My husband and I quit our jobs to travel for a year. My biggest concern was having a career gap on my résumé.
Maria Laposata, a 32-year-old founder of the travel consultancy Travelries, shares her transformative journey of leaving the grind of a startup job in Los Angeles to embark on a year-long adventure around the world with her husband. Feeling the weight of burnout and the constraints of their one-bedroom apartment—where both worked remotely during the pandemic—Laposata found solace in creating a travel spreadsheet filled with dream destinations. This act of envisioning a life beyond their daily routines sparked a bold idea: why not quit their jobs and travel the world? After careful planning and saving, the couple took the plunge, setting a budget of $75,000 and resigning from their positions two years later.
Their journey began in Rome, where they immersed themselves in Italian culture through language classes, enjoying the beauty of the city before the tourist crowds arrived. Laposata reflects on a pivotal moment during their travels—her 30th birthday spent on a serene island in Bali—where she confronted her priorities and realized the importance of her relationship over work. This introspection led to a profound change in her outlook on life. Upon returning to Los Angeles, both Laposata and her husband received job offers on their last day abroad, but she approached her new career with a renewed sense of balance, determined to prioritize what truly mattered: her relationship and personal well-being.
After experiencing the freedom and growth that a gap year provided, Laposata was inspired to launch Travelries, addressing the lack of resources available for adults considering long-term travel. She found that the career gap on her résumé became a unique asset in job interviews, allowing her to stand out as someone who embraced life-changing experiences. Laposata’s story is a testament to the value of stepping outside one’s comfort zone and the potential for personal and professional growth that comes from following one’s passions.
Maria Laposata and her husband left their jobs to spend a year traveling around the world.
Provided by Maria Laposata
Burned out from her job at an LA startup, Maria Laposata made a travel spreadsheet with her husband.
The list inspired her to suggest quitting their jobs and
traveling the world
for a year.
She thought the gap would hurt her résumé. Instead, it helped her stand out in interviews.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Maria Laposata, 32, the founder of travel consultancy
Travelries
. Her words have been edited for length and clarity.
Life made me realize I needed a break.
My husband and I had moved in together just before the pandemic, and our one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles had become both our offices. We were making it work, but I could feel the walls closing in.
We both love to travel, so in an effort to dream a little, I said, “Let’s make a list of all the places we want to go.” I’m a bit of a spreadsheet nerd, so I took his list and mine, ranked them, and combined them into one massive spreadsheet. It was my little form of stress relief.
At the time, I was working on the operations team at a startup in LA, and my schedule had become a lot more intense. I opened my laptop at 7 a.m. and closed it at midnight. I loved my job, but I was
feeling burned out.
On the rough days, I’d look at that list and dream about African safaris or going to Antarctica.
This story is part of our
Adult Gap Year
series, which highlights stories from people who have taken extended breaks to reset, explore, and reimagine their lives.
Read more:
I spent 22 years as a military wife. After our divorce, I finally lived the dream we’d planned together.
I couldn’t afford to take a gap year in college. So at 53, I retired early and did exactly that.
One morning, while my husband was making me a cappuccino, I decided to pitch the idea to him: “Hey babe, what if we quit our jobs and
traveled around the world
for three months?” And he said, “OK, sounds good.” That’s very him: calm, chill, no big reaction.
Planning for the trip
If we were going to take the risk of
leaving our jobs
, we wanted it to feel worth it. We decided the trip should last for a year
,
and it took us time to save and work through the logistics. Two years later, we both handed in our resignations.
We set a $75,000
budget for the trip
, which included everything from our Netflix subscription to the storage unit we rented. My manager was excited for me, but our families had a lot of questions: How would they contact us? Was it safe? What about diseases?
Before the trip, I was worried about snakes in Africa and tsunamis in Southeast Asia — which is funny, because I live in Los Angeles on the Ring of Fire.
My biggest concern was that a
career gap
would look like a black mark on my résumé. That ended up being completely false.
After we finished our lease in LA — and convinced my mother-in-law to watch our cats — we were off.
The couple were able to enjoy the Colosseum in Rome with almost no one around.
Provided by Maria Laposata
Around the world in 365 days
We started our trip in Rome, where we’d enrolled in Italian school for two months. Walking through our neighborhood that first night — Aperol spritzes on tables, music in the air, a cat watching us from a balcony — it felt like Rome was saying, “You made the right call.”
The next morning, we walked to class past the Colosseum and Pantheon before the tourists were out.
One of the moments that really changed me happened halfway through the trip, when I turned 30. We were in Gili Air, a tiny island near Bali, on my birthday.
Even in paradise, I found myself questioning whether I mattered at all — away from the birthday emails and office cakes that usually mark the day back home. I told my husband, “I’ve realized I don’t matter,” and he stopped and said, “But you mean everything to me.”
I’d always said he was my top priority, but in reality,
work had always come first
. In that moment, I realized how wrong I’d been — and how much I needed to start actually living my life by what mattered most.
During the trip, Laposata, in Singapore, realized she needed to focus on priorities.
Provided by Maria Laposata
Returning to LA
We decided to spend the last six months of the trip focusing on our job search and building skills. My husband built an app while we traveled, and I reconnected with former colleagues so it wouldn’t feel out of the blue when I reached out later.
When the plane landed and the pilot said, “Welcome home to Los Angeles,” it hit me that I had never pictured that moment. I’d imagined so many scenes from our trip, but never the return.
My husband and I both
received job offers
on our last day abroad, and I returned to work quickly. I was terrified I’d slip back into old habits — the workaholic version of myself who didn’t know how to be any other way. But this time, I really wanted to change.
I wanted my husband to be at the top of my priorities list — because he’s the reason I matter. When I think back on those moments, I’m grateful that we took that trip. I’m a profoundly different person because of it.
What came next
When I was laid off last August, I didn’t rush to apply for new jobs. Instead, I returned to an idea I’d had during our trip — how little support there is for people who want to travel long-term. That’s when I started Travelries, a company that helps adults
plan gap years
and travel sabbaticals.
In the end, the
career gap on my résumé
ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made — and a guaranteed conversation starter in every job interview.
Do you have a story about taking a gap year that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor:
akarplus@businessinsider.com
.
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