This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tobi Oluwole, a 30-year-old former sales manager at a Big Tech firm who recently relocated to France. His former employer is known to Business Insider but is not named for confidentiality. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
In 2022, I took a trip once every six weeks or so, but I only officially submitted two weeks of vacation time. Instead, I quiet vacationed for seven weeks — including a Euro trip with my wife. Before leaving my sales manager job at a well-known Big Tech firm in June 2023, I quiet vacationed for three weeks that year, only submitting one week of vacation time.
Over the course of 15 months, I spent a total of 10 weeks quiet vacationing from my fully remote job. I think quiet vacationing may be good for productivity; I was genuinely so happy …