MOST CANADIANS HAVE THOUGHT OF QUITTING THEIR JOBS: SURVEY.

Two-thirds of Canadians have thought about quitting their jobs and taking a life sabbatical, while one in four are already saving up for it, according to a Simplii Financial survey released Thursday.

While some Canadians — 50 per cent — would use the time off to travel, others are looking at the opportunity as a chance to reset their lives. Thirty-six per cent of the Canadians polled said they would use the opportunity to start a business.

Another 34 per cent said they would live or work in a different country.

“This isn’t something that people just fantasize about and talk about to their colleagues, their peers and their family,” Simplii Financial vice-president Corby Fine said. “This is real.”

The survey was conducted online and polled 3,025 randomly selected Canadian adults who are members of market research community Maru Voice Canada.

The number of Canadians who have thought about taking a break from their lives increased significantly for millennials — those aged 23 to 37 — with 78 per cent of respondents saying they have contemplated taking a sabbatical.

Of the millennials surveyed, 76 per cent admit their spending on things as minimal as a morning coffee boost to more expensive tech items is problematic. According to the survey, they spend 38-per-cent more on average than others outside their age group.

Fine admitted that Canadians thinking about taking a sabbatical will need to have some financial means at their disposal, and would benefit from constructing a plan to get there.

Some of the suggestions are simple changes that Canadians can make in their day-to-day banking. Creating a fund for their sabbatical and placing it in a higher-interest savings account may be a good start.

For those looking to start a business, applying for training and business grants could soften the initial blow to a savings account. Even cutting down on transit costs by sharing a ride to work or ordering groceries online could result in freeing up funds.