Career break regrets

graeme16

Hi, 

Degree qualified mid-30's male having been in a decent paying profession (oil & gas) for 12 years with 5 YO son and 2 YO daughter. Partner (mum) not working following Covid drama and I commute 70 mins each way to work. Enough saved to take some time off (£175k in savings. Similar in DC pension). Had a motorhome for past 12 months and really have the urge to jack and take 1-2 years out to travel with the kids...

Anyone done anything similar and regretted it? Or do people think I'm stupid for not jumping at the opportunity?

Emmia

I think the question is why you want to do it?

Have you had enough of the commute? (Would it be better if you moved closer to work, or got a new (different) job)
Do you think it will give your partner / you a new lease of life?
To escape some other "problems" perhaps with your relationship or something else?
Just because you can?

One of your kids is 5 and so would be at school, and the other is 2 and so would be heading to reception and school in a couple of years. What's your plan to ensure they won't be behind their peers educationally when you return?

I'm not a dad (or a parent), but think I'd consider whether it's the idea of travel that you want, or whether there is something else driving this.
 
Problems have a habit of following you even if you travel in an attempt to leave them behind.

Edit: I also think there's a bit of "romance" in your idea of jacking it in, and hitting the road. I suspect four people (two of whom are young children) in a motorhome for weeks/months on end might end up being a bit of a pressure cooker. Your idea of how it will be, and the reality may be very, very different... 

How keen is your partner to do this?

MyRealNameToo

graeme16 said:

Degree qualified mid-30's male having been in a decent paying profession (oil & gas) for 12 years with 5 YO son and 2 YO daughter. Partner (mum) not working following Covid drama and I commute 70 mins each way to work. Enough saved to take some time off (£175k in savings. Similar in DC pension). Had a motorhome for past 12 months and really have the urge to jack and take 1-2 years out to travel with the kids...

Anyone done anything similar and regretted it? Or do people think I'm stupid for not jumping at the opportunity?

No one has a crystal ball that can perfectly predict the future. There will be some who have done it and have aspects of regrets, there will be some that have done it and have little regrets and there will be many who are envious. 

A colleague took a years break, their employers allowed up to 1 year without resignation, but part way through the trip they made him redundant. He was an older bloke though and his late teens/early 20s kids were coming out for bits of the trip not the whole trip. 

He regretted it both ways... he regretted it was only 12 months, if he had known he wouldnt have a job to come back to he'd have gone longer but 12 months was the limit without having to quite the job. When he did come back he struggled to get replacement job and effectively forced into an early retirement having already blown a lot of his savings. He had a reasonable DB pension so far from all being lost but he'd hoped for another 5 years of heavy contribution to pensions and savings which didnt materialise so his retirement has been more frugal than he'd hoped. 

What are your plans on education?