Wanted Cards Extra: Sabbatical Card Ideas

A sabbatical can be so much more than an extended vacation. Someone might be traveling the world, writing a book, studying, doing research, volunteering, pursuing a creative dream, spending time with family, or simply stepping away from their usual routine to recharge and decide what comes next.

That gives us plenty of room for cards that are funny, heartfelt, adventurous, thoughtful or inspirational. Here are some text ideas to get those creative gears turning.

Congratulations & General Sabbatical

These can work for almost anyone embarking on a sabbatical, whatever they have planned.

• Congratulations on Your Sabbatical!
  May the time away give you everything you didn’t know you needed.
• Your Time. Your Plans. Your Adventure.
  Enjoy every minute of your sabbatical.
• You’ve Earned the Pause.
  Now go make it a good one.
• Here’s to Less Routine and More Possibility.
  Happy Sabbatical!
• Press Pause. Explore. Recharge. Repeat.
  Wishing you an amazing sabbatical.
• The Calendar Is Yours.
  Fill it with something wonderful.

The Great Escape from Work

There’s plenty of comic potential in temporarily escaping meetings, deadlines, emails and alarm clocks.

• Congratulations! Your Out-of-Office Reply Is Now a Lifestyle.
• Sabbatical: Because “I’ll Deal With That When I Get Back” Deserves Its Own Season.
• No Meetings. No Deadlines. No Monday Mornings.
  Please try not to look too smug.
• You’ve Been Promoted to Person Who Doesn’t Have to Be Here.
• Your Biggest Work Decision Is Now Whether to Check Your Email.
  Choose wisely. Don’t.
• Enjoy Your Sabbatical!
  We’ll try not to completely fall apart without you.
• Goodbye Office. Hello Whatever the Heck You Want.
• Sabbatical Mode: ON
  Responsibility notifications have been disabled.

Travel & Adventure Sabbaticals

For the person swapping the commute for planes, trains, camper vans, hiking boots or a suspiciously large backpack.

• Your Commute Just Got a Lot More Interesting.
  Happy Sabbatical!
• Go Somewhere You’ve Never Been.
  Stay long enough to forget what day it is.
• Less Office. More World.
  Have an incredible sabbatical.
• Collect Experiences, Wrong Turns and Excellent Stories.
• May Your Sabbatical Be Full of New Places and Very Few Passwords.
• Adventure Is Calling.
  Conveniently, work can’t reach you.

Creative Sabbaticals

Artists, writers, musicians and other creative people may use a sabbatical to finally tackle the project that’s been whispering from the corner for years.

• Time to Make the Thing You’ve Been Dreaming About.
• Here’s to Blank Pages, Fresh Ideas and Time to Follow Them.
• May Your Sabbatical Give Your Imagination Room to Wander.
• No Excuses. No Deadlines. Just Create.
• You’ve Finally Given Your Big Idea Some Breathing Room.
  Let’s see what it becomes.
• For Once, Daydreaming Is Part of the Job.

Study, Research & Academic Sabbaticals

Not every sabbatical involves beaches and cocktails. Some involve libraries, laboratories, archives and terrifying quantities of coffee.

• Congratulations on Your Sabbatical!
  May your research be fascinating and your coffee plentiful.
• More Time to Think. More Time to Discover.
  Wishing you an inspiring sabbatical.
• Here’s to Following Curiosity Wherever It Leads.
• Research Now. Explain What It All Means Later.
• A Sabbatical: When Reading All Day Is Technically Work.
• May You Return With Brilliant Ideas and at Least One Completely Unnecessary New Obsession.

Rest, Reflection & A Change of Pace

Sometimes the purpose of a sabbatical is simply to stop rushing.

• You Don’t Always Have to Be Going Somewhere.
  Sometimes stopping is the journey.
• Rest Is a Perfectly Good Plan.
  Enjoy your sabbatical.
• Here’s to Slower Mornings, Longer Thoughts and Time That Belongs to You.
• May You Come Back Refreshed, Recharged and Maybe a Little Different.
• Take the Time.
  The world will still be here when you get back.
• Do Less. Wander More. Think Slowly.

A New Direction

A sabbatical can also become the bridge between one chapter of life and another.

• You Don’t Have to Know What’s Next Yet.
  That’s what the sabbatical is for.
• Sometimes the Best Way Forward Is to Step Away for a While.
• Here’s to Time, Perspective and Whatever Comes Next.
• Not Every New Beginning Starts With a Plan.
• May This Sabbatical Lead You Somewhere Unexpected.
• Consider This Your Permission Slip to Wonder “What If?”

And Don’t Forget: Welcome Back!

Eventually the wandering academic, world traveler, novelist, volunteer or professional hammock tester has to return. That gives us another card-giving opportunity.

• Welcome Back!
  We hope you found what you were looking for. We mostly found more work.
• Your Sabbatical Is Over.
  Our condolences.
• Welcome Back to Reality!
  Password reset required.
• You Look Rested.
  Don’t worry. We’ll soon fix that.
• Welcome Back!
  Now tell us everything.
• From Sabbatical Mode to “Where Did I Put That Password?”
  Welcome back!

Think Beyond the Obvious

Sabbatical designs don’t necessarily have to feature suitcases, beaches and deckchairs. Think books and notebooks for study, art supplies for creative leave, gardens and nature for slowing down, maps for adventure, family time, volunteering, personal projects, or wonderfully empty calendars.

And don’t forget different recipients and relationships: a coworker, boss, employee, teacher, professor, partner, friend or family member could all be heading off on a sabbatical.

A sabbatical is ultimately the gift of time. And there are an awful lot of interesting things someone can do with that.

Happy Designing!

Corrie