In 2023, Rowena Hennigan came to a difficult but necessary conclusion: she needed an extended break from work.
Hennigan suffered from sleep disturbances, anxiety and brain fog – all normal symptoms of menopause – but it was taking its toll on her work and mental health.
She said she tried exercise, a new diet, hormone supplements, therapy and occasional respite days, but multiple nights of interrupted sleep triggered stress and made her feel like she was running on a hamster wheel.
But as a remote freelance consultant, taking time out is easier said than done.
“I was afraid that what I had built from scratch for six years – my business, my clients, my audience, my life of freedom to work from anywhere – was in jeopardy. If I stopped, would I lose everything?” Hennigan said.
“Then I realized… how could I be a whole, productive, healthy person without my health? I accepted the reality that I would only recover with proper rest.”
A trip to the Canary Islands
Hennigan's four-month hiatus from her business, RoRemote, began in December 2023. Although her husband continued to work, she set a strict budget for his absence because she didn't have her own income, she said.
Originally from Dublin, Hennigan and his family, now based in Zaragoza, Spain, spent the festive season in Gran Canaria, the largest of Spain's Canary Islands. They stayed with friends, eliminating accommodation costs, and stuck to a budget of €20 per person per day for food and drink.
The journey lasted 15 days.
Total cost from Hennigan: $731, flights included
Fixed costs at home
Back in Zaragoza, Hennigan budgeted his share of his family's fixed costs for rent, bills and food.
That came to about $860 a month, or $3,440 for the four months of his sabbatical.
That didn't leave her with much money for her travel budget, but Hennigan had a plan, she said.
Total fixed costs: approximately $3,440
Hiking in Spain
In mid-January, Hennigan left for a nearly four-week stay in the Spanish Pyrenees on a budget of about $54 a day.
Her biggest expense was a one-bedroom Airbnb apartment: $915, or about $32 a night. But she could eat and drink for just $16 a day, on average, by shopping at local supermarkets.
Hennigan, hiking in Canfranc, a municipality near the northeast of Spain.
Source: Rowena Hennigan
Eating out is also affordable in Spain, she added. A coffee and sandwich at a café costs an average of $11 to $13, while a three-course daily menu costs about $21.50 per person at a restaurant.
Her main activity, hiking, was free. Hennigan said she had planned to ski because she had a credit on her ski pass from last year, but there was little snow this year because of the warmer weather.
One of the highlights: Hennigan's husband and 10-year-old daughter joined her for the weekend.
“I'm very grateful for the support of my family. It makes such a difference to know that there was a compromise to be found,” she said.
Total costs: $1,502
A stay with a local in France
Hennigan went home for about a month, spending weekends at a friend’s house in Valencia, about a three-hour drive away, and skiing in Formigal, about a two-hour drive away. In Formigal, she split her time between staying with friends and at a hotel, the latter a Christmas gift from her husband, while using a ski credit she bought in 2023. Her biggest expense during that time: about $170 in gas, she said.
Then, at the end of March, she left for a month-long trip to Villembits, France. Trusted House SittersShe found a four-bedroom farmhouse, which was free in exchange for tending to the owner's chickens, cats and gardens.
Hennigan's 10-year-old daughter helped care for a cat in a four-bedroom house near Tarbes, France, where they stayed for free in exchange for tending to the animals and the estate's gardens.
Source: Rowena Hennigan
She arrived two days before the owners left to learn about the house and the tasks she was expected to complete. All of these tasks took about five hours a day, she said, split between morning and evening, leaving her time to hike and explore during the day.
Hennigan spent the first few days alone, before her husband and daughter joined her.
“It was such a different atmosphere and feel to your typical rental accommodation,” she said. “It was a house, with lots of bedrooms, a garden, outbuildings, a library, a summer room, a fully equipped kitchen, a loft, an art room and two offices. There was so much space to explore and enjoy all the different nooks and crannies.”
Here, Hennigan spent about $11 a day on food, because she ate mostly eggs from the chickens on the property and vegetables from the garden, she said. Her daughter used the eggs and ingredients from the kitchen to bake cakes, and they both used mint from the herb garden to make tea.
The family plans to do another house-sitting in France during their summer vacation this year, she said.
Total costs: approximately $300 (excluding Trusted Housesitters Annual Fee of $240)
The result of his four-month break
Hennigan spent just under $6,000 during his four-month sabbatical, devoting most of his time to free activities like hiking and local tourism.
She was able to step away from work, although she said she set aside an hour every Monday to check her email inbox and an instant messaging channel, where her virtual assistant shared any important messages.
She is now back at work and has taken on a part-time role as remote operations manager for a cryptocurrency and cloud computing startup, alongside her broader consultancy.
“I have regained my energy and focus,” she said. “The most important thing I learned is that I can now apply many of the lessons I learned from assisted rest to my daily work and schedule.”
Additionally, she said, she realized her fears of breaking up were unfounded and that her clients were understanding and supportive of her decision.
“Being open about making rest a priority, while asking for help and receiving lots of support in return, was a real lesson in human understanding and kindness,” she said. “Once I knew I had support, I found I could plan and organize better, realizing I could actually close the laptop and rest as planned.”
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