you want. You can work three days a week and then hike or sample food from different regions from Italy."

As for the Rettigs, it's a good thing they took a year off when they did. Three months after returning from abroad, Anjeanette became pregnant. They now have two small children and no time for vacation.

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