WCI #480: This Doctor Takes 3-5 Months Off Work Every Year. Here's How.

How could a busy physician take their family abroad for months at a time without sacrificing their career, their children's education, or their financial future? In this episode, Dr. Jim Dahle talks with anesthesiologist and palliative care physician Dr. Sarah Gebauer, author of Go Anyway: The Practical Guide to Long-Term Travel With Kids. Sarah has traveled to more than 50 countries with her husband and four children while taking 3-5 month sabbaticals from her private practice. She explains how she created a workable sabbatical policy, used trusted locums coverage, and found that taking extended time away did not reduce her income as much as she expected. They discuss the real cost of long-term international travel, how living abroad can sometimes cost less than staying home, and the tradeoffs between slow travel, remote work, and constant movement. They also tackle the questions many physician parents have: Can children stay on track academically? What happens to friendships and activities? Can physicians in primary care, surgery, or dual-doctor households make this work? And can a sabbatical actually help with burnout and career direction? Financial literacy is not just about maximizing accounts. It can give you the flexibility to design a life with more time, curiosity, and connection with the people who matter most. Today's episode is brought to us by SoFi, the folks who help you get your money right. Paying off student debt quickly and getting your finances back on track isn't easy, but that's where SoFi can help — they have exclusive, low rates designed to help medical residents refinance student loans—and that could end up saving you thousands of dollars, helping you get out of student debt sooner. SoFi also offers the ability to lower your payments to just $100 a month* while you're still in residency. And if you're already out of residency, SoFi's got you covered there too. For more information, go to https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/Sofi SoFi Student Loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Additional terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891. The White Coat Investor Podcast launched in January 2017, and since then, millions have downloaded it. Join your fellow physicians and other high income professionals and subscribe today! Host, Dr. Jim Dahle, is a practicing emergency physician and founder of The White Coat Investor blog. Like the blog, The White Coat Investor Podcast is dedicated to educating medical students, residents, physicians, dentists, and similar high-income professionals about personal finance and building wealth, so they can ultimately be their own financial advisor-or at least know enough to not get ripped off by a financial advisor. We tackle the hard topics like the best ways to pay off student loans, how to create your own personal financial plan, retirement planning, how to save money, investing in real estate, side hustles, and how everyone can be a millionaire by living WCI principles. Website: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com  YouTube: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/youtube  Student Loan Advice: https://studentloanadvice.com  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewhitecoatinvestor  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhitecoatinvestor  Twitter: https://twitter.com/WCInvestor  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhitecoatinvestor  Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/whitecoatinvestor  Online Courses: https://whitecoatinvestor.teachable.com  Newsletter: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/free-monthly-newsletter