Why I’ve taken 30 ‘micro-retirements’ in three years
A woman has revealed how taking 30 'micro-retirements' in three years so she can travel the world has benefitted her mental health and career.
Lauren Kirby, 21, a nursery worker, from Maidstone, Kent, has tapped into a recent TikTok trend which sees Gen Z workers take periodic breaks or micro-retirements from their jobs.
Since starting work when she was 18, Lauren has saved over £10,000 to travel to 30 different countries, and has so far visited countries including Portugal, Mexico, Estonia and the US, as well as spending six months in Australia.
Not only does she believe the micro-retirements have "changed her as a person" - taking her from a shy, retiring teenager to a confident, self-assured woman, she also believes taking some temporary time-out has made her better at her job - as she’s been able to pick up childcare techniques from different cultures around the world.
"Once you go on a micro-retirement for the first time, it literally changes your life," Lauren says of the trend. "Older generations may plan to travel once they hit retirement age, but, even though it sounds morbid, you never know if you’re going to get there."
At the age of 18, after seeing an advert for a childcare rep on TikTok, she decided to take up the opportunity and flew out to Corfu, Greece, for three months. The travel company, TUI, paid for Lauren’s accommodation, flights, food and bills and paid her a minimum wage - £789.69 a month. It meant Lauren was able to save £2.5k and used this to help fund her micro-retirements.
Initially she took micro-retirement from work for a month between November and December 2022 where she travelled to Portugal, Finland and Mexico before returning to the UK in mid December and picking up a few bank shifts at her first nursery job to give her some extra money to travel again in the new year.
In 2023, Lauren took a part-time job in a nursery nearer to where she lives in Kent, to fund her travels to 26 additional countries.
She also travelled to Australia in March 2024, staying until September, which she'd saved £4k for.
"I worked the first five months at a resort, then spent a month travelling," Lauren says of her trip to Australia. "With the money I’d earnt, I was able to quit my temporary role and travel down the east coast visiting, Sydney and Byron Bay."
Lauren says she was initially inspired to take regular micro-retirements after seeing how “quickly” the world shut down during the Covid lockdowns and started fearing she may never be able to go abroad again. "It did open my eyes to how quickly things can change," she explains.
Despite believing her travels have made her more "well-rounded", she worries older generations think “micro-retirements” are about laziness.
"I never thought I’d be someone able to live alone, on the other side of the world,” she adds. "But micro-retirements have changed my life."
Micro-retirement pros and cons
Effectively micro-retirement is when someone takes an intentional break from their career, whether for a few months or a few years. "Regardless of whether they’re taking time away for a holiday or pursue up other passions, we’re seeing more of a trend to taking time away from work, especially in the corporate world," explains Maria–Teresa Daher-Cusack, organisational psychologist at Health Assured.
"With burnout and job dissatisfaction two of the top three reasons why 40% of Gen Z and 24% of millennials say they’d like to leave their jobs within two years, and mental health now being the leading cause of workplace absence, it’s no surprise that people are looking to take a break," she continues.
Daher-Cusack says there is a whole wealth of benefits to micro-retirement including allowing people to step away, recharge and come back to their careers with renewed energy. "Whilst it can be scary to take the plunge into micro-retirement, taking a break from work can lower stress levels and prevent feelings of burnout – leading to better overall wellbeing.
"Having to always be ‘on’ in a work environment can also be exhausting, so taking time out of work to explore new hobbies, acquire new skills, spend quality time with loved ones or travel is often very beneficial," she adds.
However, while micro-retirements can seem appealing, there can also be downsides. "There are financial implications to taking an extended break from work, so it’s important to plan ahead," Daher-Cusack advises. "Make sure you have enough put away to cover bills and allow you to enjoy whatever you have planned during your micro-retirement, to avoid any financial stressors."
Some people also find it challenging re-entering the workforce after extended time away. "While you want your micro-retirement to be a time to disconnect and step away, it’s also important to keep your skills and network up to date to help when you do transition back to the workplace,” she advises.
Read more about travel:
Going on 13 extreme day trips cured my fear of flying (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
Why extreme day tripping is taking off – and three jaunts to book now (The Telegraph, 8-min read)
We flew to Mallorca for the day to sunbathe and it cost just £61 (Yahoo Life UK, 2-min read)
