Have you ever thought about taking a break from your career, or dreamed of traveling the world? Then you need to know about an event coming up in Las Vegas on Tuesday, October 18, 2011: It’s called Meet Plan Go, and it’s your opportunity to find out how to make your travel dreams come true.

The Las Vegas host of Meet Plan Go is JoAnna Haugen, writer and publisher of the travel website Kaleidoscopic Wandering. JoAnna has recruited an outstanding panel for this event, including Certified Financial Planner Becky Buckley (because you’ve got to figure out how you’re going to fund your travel dreams, don’t you?), Master Coach Judy Irving (to help you stay focused on achieving your goals), and two successful career breakers: Abby Tegnelia, publisher of The Jungle Princess travel blog and Editor-in-Chief of VEGAS magazine, and Diana Edelman, Owner and Writer of The Adventures of D travel blog and Director of Communications for MCC Hospitality Group. (You can read their full bios here.)

I posed some questions to JoAnna, Abby, and Diana to give you an idea of what Meet Plan Go is all about and why you might want to consider a career break.

VegasSolo: Why did you get involved with Meet Plan Go?

JoAnna: I feel strongly that people should pursue their passions, and for many people, that passion is travel. So many people are unhappy with where they are in life. Meet, Plan, Go! provides information and support for those who want more than the 8-to-5, and that’s a cause I can get behind.

Diana: I got involved with MPG because of the message it sends to would-be travelers: you can take a career-break and follow your dreams of traveling.

Abby: I’m honored to help spread the message about taking career breaks! Mine changed my life, from taking me off a bad career path to giving me the confidence to follow my dreams.

VegasSolo: Who should attend Meet Plan Go?

Abby: Anyone who even daydreams the slightest bit about traveling or taking some time “off”! And everyone who could benefit from spending a few hours with people who are getting revved up to follow their dreams.

JoAnna: Meet, Plan, Go! is for anyone who has plans to take a career break or sabbatical, and for anyone who maybe has the urge to do so someday. It’s also for anyone who is looking for a supportive community of other travelers. If everyone around you says you need to have a 401k to be successful, but you desperately want to believe otherwise, this event is for you.

Diana: Anyone who has ever dreamed of taking a breather from their professional goals to travel or live outside of America should attend the event. You don’t have to be ready to leave tomorrow, or the day after, but if you are at a point in your life where you can take a pause and want to learn more about how to make that happen, you should go.

Abby in Costa Rica

VegasSolo: How might a person use their career break? How did you use yours?

JoAnna: A lot of people choose to travel extensively during their career breaks, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to live out of a backpack for months on end. Long-term volunteer programs, pursuing an education abroad or just renting an apartment somewhere and getting a feel for the local culture are just a few of the ways to spend a career break.

Diana: A career-break can be many things. Obviously, it is leaving your current job. For some, it could mean going to volunteer somewhere; for others it could mean relocating to a foreign country; and for others, it could be traveling to other places in the world. I used mine to backpack solo through Europe and parts of Africa.

Abby: I traveled for eight months and lived as an expat for a year. I slept well, was able to spend an enormous amount of time with friends, and I re-energized. I learned what’s really important to me. Also, free time became a precious gift. I started my own business, which I had never had time to do. Also, I started a blog! I never knew that could open such a world; I’ve met people from all over who think like I do. That web of online friends (and now I’ve met so many of them in person), has been amazing. It’s tough to meet people sometimes, especially with the same interests as you. Now, I know how!

Diana in Bosnia

VegasSolo: Describe one really cool experience you had during your career break that never would have happened during a traditional vacation from work.

Abby: I had this one amazing week in Nicaragua with a really fun group of people. Spur of the moment, we just took off to Nicaragua! I’ll always remember that week.

Diana: There were so many moments I had to pinch myself! There isn’t just one cool experience. But, if I had to nail one down, it would be volunteering to teach English in Spain. The program was one week. And, after the program, I was able to travel Spain and stay with people I had taught in their homes, in their villages. It was an amazing experience and something 10 days of leave could never have afforded me.

VegasSolo: What’s the most important thing you learned about yourself during the process?

Abby: That spending time with friends, not being so emotional about work, and making time for travel really do make me happy.

Diana: I learned I am a lot tougher than I thought I was. A career break puts things in perspective. Your challenges aren’t putting together a strategic plan, but getting from Point A to Point B in a country where you don’t speak the language.

Abby Sailing

VegasSolo: How did you wind up in Las Vegas after your career break?

Diana: I lived here from 2005 – 2009. I left to take a job in Atlanta, where I decided, after a year with the business, it wasn’t for me. When I returned to America, I still had contacts in Las Vegas and there was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.

Abby: Just as I was beginning to think about moving back to the U.S., I got a job offer out of the blue. It was so easy that I didn’t hesitate. It was meant to be. I try to remember that whenever the going gets tough!

VegasSolo: What do you wish you’d known before you took your career break that you know now?

Diana: Nothing is as important as being happy.

Abby: That you can go back to work. I mourned the end of my career and adjusted to being a small business owner. If I had known that you can go back, it would have saved me many months of crying when I lost my job!

VegasSolo: Is there anything you would have done differently?

Diana: There were some mistakes I made when I was traveling, but I wouldn’t have done everything differently. Those mistakes helped shape my trip, exposed me to new places, new people and made me the person I am today.

Abby: I wish I had started a blog and joined Twitter sooner. I wish I had had an outlet and been self-confident enough to share the pain after I got laid off. The blogging world really rallies around its own. I spent so much time alone in the beginning.

Diana in London

VegasSolo: Do you think the current employment situation in the US/Las Vegas makes this a good or bad time to consider a career break?

Abby: Great! Don’t let a good recession go to waste! Go out and see the world and come back when the market is better. But in the end, your own financial situation is the ultimate decision.

JoAnna: I think now is a stellar time for people in Las Vegas to take a career break, which is one of the reasons I wanted to introduce the movement to the city. A lot of people in Las Vegas have been laid off from their jobs as a result of the economic downturn, so why not turn that negative experience into something positive? Instead of sitting around, applying to jobs they aren’t interested in, people have been handed the chance to take a bona fide career break and pursue something they are truly passionate about.

Diana: Yes and no. There is the stigma of leaving a job and coming back to not having one that makes it difficult to convince a person a career break could work. But I am living proof that it can. I think a person who takes a career break shows would-be employers that they are OK with taking risks, and that they have faced challenges that most have not faced by being abroad and outside of their comfort zone. In this market, I think it can actually give someone a leg up on the competition and set them apart from the stacks of resumes on HR desks.

VegasSolo: What do people need to know about the Meet Plan Go event in Las Vegas?

JoAnna: We have four excellent panelists for Meet, Plan, Go! Las Vegas that can answer the questions anyone might have about taking a career break. Not sure what to pack for an around-the-world trip? Ask our career breaker. Don’t want to live out of a backpack? Talk to our expatriate who lived in Costa Rica. Not sure how to pay for it? That’s a question for our financial adviser. Want to know how to apply a career break to the “real world” once you return? Our life coach has the answer.

One of the things I’m most excited about for Meet, Plan, Go! Las Vegas is how intimate the evening is going to be. We’ve limited the number of seats available for the event so there will be plenty of time to chat one-on-one with people who can inspire and support career break dreams.

Diana: It is a great panel! JoAnna worked really hard to put a panel together that presented more than just one career-break experience, and more than one person to advise on how to take one.

Abby: That it really could change your life! You’ll be meeting three enthused world travelers and career breakers, and two wonderful experts to help you with the practicalities. It’s going to be a wonderful few hours – but the support won’t stop there. You could be joining our travel and expat community, no matter the level of commitment you are able to offer right now. The choice is yours!

Meet Plan Go Las Vegas
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Doors open: 6:15pm
Spine Wellness Center
3085 E. Russell Rd. – Lobby
Las Vegas
Tickets: $15