5 Surprising Logistics of Leaving on Sabbatical
In thinking about going on Sabbatical, we read hundreds of blogs and a handful of books seeking advice and best practices. There are planning spreadsheets for days! On the other hand, we knew that if it was easy to do then everyone would do it. There were the things that NO ONE warned us about or that we had to figure out on our own. In an attempt to help anyone else planning a sabbatical, here are the 5 surprising logistics challenges of leaving on sabbatical.
#1 Dear Jane – Mail Management
I can manage everything online – thinks every Millennial everywhere, including me! Lies all around. If you’re a CPA reading this, you may be familiar with the physical license renewal form mailed to you and, no, there isn’t another option. If you’re just an average traveler, there will be something coming your way AND you’ve probably just left your home/apartment in sublet or given it up entirely, so you have to forward that mail somewhere!
The questions for us became, who do we trust and what are we willing to pay? Services like US Global Mail Forwarding are available for a monthly fee. These services will handle your mail, scan it in for review and keep or shred it. Depending on the amount of mail you receive this can become pricey. We opted to rely on family to care for and forward mail along.
#2 I Object! – Legal Documents
When leaving on a long trip, particularly to new and more unexplored places, complexities arise in operating outside your home country. Something as simple as replacing your passport in the event that it’s stolen requires someone to have access to documents like your birth certificate and the power of attorney to act on your behalf to submit the paperwork. This article helped us navigate the legal documents we would need to complete prior to departure. Enjoy the read and shocking your friends by asking them to witness your last will and testament!
When you’re ready to create these documents, Rocket Lawyer made it simple and easy for us to generate template documents.
#3 Coverage, Coverage Everywhere!
Every blog and travel booking site will recommend one form of travel insurance coverage or another. Being risk-averse humans, we debated and agonized over every possible option. Trying to figure out what it covers and what it doesn’t (see point 4). Finally we completed opted out deciding to utilize a combination of our credit card benefits and other health insurance. If you hold a premium travel credit card (Chase Sapphire Reserve, AMEX Platinum, even Barclays) you’ll likely find yourself covered for many of the items found in the average travelers insurance plan including evacuation and lost/stolen items if you purchase a portion of your trip on that card. Read the fine print and benefits of your plan before adding to your coverage.
#4 Just What the Doctor Ordered – Healthcare Insurance & the ACA
I work in healthcare so this was top of mind. Easy! We’ll just get travel insurance like everyone recommends…
First and foremost, travelers insurance is designed for people who maintain coverage in their home country. The goal of these types of insurance plans is to evacuate you back to the states as quickly as possible, where you will then have coverage provided by someone else. So what to do when you’re giving up all your coverage? Do you buy domestic coverage on the exchange AND travelers insurance? (see reason 3 on avoiding travelers insurance in general) Are there alternatives? Do I really even need to carry insurance? If I don’t, am I subject to ACA fines?
Insert hours of frustration, research, and a renewed passion for socialist healthcare…
Do you buy domestic coverage on the exchange AND travelers insurance? Talk about useless and pricey. U.S. plans provide nothing abroad and are expensive – $400/month. This was way out of our price range and a waste of money as well.
Do I really need to carry insurance? This is a matter of personal choice and your state’s ACA status (see details below). Personally, we are very risk averse in this area and were concerned about having international access and US access. Given our planned locations we wanted evacuation coverage, international coverage, and U.S. healthcare coverage.
What about the ACA? Will I be fined for not having coverage?
Trump’s attacks on the ACA have removed this factor for some, but several states have maintained it. In California, the penalty is the higher of a flat fee per person or a percent of income (for high income earners). Check your state rules carefully!
So what to do!?
Hours of research led us to Aenta’s international healthcare coverage designed for expats living abroad. Cigna offers a similar product, but has a terrible sales process in our experience. This type of plan provides coverage abroad and in the US under their network along with evacuation coverage. We opted for a high deductible plan ($5000 per person) keeping the cost manageable (~$300 per month total for two people). We’ll see how this pans out, but it seems to be the perfect solution. We’re covered abroad through a direct network (meaning we won’t have to pay upfront and submit claims). We’re covered in the US for 182 days of the 1 year plan and evacuation coverage is provided allowing us to return to the US. Fingers crossed it’s as good as it seems.
#5 Help!
Our departure had added complexities as we packed up and became nomadic two weeks prior to departing for our international trips. In that time frame, we also gained a new family member (our adorable nephew Flynn) and had a ski trip planned. We found ourselves fighting a logistical battle that required much assistance from friends (you know who you are – thanks again!). Chasing summer during our sabbatical and flying around the US for two weeks in winter prior to leaving meant things had to be traded out prior to departure. Also, homeless in the U.S. meant we needed cheap places to stay in the meantime. We’re lucky to have an incredible group of friends and some family that came to our rescue. We just had to learn how to ask for ‘Help!’
