34-year-old and his family saved $60,000, quit their jobs to move to Taiwan for 13 months: 'This is not something that can afford to wait'

Ever dreamed of taking a sabbatical from your vocation and traveling the world?

Jason Lee and his woman Katie did that when, successful July 2024, they moved themselves and their lad from Columbus, Ohio, to Taipei, Taiwan.

Jason and Katie, some 34, came up with the thought aft they brought Forrest, present 6, to sojourn his paternal grandparents successful Taiwan erstwhile helium was an infant.

They spent 8 weeks unneurotic portion Jason took paternity permission and saw however peculiar it was for his parents to enslaved with their grandson.

Jason tells CNBC Make It that during their tearful goodbyes astatine the airdrome astatine the extremity of the trip, "I conscionable thought to myself, if I could marque thing hap wherever we could acquisition to [my parents] the extended magnitude of clip that they could walk with this child, what a peculiar infinitesimal that would be."

At archetypal helium considered finding a way to determination his vocation to Taiwan, until helium realized helium didn't privation to woody with its demanding enactment culture.

So, the mates decided to prevention up for a true vocation break truthful they could walk clip with household successful Taiwan without having to work.

The mates spent the adjacent 5 years redeeming up for their sabbatical.

They timed it truthful Forrest would beryllium successful Taiwan for his kindergarten year, and decided to walk 13 months overseas to lucifer up with the world year, positive summertime breaks, to get him backmost stateside for archetypal grade.

Jason and Katie drew up the numbers and set a extremity to save $60,000 for the move.

Jason says helium viewed the extremity similar immoderate household would prevention up for a location renovation project, and they utilized the You Need a Budget app to way their savings.

They acceptable themselves up truthful their stateside expenses would beryllium minimal portion they were successful Taiwan. Both of their cars are paid off, and the owe connected the starter location they bought successful 2016 is $1,200 a month. Jason says a person is renting the location from them to screen their owe and leasing 1 of the cars portion they stay.

As for their stay, they rented an flat and spent months preparing their paperwork. Jason utilized his Taiwanese passport (he was calved determination and moved to the U.S. erstwhile helium was 9), Forrest got his ain Taiwan passport, and Katie obtained a spousal visa.

By the summertime of 2024, Jason discontinue his occupation successful sales, and Katie near her enactment astatine a nonprofit.

Jason says timing was important: Not lone did helium privation to marque definite Forrest had capable clip with his grandparents and to set to kindergarten, but taking the leap was besides important for himself, Katie and the grandparents.

"This is not thing that tin spend to wait," Jason says. "If I don't bash this now, I volition everlastingly suffer my 30s. And past erstwhile americium I going to re-explore myself again? In my 40s? My 50s? By the clip I discontinue successful my 60s? I conscionable didn't consciousness similar that was a bully commercialized off."

What's more, helium wanted to marque definite that Forrest had clip to interact with his grandparents portion they are inactive successful bully wellness and mobile.

Overall, Jason says, "as I look backmost to this twelvemonth and I deliberation astir each the trips we were capable to bash and each the memories we were capable to make, it's perfectly worthy it."

In summation to spending much prime clip with family, Jason acceptable a fewer idiosyncratic and nonrecreational goals for himself for his sabbatical.

He says his vocation interruption has fixed him clip and vigor to absorption connected his carnal and intelligence health, specified arsenic going to the gym, meditating, eating healthfully and moving with a psychiatrist for the archetypal time, acknowledgment to Taiwan's universal wellness attraction system.

With much intelligence clarity, Jason says he's turned his attraction to what helium wants retired of his career. Prior to his break, helium says helium enactment a batch of unit connected himself to person a high-performing income year; erstwhile that didn't cookware out, it took a toll connected his consciousness of self.

"The full past 10 years, I've been dictating my vocation adjacent steps not based connected what I want, but based connected what the satellite oregon LinkedIn tells maine I should want," Jason says.

He realized helium felt unit to proceed climbing the firm ladder to gain higher titles and much money. "I conscionable realized however overmuch of that has acceptable maine up for being unhappy, erstwhile I don't prioritize myself oregon what I want."

By March, helium sat down with Katie with a large realization that erstwhile they returned to the U.S., they were OK with not chasing the aforesaid salaries they had before.

"I realized that our household doesn't request to marque arsenic overmuch oregon much than what we made earlier successful bid to beryllium happy," Jason says. "We are truthful blessed close now, the happiest we've been arsenic a family, and we are surviving our beingness connected little than what we had before."

The Lees person large plans for their instrumentality to the states.

"The program was ever to instrumentality successful August, but surprise, we got pregnant," Jason says.

The mates had discussed having their 2nd babe during their sabbatical, fixed Taiwan's high quality of birthing and post-natal attraction for families.

Katie gave commencement to their daughter, Ruby, successful aboriginal July, truthful the household of 4 volition instrumentality to the states successful October erstwhile she has a passport and is capable to travel.

Jason and Katie accidental their archetypal career-related precedence is for 1 of them to unafraid a occupation backmost successful the U.S. arsenic soon arsenic imaginable to marque definite their household has wellness security coverage. Jason says he'll see taking a lower-paying occupation that affords much flexibility, similar with a institution that makes it easier to enactment summers distant successful Taiwan.

Katie, meanwhile, has spent her sabbatical drafting concern plans for 2 startup ideas, a vending instrumentality business and a play cafe for kids and their parents oregon caregivers, and hopes to proceed gathering retired those ideas successful the U.S.

As for their travel truthful far, "it's conscionable been truthful transformative for the family," helium says.

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