Traveling and not quitting your job: Dear sir, I am going away for 3 months but please don’t fire me

It is not usually okay to just come up to your boss and say, “I am going away for a 3-month sabbatical. But I want to keep this job,” a friend of mine did it.

Last month, she was really worried how her employer will react with the idea of traveling while employed. Nope, she’s not quitting.

She actually loves her job so much. But which employer will let you leave for a couple of months, come back and act like everything is normal?

Like you were never gone? I gave her an advice on how to approach her boss and you can read it here.

Having zero idea of how the boss will react, she discussed it with him and he said, “we will look into this possibility.” 

The next thing she knew, her boss is asking her to draft a sabbatical letter to present to the whole league of bosses.

What a good friend like me will do is to help her create a compelling letter that will eventually make her employer say yes.

Lesson of the story: Even if you think there is no way your employer will say yes to this, speak up. You’ll never know how your boss will react towards your idea(s). Make traveling and not quitting your job happen!

Please take note that my friend is not working in the travel industry. Her line of work is way far from travel but she’s making it happen!

Dear Sir,

Last month, I brought up the craziest idea any full-time employee won’t ever think about: I asked you for a 3-month sabbatical leave.

I want to travel and not quit my job. I am not sure if there’s a way this will be possible but I am still taking my chance.

I am very thankful how open-minded you are towards my idea. Some companies only allow 30 days of leave per year and I am ridiculously asking you for 90 straight days.

In this age of millennial travel, a lot of people my age already quit their jobs to travel the world but I don’t want to do that. I want to keep this job because I love it. I am happy here.

I was never burnt out here. This is a kind of office environment that allows me to be me. It takes a while for people to find that cubicle that makes them happy — mine only took a few years.

I have a very nice apartment, excellent workmates, and a middle-class lifestyle in the most expensive city in the world.

All at the same time, I am able to provide for my family back home and afford to travel when I want to. This job made all that possible.

You see, it’s so easy to get out of this office and say, “I quit.” But my heart doesn’t say I should do that. 

You’ve been a very good employer and I want you to be involved in my thoughts, hopes and dreams for my future in this company.

I am going away for 3 months but please don’t fire me.

This year, I’ve spent weekends in our neighbouring countries that pointed me to this crazy idea. I feel very lucky for being able to spend my Saturdays and Sundays sipping coffee with the view of the Sydney Opera House and watching the breath taking sunset in Phuket.

Even if it’s just a few days, I found joy in these experiences. This is the reason why every Monday, I get in the office full of energy, creativity, ideas and most of all, life. I am not like any employee who feels like a zombie upon entering these glass doors.

I want to take my traveling to the next level. This time, I don’t want to be a tourist. I am asking for 90 days because I want to experience life.

I want to stay with local families and eat, sleep, cook and speak in any country I will choose to visit for this trip.

To be honest, I don’t know where I am going for this sabbatical but I promise it won’t be boring. I know I will be able to learn, grow, try new things, get out of my comfort zone and gain more independence.

I’ve been working for you for 5 years already and I think it is right to discuss this with you. One thing that I learned from working here is that I need to be confident about myself, about what I can do to make this company thrive even more.

So I am saying this with all confidence and honesty: Invest in me. Let me go for three months and I promise you, I will come back with knowledge, power, enthusiasm and new life learnings — things that will make this company better; things that I can never learn from my happy cubicle; things that will make me the best employee you will ever have.

I am hoping for your kindest consideration, sir. I want to go away for a few months and keep this job when I come back.

I have a strong feeling you, the company and I will gain something wonderful from embracing a little change.

Respectfully yours,

Pamela