I’m a Gen Z worker who has taken 30 ‘micro-retirements’ in three years — it’s made me a better employee

A Gen Z woman has taken 30 “micro-retirements” in three years so she can travel the world — and says it has made her a “better employee.” 

Lauren Kirby, 21, a nursery worker, has saved over $12,500 to travel to 30 different countries since starting work aged 18. 

So far, she’s visited Portugal, Mexico, Estonia and the US, among others — and lived for six months in Australia, from March 2024. 

She says these “micro-retirements” have made her better at her job — as she’s been able to pick up childcare techniques from different cultures, such as taking children out for walks in all seasons. 

And outside of her working life, Lauren says they’ve “changed her as a person” — taking her from a shy, retiring teenager to a confident, self-assured woman.

Micro-retirements have become a trend on TikTok that sees Gen Z workers take periodic breaks from their career.

Lauren, from Maidstone, Kent, said: “Once you go on a micro-retirement for the first time, it literally changes your life.

“It’s all well-and-good for the older generations to travel once they hit retirement age — but, even though it sounds very morbid, you never know if you’re going to get there.

“When I was 16, I was too shy to order my own food. I took a micro-retirement from work at 18 and came back a totally different person.

“Now, I’ve hit 30 countries — and I’m working my way through the rest.”

At the age of 18, after seeing an advert for a child care rep on TikTok, she decided to go for it and flew out to Corfu, Greece, for three months.

The travel company, TUI, paid for Lauren’s accommodation, flights, food and bills and paid her a minimum wage — $988 a month.

It meant Lauren was able to save $3,130 and used this to fund her travels to Portugal, Finland and Mexico. 

In 2023, Lauren took a part-time job in a nursery nearer to where she lives in Kent, and has saved up her long weekends and annual leave to travel 26 additional countries since.

She even flew out to the East Coast of Australia in March 2024, staying until September — which she saved $5,000 for.

“I did one of those working holiday visas,” Lauren added.

“I went out there, worked the first five months at a resort, then spent a month traveling. 

“With the money I’d earned, I could just quit — and saw all the highlights of the East Coast, like Sydney and Byron Bay. 

“While I worked, I lived in a $175-a-week house share, bills inclusive.”

Lauren says she was inspired to take regular retirements after seeing how “quickly” the COVID lockdowns shut everything down. 

She feared she may never be able to go abroad again when the borders closed — and says even now, she thinks about how “things can change in the blink of an eye.”

“I was very lucky not to lose anyone during COVID,” she said.

“But in that situation, it did open my eyes to how quickly things can change, in the blink of an eye. 

“There’s a lot more knowledge now of moving abroad, temporarily, to work — and the younger generations are taking advantage of this.”

The nursery worker says being well-travelled has benefitted her role — as she’s been able to bring different cultural childcare techniques back to work in the UK. 

In Australia, she was taught to bring the children out for a 30-minute walk in all weathers — and she encourages her UK class to do this too. 

And she has been encouraging early morning trips to the beach, in order to start the children’s day off in a “positive way.”

Lauren said: “In Australia, the kids are just outside all the time. 

“They get up earlier, and they start their day with a beach run, or walk. 

“The kids were just always outside, no matter the weather, even if it was just for half an hour.

“In the UK, there’s a temptation to avoid this because of how rainy it can be — and thinking about having to put all the childrens’ boots on. 

“But it still makes them feel better to get outside and play.”

Lauren’s travels have made her a more “well-rounded person,” she says — and more confident.

Despite being too shy to order her own food at 16, she has “blossomed” into an adult able to live across the world on a six-month sabbatical. 

She worries older generations think “micro-retirements” are lazy — while they can shape people into being “better” versions of themselves. 

“I never thought I’d be someone able to live alone, on the other side of the world,” she said.

“Micro-retirements changed my life.”