The best thing to do with a sabbatical is travel

On a regular vacation, we’d have scheduled a bakery run into an activity-packed day, but this time we’re following our whims. That’s because this visit is part of a seven-week sabbatical trip that will also include Morocco and India. With 3½ weeks to go in Greece, we hardly view the pie plan as urgent.

More companies are offering sabbaticals, giving staff the opportunity for temporary escape. This past January, a review of 300,000 businesses by the payroll platform Gusto found the number of employees on sabbatical was up 49% from the same time five years earlier.

Proponents say an extended break can leave workers happy and more productive. That’s why my husband implemented a new policy at Heady, the digital product consultancy he founded, letting employees take up to two months off after three years.

Many choose to use their sabbatical to catch up on home life (and sleep), but experts say traveling can amplify the rewards. “Immersion into a brand new world can be significantly more powerful than a staycation at home, as it allows you to separate from your work environment even further," said Colorado-based vocational psychologist Bryan Dik, Ph.D. As such, added Dik, a travel sabbatical can help set staffers up to generate new ideas, indulge their creativity and re-establish confidence.

Lauren Davis, a 35-year-old senior director at the global employment company G-P, kicked off her eight-week sabbatical by sailing around Sardinia and Corsica, then backpacked through mainland Europe. Davis says being away empowered her whole team. “This allowed them to solve issues…on their own. And when I got back, I had them keep some of the responsibilities they took on while I was away."

Kristin Sluyk, an account director at the public relations agency Decker/Royal, also returned from her travel sabbatical feeling more innovative. After nearly eight years at her fast-paced job, Sluyk, 31, had pitched a three-month unpaid break to her bosses—unprecedented at her company. “I told them I loved working with them and didn’t want to quit, but needed a reset," she said.

The powers that be signed off, and she traveled to California for a wellness retreat, then to southern Costa Rica with her boyfriend, and finally to Tuscany with her mother. After seeing how being away from her desk unlocked creativity, she encourages her team to take calls while walking.

What’s more, Sluyk’s bosses thought her sabbatical was such a good idea, they implemented a policy granting three months of unpaid leave to those who have worked there for at least three consecutive years.

Of course, anyone who embarks on a travel sabbatical risks a hard landing: You might return with a crippling case of the post-vacation blues, or the nagging feeling that you failed to make the most of it.

Make the trip feel different than a vacation, suggests Adam Lefton, who’s planning a four-week paid sabbatical. The 41-year-old product manager at PayPal chose his destination based largely on distance, settling on Argentina, which—given the roughly 13-hour flight—he’d always found too far from his Austin, Texas, home for a short in-and-out vacation. “I picked a spot farther away that would’ve likely felt rushed on a regular trip," he said.

Also crucial: Establish work boundaries before you leave. Davis set up a handover plan more than two months in advance, which gave her the confidence to unplug.

Not all sabbaticals will be paid, so financial planning can take the stress out of a big trip. Start saving at least four months in advance, advises Sluyk. My husband and I skipped our typical winter vacation and went light on big purchases in the past six months. “Save that money for the sabbatical," became a common saying in our house.

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