By my mid-30s I seemed to have it all: I was happily married with a nice apartment in Edinburgh and a well-regarded and well-paid job.
Although my life sounded good on paper, I was miserable.
My corporate job felt stressful and unrewarding, and I worked many long hours. I was overweight but had no emotional bandwidth to do anything about it. Life felt like an endless list of chores.
Meanwhile, I longed to live abroad in Barcelona.
My husband and I had been there twice on holiday and found ourselves enchanted with the city’s sunshine, beaches, architecture and people. However, factors like my in-person job and our bills kept these dreams on hold.
When my company restructured and I was offered a voluntary redundancy package, I saw it as an opportunity and I took it. I wasn’t given a fortune by any means, but it was enough to fund a grown-up “gap year” if we added my lump sum to my husband’s salary.
His job was already fully remote, so we took the leap and moved to Barcelona, where we planned to stay for a year.
Leaving my job for sunnier shores was a huge risk, but it felt right.
In Barcelona, I built up a life and found new perspective
For the first month, I walked around in awe, soaking up the sights and enjoying the near-constant sunshine. This time, we weren’t just tourists.
We found a long-term rental in Barcelona in a convenient location and I started looking for a temporary job in hopes I could bring some money in during this period.
Since I knew only very basic Spanish, my options were limited. I was delighted to get a part-time position teaching English.
Before, I was used to long days in the office, followed by a stressful commute home by car. By the time I got home, I was exhausted and my night felt like it was nearly over — and I still had to worry about dinner.
In Barcelona, with a centrally located apartment and a part-time work schedule, I could wander around the markets to choose fresh produce to cook with instead of darting into the supermarket for a frozen pizza on the way home from work.
I finally had time to take better care of my body, too. I joined a gym, where taking workout classes taught by locals helped improve my Spanish vocabulary (and my waistline).
Since we were living on much less, I learned how to budget well and became skilled at managing our finances.
My whole pace of life slowed down, which gave me time to think.
In running away from my life in Edinburgh, I’d left a lot of good behind — family, friends, an apartment I loved. Really, I just needed to reconsider my relationship with work.
Taking time off from my career and pursuing something completely different for a year boosted my confidence. After all, if I could find a job, an apartment, and new friends in a new city, then I could do anything!
After an amazing year, I was ready to go back to my old life but live it in a new way.
When I got back, I reset my career
My year in Barcelona was transformative.
I moved back into the corporate world with confidence and clarity, able to navigate my career on my own terms. I still work on strategic projects and advise companies — but, this time, I am a freelance communications specialist.
As a freelancer, my office is wherever I choose and I decide which and how many corporate clients to take on. This has given me much better work-life balance and has provided me with the space to do freelance writing in my spare time.
My income feels less stable, but my time abroad taught me that nothing good comes without risk. Plus, the financial lessons I learned from living on less have served me well when it comes to budgeting at home.
I don’t regret taking time out from my career, and clients are often impressed that I learned so many transferable skills (as well as another language).
I’d encourage anyone to take a “gap year” to follow a dream if they can. It’s wild that many of us are expected to work for decades without a significant break.
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