In late March, I traveled through Argentina with my wife. We both love the outdoors, and my wife speaks Spanish, so it was a great location. We explored Patagonia, both in the remote southern (El Chaltén, El Calafate) and northern regions (Bariloche and San Martín de los Andes). We went hiking, kayaking, sailing, and fly fishing for trout in pristine glacial waters. Later, we explored the bustling metropolis of Buenos Aires, with great restaurants, parks, and the historic Recoleta cemetery.

-Greg C
Ambulatory
Technical Services

My girlfriend, my brother, and I had an action packed trip to Australia and New Zealand (with an extended layover in Shanghai on the way there). We started in Melbourne and toured the Great Ocean Road. We then spent some time on an island at the Great Barrier Reef followed by a trip to Sydney and the nearby Blue Mountains National Park. After a short flight across the Tasman Sea, we explored the amazing outdoor scene on the South Island of New Zealand. We went skydiving, sea-kayaking, bungee jumping, backpacking, and glacier hiking. We even got most of it on tape! https://youtu.be/SDXR47aSu-A

-Stew R
ASAP
Technical Services

My fiancee and I took our sabbatical in July 2016 to four countries we'd never been to: Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and Ireland. In Spain, we visited Barcelona and Sevilla, where we saw the Alcazar, La Rambla, the Sagrada Familia and had delicious tapas. In Morocco, we toured the medina in Marrakesh, visited the souks and tried tagine, which was excellent. In Portugal, we visited Lisbon and Cascais. Finally, on our way home, we had a layover in Dublin, where we capped off the trip by seeing a Beyonce concert at Croke Park Stadium!

-Zach R
MyChart Bedside
Software Developer

We flew to Paris, then train hopped to Munich (with a stop in the small town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen) and on to Venice and Rome. The Eurail system is great! Highlights: tour of the Vatican, the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, and a cable car trip to the top of Zugspitze, which is the highest peak in Germany - a short train ride from Garmisch.

-Maggie M
Operations
Assistant

I went to Arusha, Tanzania to teach in a rural Masai village. We were able build a library for the school and provide a ton of books for the kids! We named it the “Jeff Aucoin Memorial Library” – in memory of a great teacher and even greater friend.

-Alyson L
Inpatient
Implementation

In July 2017, my girlfriend Katie and I took a sabbatical to Italy. In Venice, we took part in a walking tour that gave us a great introduction to the city and its culture. In the Cinque Terre, we hiked to each of the 5 small fishing towns. The breathtaking views along the way were a highlight. Next up was Florence, where we marveled at the stunning architecture around every corner. On the Amalfi coast, which rivaled Cinque Terre for the hiking and views, we also relaxed on the beach and had great dining. Finally, in Rome we ventured down into underground catacombs, which were a surprise hit!

-Johnny D
Internal Projects
Application Engineer

My sister and I visited the lands of the Condor, Peru. We spent 4 days hiking the Salkantay trail up to 15,200 feet and ended in the beautiful wonder that is Macchu Pichu. We then set off to Iquitos, and traveled down the Amazon to the Tapiche Reserve. There we spent 4 days exploring the rainforest and its wildlife. We were greeted by black squirrel monkeys and howler monkeys and completed the excursion by feeding black caimen. To complete the experience, we relaxed for a few days in Cusco and even took a cooking class on the local cuisine.

-Nate G
Beaker
Software Developer

For my sabbatical my wife and I traveled to Peru. After seeing Cusco, the historic capital of the Inca Empire, we embarked on a 9-day hike through the Andes with local guides and a group of fellow travelers from the US, Canada and Germany. The hiking was difficult but rewarding as we saw sites like the ruins of Choquequirao, and camped in beautiful locations where we could see the Milky Way illuminated at night. Our trip ended with a visit to the most amazing place I have ever seen, the unbelievable Macchu Picchu. It was an incredible trip that left us with memories that will last a lifetime.

-Jon M
Healthy Planet
BI Developer

I went to Australia and New Zealand in March 2014. Each day was a different adventure! A few of the adventures involved snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef where I saw a lot of colorful coral and fish and a large sea turtle, petting a kangaroo and a koala, climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and hiking on a glacier. The scenery was beautiful with green mountains in New Zealand, the Sydney Opera House and the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. We also hiked on a glacier in New Zealand. We were able to go into the crevasses in the glacier where the ice was a beautiful blue color.

-Danielle I
MyChart
Technical Services

As a novice traveler, The Bahamas was appealing for several reasons (short flight, English speaking, American dollars) but I was hooked when I learned the Wisconsin basketball team was playing there!On our adventure to the Out Island of Eleuthera, we encountered amazing food, escapades driving on the left side of the road (when there was a road), and beautiful beaches. The most breathtaking views came at Glass Window Bridge, a strip of land separating the churning dark blue Atlantic Ocean’s from the calm waters of the Caribbean Sea - the most amazing natural sight I've ever seen.

-Jim G
Care Everywhere
QA

My sabbatical was an adventure AND a fundraising opportunity: I ran the Antarctica Marathon to raise money for Heartland Farm Sanctuary, a local rescue organization. After running 26.2 miles in icy and muddy conditions, we toured the awe-inspiring beauty of the continent. We admired icebergs, climbed snow-covered hills, and made friends with the locals (penguins), who were quite curious and unafraid. After an incredible two weeks, we headed back to Argentina, where we hiked a glacier, rode horses along Lago Argentino, braved the longest zip line in South America, and explored Buenos Aires!

-Kelly P
Radiant
Writer

My husband and I had a whirlwind two week adventure! We started in Zermatt, Switzerland for 4 days of skiing. It was fantastic! Then we went to Jerusalem and visited the major sites for the 3 different religions that originated there. After Jerusalem we spent a couple of nights on the beach in Eilat to relax then crossed into Jordan for an amazing night at a Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum, complete with camel rides and dinner baked in a sand oven. Finally, we finished off at the Dead Sea for a quick float and a Dead Sea mud wrap! It was an amazing trip that we continue to recommend to our friends!

-Keely O
Orders
Implementation

Our party of five (including our son, daughter, and her best friend) decided to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. The summit day started with a 4 am departure and we returned to a lower altitude camp after 9pm. The children reached the summit around 3pm even though they started later than the adults who didn’t get there until sunset which made the descent of 7,000 feet in the dark challenging. After hiking 65 miles and sleeping in tents on the mountain, the following two weeks spent on safari felt sedentary in comparison. We did see elephants, lions, cheetahs, leopards, zebras and many birds on safari.

-Jonathan C
Foundations
Software Developer

We spent part of our Japan sabbatical up in the mountains, and the area we went to had a round-trip promotion to see all of the surrounding areas on various forms of mass transit. This included riding a replica pirate ship across Lake Ashi. The day we went, we caught one of the last ships of the day, as fog was pouring down off the mountains, but it made for a great picture of the ship pulling in to port in all the fog.

-PJ E
Inpatient
Software Developer

Our family went to Ambergis Caye, Belize for a trip full of adventure punctuated by restful times listening to waves or wind in the palm trees. We stayed in a house on the water that was very affordable with the Epic match. Our activity was centered on the water, kayaking to a reef to snorkel, fishing from the docks, catching bonefish, completing our scuba certification, deep sea fishing, and reef fishing (can you tell we like to fish?). The care takers of the house were wonderful; they made us feel at home, and even prepared meals for us on the outdoor stone grill. I’d go back in a minute!

-Jim N
Willow
Technical Services

At the end of September, I traveled to Munich for Oktoberfest with a friend from Optime/Anesthesia. We stayed four nights in Munich, seeing the sights during the day, and enjoying the festivities at night. We bought some Lederhosen to get into the spirit and enjoyed making a lot of random friends. After four days in Munich, we headed up to Berlin and got to see interesting museums and architecture. We happened to be there on German Unity Day (October 3rd), which celebrates the anniversary of the German unification in 1990. They had a large festival going on in Berlin which was incredible.

-Ben S
OpTime
Technical Services

I used my two half-sabbaticals to travel with my grandmother, who lives in Florida and whom I don’t get to see very often (and who is retired and has a very flexible schedule). On one trip we went on safaris in Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa, and on another we traveled all over Costa Rica. We met wonderful people from all over the world, saw tons and tons of animals, ate fantastic foods, enjoyed boat, truck, horse, kayak, and airplane rides, and spent some great time together!

-Jennifer K
Ambulatory
QA

For my sabbatical, my husband and I went to Costa Rica. It’s a relatively inexpensive travel destination offering a nice mix between leisure and adventure. And as a small country you could visit the beach, a volcano, and a coffee plantation in a single day. The highlight of our trip was zip lining through the jungle – my initial terror quickly turned to exhilaration and the views were gorgeous!

-Kim D
Resolute Billing
Implementation

For my Epic sabbatical I spent 3 weeks canoe camping in the Amazon Basin with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). It was the most challenging, exciting, and life changing trip I’ve been on. We canoed both flat water and rapids, slept in hammocks, and made some delicious meals over a cook stove (I made apple cinnamon rolls!). We saw macaw pairs, giant river otter families, leaf cutter ant armies, wild boar packs, and more butterflies than I’ve ever seen before.

-Julia S
OpTime
Technical Services

In October 2014, I traveled with my family to Malta, Sicily and Rome. This was a lifelong dream for my family, as parents have never had the opportunity to visit the lands of their heritage. In Malta, a group of tiny islands south of Sicily with fascinating history, we visited the legendary Calypso’s cave. Our next stop was Palermo, in Sicily, where we spent time enjoying the villa we rented, sampling amazing street food, and exploring the city. We also found the childhood church my grandmother attended.We ended in Rome, which is as amazing as the hype suggests! It was a fantastic adventure!

-Lisamarie L
OpTime
Technical Services

In January 2014, I took my mother on a 4 week trip to Australia and New Zealand for my sabbatical. It was incredible. My mother and I both enjoy traveling a lot and she always wanted to visit the "land down under." We visited Sydney, Brisbane, and some parts of the barrier reef and crisscrossed the South Island of New Zealand. Our favorite part was just taking in the natural beauty of the landscapes in New Zealand, including Mt. Cook (or Mt. Aoraki in Maori), the largest mountain in New Zealand.

-Victor C
Clinical Documentation
Technical Services

In 2014, I used my sabbatical to travel to Brazil to see the World Cup, and later traveled to Argentina. While in Brazil, I visted Manaus in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, and was able to see both the city and unique wildlife, and then later Rio de Janeiro at the mouth of the Amazon river on the Pacific Coast.

-Matt O
Clinical Documentation
Technical Services

I had an amazing time hiking in Patagonia. We stayed at the Ecocamp Patagonia – a self-sustaining, eco-friendly camp that relies on the wind and rivers for natural energy, and serves the BEST food after a long day of hiking. Not your typical hiker’s deluxe meal, but 5 star quality food. The day long treks took us all throughout Torres del Paine to the main viewing points, a boat ride alongside a large glacier field, and across a variety of terrain. It was unlike anywhere else I’d been in the world.

-Megan R
Anesthesia
Implementation

We went to Germany and were able to visit Dusseldorf, Essen, Heidelberg, Cologne, and Munich. While there, we spent the night in a castle outside of Essen, attended the Essen Game Fair (the "Internationale Spieltage"), saw the entire historic "old town" of Heidelberg (sweet castle!), and toured a cathedral in Cologne. Great trip!

-BC M
Slicer Dicer
Software Developer