Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
who are searching for deeper meaning, a higher purpose. Using a salon-like approach, Zik-
man pushes people to think, to ask the tough questions, to find that elusive balance between
life and work.
In this case, being shoved from your comfort zone doesn't mean enduring physical hard-
ship or partaking in such torments as oxygen-gulping ropes courses. Horizon's radical sab-
baticals are every bit as posh as its other four-star programs. They're more about challenging
your internal limits of daring.
MAYBE IT'S THE WEATHER
Far be it from us to suggest that after a radical sabbatical you'll want to break free
from the confines of your current job. Just as a warning, you should know that Santa
Barbara, where several radical sabbaticals are staged, seems to be breeding ground
for entrepreneurs. It spawned the success of Motel 6, the largest company-owned
and -operated lodging chain in the United States (the first Motel 6, opened in Santa
Barbara in 1962, rented rooms for six dollars a night); Big Dog Sportswear (with
200 nationwide locations, it was launched by a couple of Santa Barbara college
students on a rafting trip); and Kinko's, which was started in a taco stand on the
University of California, Santa Barbara campus with a single copy machine. In ad-
dition, one of the first film studios, Flying A, once sat at the corner of State and Mis-
sion Streets. Started by the American Film Company in 1909, Flying A produced
more than 1,200 films, mostly Westerns and black-and-whites. Cecil B. DeMille
worked as a carpenter there, and Charlie Chaplin liked the area so much that he
moved to Montecito and built the still popular Montecito Inn.
Before you begin, you'll be asked to come up with a purpose for your sabbatical—an
intention or a question that focuses on an aspect of your life you'd like to change. By using
travel as a metaphor for life, a mirror that reflects your attitude toward change and dealing
with adversity, you'll dramatically alter the way you think, feel, and act.
Many of Zikman's Next Fork vacations take place in California, where he lives. On the
five-day “Sideways Wisdom in Santa Barbara's Wine Country,” for example, you tour the
wineries (of course), walk a labyrinth, participate in impromptu Zikman-led roundtables, and
take workshops on exploring your life path. He also takes seekers to such exotic locales as
far afield as Chile, Iceland, Myanmar (or Burma), and Bhutan.
Costs for the tours vary widely. The Santa Barbara trip is priced at $2,250 and includes
accommodations, most meals, entrance fees, and challenging questions from Zikman himself.
