How to Take a Break from Work and Travel Europe on a Budget

In 2023, Rowena Hennigan came to a difficult but necessary conclusion – she needed a long break from work.

Hennigan was suffering from sleep disturbances, anxiety and brain fog — all normal symptoms of menopause — but it was wreaking havoc on her work and mental health.

She said she tried exercise, a new diet, hormone supplements, therapy, and occasional rest days, but several nights of interrupted sleep were stressful — and made her feel like she was running on a hamster wheel.

But as a self-employed remote work consultant, making time is easier said than done.

“The fear that everything I had built from nothing over six years—my business, my clients, my audience, my life of freedom to work from anywhere—was at risk made me hesitate. Would I lose everything if I stopped?” Heneghan said.

“Then I realized… How could I be a healthy, productive, and well-rounded human being without my health? I accepted the fact that I would only recover through proper rest.”

Hennigan's four-month break from her job at RoRemote began in December 2023. Although her husband continued to work, she set a strict budget for her time away because she didn't have her own income, she said.

Originally from Dublin, Heneghan and her family now live in Zaragoza, Spain, and spent their end-of-year vacation in Gran Canaria, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. They stayed with friends, avoiding accommodation costs, and stuck to a budget of €20 (about $21.50) per person per day for food and drinks.

The trip was 15 days.

Total cost of Hennigan's share: $731, including flights

Upon returning to Zaragoza, Hennigan set aside a portion of her family's fixed expenses for rent, bills, and food.

That totaled about $860 per month, or $3,440 for her four months of leave.

There wasn't much left for her travel budget, but Hennigan said she had a plan.

Total fixed costs: approximately $3,440

In mid-January, Hennigan set off on a nearly four-week trip to the Spanish Pyrenees on a budget of about $54 a day.

Her biggest expense was renting a one-bedroom apartment through Airbnb: $915, or about $32 a night. But she was able to eat and drink for just $16 a day, on average, by shopping at local supermarkets.

Eating out in Spain is also affordable, she added. The average price of a coffee and sandwich at a café is between $11 and $13, she said, while a three-course lunch menu at a restaurant starts at around $21.50 per person.

Her main activity, hiking, was free. Hennigan said she had planned to ski, having credit on her ski pass from last year, but there was little snow this year due to warm weather.

One of the best parts: Hennigan's husband and 10-year-old daughter join her on weekends.

“I am so grateful for the support from my family. It makes a huge difference, knowing that there was a compromise to be made,” she said.

Total cost: $1,502

Hennigan was home for about a month, spending weekends at a friend’s house in Valencia, about three hours away, and skiing in Formigal, about two hours away. In Formigal, she split her time between staying with friends and a hotel, the latter a Christmas gift from her husband, while using ski credit she bought in 2023. Her biggest expense during that time was about $170 in gas, she said.

Then in late March, she set off on a month-long trip to Villemettes, France. Through Trusted Housesitters, she found a four-bedroom farmhouse that she would rent for free in exchange for looking after the owner’s chickens, cats, and gardens.

She arrived two days before the owners left to familiarize herself with the house and the chores she was required to do. She said it took her about five hours a day to complete all of these tasks, split between morning and evening, which gave her the freedom to walk around and explore the local area during the day.

Hennigan spent the first few days alone, before being joined by her husband and daughter.

“It was a completely different atmosphere to the usual rental properties,” she said. “It was a house with several bedrooms, a garden, outbuildings, a library, a summer room, a fully equipped kitchen, a shed, 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, eating mostly eggs from the property’s chickens and vegetables from the garden, she said. Her daughter used eggs and ingredients from the kitchen to bake cookies, and they both used mint from the herb garden to make tea.

She said the family plans to visit another home in France during the summer holidays this year.

Total costs: About $300 (excluding $240 annual Trusted Housesitters membership fee)

Hennigan spent nearly $6,000 during her four-month vacation, spending most of her time on free activities like hiking and local sightseeing.

She's been able to take a break from work, though she says she sets aside an hour every Monday to check her email inbox and one instant messaging channel, where her virtual assistant shares any important messages.

She's now back at work, taking on a part-time remote role as COO of a cryptocurrency and cloud computing startup, alongside her broader consulting work.

“My energy and focus are back to normal,” she said. “Most importantly, I can now incorporate many of the lessons I learned from supported rest into my daily work and schedule.”

She added that she realized that her fears about the separation were unfounded, and that her clients were understanding and supportive of her decision.

“Being open about the need for rest as a priority, asking for help and getting so much support in return, was a real lesson in understanding and human kindness,” she said. “Once I knew I had support, I found I became better at planning and organizing, and I realized I could actually close my laptop and rest as planned.”