It’s grim out there. The economy is sinking deeper into a recession and jobs are being eliminated by the thousands. Just today, the Department of Labor announced the U.S. lost 663,000 jobs in March and unemployment rose to 8.5 percent. According to the stats on MSNBC, since the recession began, “the economy has lost a net total of 5.1 million jobs.” Bad news, indeed.
So you lost your job. What now? This question has been a hot topic of debate around the Cheapflights.com water cooler. We’re in the business of inspiring people to travel, but can you justify advocating that people travel if they’ve just been laid off?
In a word, yes. My colleague Carl Schwartz disagrees with me wholeheartedly. He says you can’t advocate for people to travel when their income has just been taken away. I agree, to an extent. I’m not suggesting anyone take a luxury vacation around the world. But if you have the finances, studies show that a quick getaway can ease stress and help you rejuvenate, and think about your career strategy, before you reenter the job market.
Hear me out…
The purpose of travel (for most people) is to vacation – to take a break from it all and just decompress. Breathe. Exhale. Rejuvenate. New York-based career coach Maggie Mistal says travel is actually one of the positive outcomes that can come from a layoff.
“Traveling can allow for an expanded perspective on what types of careers are possible. For instance, I have a client who took time after a layoff to take a ‘Vocation Vacation’ – which is specifically a vacation to pair up with a mentor who is doing work you’d like to do,” says Mistal. “It’s a great way to test drive a dream job and get a jump start on a new career by new career by getting the inside scoop from someone who is already successfully in that career.”
I recently read a story about a woman who was laid off from her job as a paralegal and before immediately jumping back into the job market, she took a quick trip to Mexico. She found cheap flights and hotels to a popular yoga retreat and spent a week studying yoga – something she had always wanted to do. This same woman returned home, became certified as a yoga instructor, and now teaches yoga weekly as an added source of income while she continues to look for a job.
A worthwhile trip, says Mistal.
“By traveling, you get outside of your normal routine and in many cases, more in touch with your own interests and abilities” said Mistal. “This kind of soul search activity is an invaluable first step in managing your career especially after a layoff.”
Does it cost money? Sure. But right now airlines are in the midst of massive discounts so finding a cheap flight is easy. Regardless of where you go or what you do, these new travels can offer innovative insight into new career opportunities.
The bottom line: there are gains and losses in every situation, but what you do with new opportunities is what counts. Losing your job is not ideal -and by no means am I suggesting you celebrate the unfortunate circumstances- but you can look at it as an opportunity for new growth, but professionally and personally.
© Cheapflights Ltd Melanie Nayer
