Getting The Time Off To Walk

[Gabe]

Hi Everyone,

I walked the the Camino Frances in 2014 and am now trying to plan to return, and also hike some other long distance treks in the world. But it is so hard to get the time to do it. The first time I walked the Camino I just took a month off, unpaid, but now that is not an option.

I wanted to ask out of curiosity, since these treks can take over a month, how did you get the time off to walk? Retired already, between jobs, not working, just quit, flexible boss, work for myself etc ...

Thanks!

 

[Rob the Slob]

I'm self-employed, so in theory I can take off for as long as I want whenever I want. Of course, it also means that I'll have no income while I'm walking, so I need to have not only money to fund my walk, but also enough to pay the next month's mortgage and other outgoings.

 

[Gabe]

Thanks Rob!

 

[sabbott]

Also self-employed. Lucky to be teaching a class in France after my walk, which pays my airfare. Leaving my work for two months is putting pressure on both sides of my time away, but that's ok!

 

[november_moon]

Starting in Burgos instead of St Jean, so not walking the "whole" thing, just what I can fit into my vacation time. When we walked a couple years ago, we started in Leon for the same reason. We met a lot of people starting at various places for the same reason.

 

[LesBrass]

I too am sort of self employed. I sing in a band and so taking time does also impact on my band mates; if one of us is away then none of us can work.

However, one of the guys is retired and the others have other income streams so they are ok with me going away for 6 weeks. The only drawback is I'm kind of stuck to Autumn walking as spring and summer are busy times for the band... but I am lucky enough to be based in France and I have a very understanding husband... so an annual walk is possible.

 

[movinmaggie]

I too am sort of self employed. I sing in a band and so taking time does also impact on my band mates; if one of us is away then none of us can work.

However, one of the guys is retired and the others have other income streams so they are ok with me going away for 6 weeks. The only drawback is I'm kind of stuck to Autumn walking as spring and summer are busy times for the band... but I am lucky enough to be based in France and I have a very understanding husband... so an annual walk is possible.

I too am sort of self employed. I sing in a band and so taking time does also impact on my band mates; if one of us is away then none of us can work.

However, one of the guys is retired and the others have other income streams so they are ok with me going away for 6 weeks. The only drawback is I'm kind of stuck to Autumn walking as spring and summer are busy times for the band... but I am lucky enough to be based in France and I have a very understanding husband... so an annual walk is possible.

For me Autumn was a lovely time to walk. I think you'd find it less crowded. That being said, it is gaining in numbers.

 

[Gabe]

Starting in Burgos instead of St Jean, so not walking the "whole" thing, just what I can fit into my vacation time. When we walked a couple years ago, we started in Leon for the same reason. We met a lot of people starting at various places for the same reason.

I am thinking about hiking sections as well when I can get away, until I can become self-employed, so I can walk all the time. That is the dream

 

[Kev]

Religious Accommodation.

 

[J F Gregory]

I am taking vacation time and two weeks unpaid leave. Between the Camino budget and saving to cover the 2 weeks unpaid it has been it has been an interesting winter.

 

[domigee]

I feel very lucky because as a teacher I could walk the Camino during the Summer months. But all this said, I had to wait many years until my children were 'grown-up' before setting off on my own. (Never occurred to me then to take them with me like another family on this forum do )
In order to do another - longer - pilgrimage, I quit my job. Not good for the money but I thought 'you may only get one chance'...
Good luck with finding the time

 

[Gabe]

I feel very lucky because as a teacher I could walk the Camino during the Summer months. But all this said, I had to wait many years until my children were 'grown-up' before setting off on my own. (Never occurred to me then to take them with me like another family on this forum do )
In order to do another - longer - pilgrimage, I quit my job. Not good for the money but I thought 'you may only get one chance'...
Good luck with finding the time

Thanks Domigee My wife is a school psychologist so I am always so jealous of her (well deserved) summers off

 

[julia-t]

I'm walking the Camino a week at a time. Though in fact it's more like only 5 or 6 days each time due to losing a day either end for travel from my home in the UK to Spain. I may be able to take a few more days in 2017, but it's still going to take me years to get to Santiago and then Muxia and Fisterra!

 

[RobertS26]

I am self-employed without any employees. As such, I had three choices: (1) never walk the Camino; (2) walk the Camino and continue to run my business along the way each day; or (3) walk, not do business, and destroy my company. I chose option #2. Mindful that others wouldn't want to see or hear me working in the evenings, I stayed in albergues with private rooms and cheap hotels (along with the occasional Parador). Having a private room allowed me to stay up until midnight to deal with clients on the west coast of the United States. I do not regret this choice although there were a few pilgrims who chided me for not staying in albergues. Once I explained to them what I was doing at night behind closed doors they thanked me for intruding upon their peace and quiet.

 

[SabsP]

This is what I wrote a while ago on another thread.

"

Here in Belgium there's a possibility to take ( in total ) a year of absence from work ( or you can split it in four times three months if you want ), if your employer gives the green light ( not more than five percent of employees per company can be in the same system AND you have to be replaced by an umemployed person or someone fresh from school).
The state will give you then an unemployment fee ( in my case enough to cover mortgage of house ). Your normal wage of course will stop for that amount of time. So you will still have to have some extra money on the side...
If not in this system : minimal time of holidays in Belgium is 21 paid days but extra days up till a total of 26 is possible ( varies per sector ).
Also if working in health and social services you gain extra days with getting older.
So if you combine all these things you can take up a month of leave."

Now this year system changed. You can still take time off but without being paid. Only people who take care of sick family member will keep their pay.
I can still take unpaid leave for a week or two and and combine it with my regular paid holidays. Good thing is that my social security and health insuranc keeps running , working or not.
​

 

[Telelama]

I took a four week leave of absence (LOA) and added two weeks of vacation.

I informed my boss 2 years ahead of time that if X, Y, and Z occurred, I'd be asking for a LOA and why. When X and Y happened, I let him know 1 year out they had happened. When Z happened about 7 months before our intended departure date, I let him know that too. When I met with him at my mid-year review two months later, he knew I was going to ask him for the LOA.

I tried to take away every reason for him to say "no". His primary concern would be who would cover my accounts. I had already gotten a peer to commit to covering them. I wrote process documents for each task, with full contact information and escalation routes. I printed out all of the company's LOA documentation, including the actual policy and the form he had to sign, so that he didn't have to go find it himself or use that as an reason for not moving on my request. I even included a powerpoint presentation on the Camino, the reason for the long time-frame, a Wikipedia article on the Camino and a long list of why this was the year for us to walk our Camino. He used this presentation with his boss, who also had to sign off on the LOA.

 

[november_moon]

I am thinking about hiking sections as well when I can get away, until I can become self-employed, so I can walk all the time. That is the dream

Me too I am hoping to be able to "walk the earth" when I retire - do various pilgrimages, walking holidays, long distance trails, etc. None of us is guaranteed long life or health in our later years though, so I am hedging my bets and doing what I can now with the time I have, hoping to be able to do more later on.

 

[Deleted member 43985]

I picked a career that is 'seasonal' in nature and allows me to get away for extended periods. The harder part is justifying being away from family all the time during the off season!

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Hi all, in Holland when you over 55 you get more vacation day's every year after 55. For me is it no problem to go for a 6 week walk. Lucky me.
Wishyou all well, Peter.

 

[MTtoCamino]

I am fortunate to get 6 weeks of holiday per year, yet under normal circumstance not have the ability to take it at the same time. The business was purchased & there was a 6 week limbo. I simply took advantage.
I will wait the next 10 years for retirement to return. I feel very blessed, yet I must say it seemed as though all blocks just worked out...

 

[steve392]

Normally I couldn't book 6 weeks off at once (max 2 weeks usually). I've been trying to book time off to do the camino for a couple of years, so last year I told the boss that I was doing it this year and if I couldn't get the time off I'd quit. Life's too short and there's always another job. Luckily they gave in and I got my time off. Woo hoo, who says blackmail doesn't work?

 

[Gabe]

Normally I couldn't book 6 weeks off at once (max 2 weeks usually). I've been trying to book time off to do the camino for a couple of years, so last year I told the boss that I was doing it this year and if I couldn't get the time off I'd quit. Life's too short and there's always another job. Luckily they gave in and I got my time off. Woo hoo, who says blackmail doesn't work?

When in doubt blackmail always works haha!