"Are you on your gap year too?" asked the friendly English girl with whom I'd shared my milk. I was in the kitchen of a youth hostel in Byron Bay, Australia, with my friend Matt.

At 27, I had quit my job on a magazine in London and was going round the world for six months. He was 30 and taking a long break between jobs.

Prince William did charity work before studying

I smirked into my bowl of cereal as Matt smothered a giggle. Gap year? Hardly. But we could forgive her flattering assumption; after all, the east coast of Australia teems with British teenagers taking a year off before university.

It's a rite of passage: get your A-levels, go backpacking around Asia and Australia, and then go home to start your degree. Some even do it all again afterwards, before settling down to become wage slaves.

But is that our only chance for a bit of adventure?

More freedom

Absolutely not - and Matt and I were far from alone in deciding to take a career break to travel. There are lots of people who aren't prepared to spend 40 years toiling at their desks with only the annual fortnight in Corfu to look forward to.

Time out can broaden your horizons

"The general trend is that it's more acceptable now to take a year off later in life," says Susan Guy, assistant marketing manager at Trailfinders, which specialises in independent travel.

"Companies are starting to encourage it by offering sabbaticals, so people take advantage of that, especially if they didn't have a gap year before."

Meeting people in their 50s and 60s on the backpacker trail was a surprise, but it makes sense. Many are empty-nesters, and when they were teenagers, gap years were unheard of. Now they're making up for it.

New Zealand's mountains attract keen climbers

I'll never forget the day on the New Zealand leg of my trip when, panting up a mountain, I was briskly overtaken by a man old enough to be my father. "Don't worry lad, it's not much further now," he called back to me. It was a humbling experience.

Dropping everything to go travelling is exciting, but daunting. As we get older - even in our 20s - we settle into jobs, homes, and relationships.

It's an upheaval, but a long trip can be a great way to step back and regain some perspective on life. Some go back to their old jobs; others take the opportunity to make a fresh start.

Roughing it

And what about money? Well, around-the-world flights are pretty cheap, and so is life on the road - if you don't mind roughing it a bit.

The facilities may be basic but comfortable

Until this trip I had been accustomed to short but luxurious holidays, staying in the sort of hotels where you find a chocolate on your pillow. Would I be able to cope with bunk beds, curfews and chores?

But no need to worry: youth hostels have come a long way. These days they attract all sorts of guests, from retired couples to families with small children, and single travellers of all ages. The facilities are often first-rate, with kitchens, laundries, TV lounges and even swimming pools.

Yes, they do still have dormitories, and I'm still haunted by some of the things I saw, heard and smelled in those rooms. But they also have singles and doubles with en-suite bathrooms - and hostels are great places to meet people.

Back to work

Last month I finally had to come home, and it wasn't easy. "How was it?" people ask. "Fantastic!" I say.

On the Thai tourist trail

But it's difficult to explain. I can say how great it is not to work for six months, and people understand.

But how do I describe the magic of waking up to watch the sun rise over the Australian outback, or the joy of that cold beer after a day's trekking in the jungles of Thailand?

Perhaps you need a gap year yourself to find out.

Have you taken a gap year from your career? What benefits - or drawbacks - did you experience as a result? Send us your comments using the form below.

I left my job at 27 and spent 15 months travelling overland from Cairo to India and then SE Asia. I had no problems finding another job on return (I work in IT). The biggest drawback is trying to repress the desire to bore the pants off people with travel anecdotes.
Dave Osborne, Scotland

After school I started full-time work and part-time studies. For six hard years, it was nothing but work, study, eat and sleep. Got my CPA and I quit my high-stress job. Friends thought I was insane to quit without first getting another job (this is a country where gap years are quite unheard of). I took up sign language and tennis lessons, travelled to Bali and UK and backpacked in Australia. I did freelance work for a publishing company and at the end of my year off, decided to do my MBA. Graduated 2 years ago and am now back in the workforce. What an eye-opening experience it all was.
Anne, Malaysia

At 51 I decided after 28 years working and raising two children to have a year off. I spent a week working on a cruise liner in the Caribbean, then six weeks on Zakynthos and Keffalonia as leader for holistic holidays; have done a cookery course so I can be a chalet old maid in winter; have learnt Reiki, Indian head massage and currently palm reading. Husband bit daunted but mostly supportive. Keep being mistaken for Jane McDonald thou.
Gillian Garratt, England

My friends have just set off on a round-the-world honeymoon, which has been shortened to less than 5 weeks due to her company "not wanting to start a trend". Surely they must realise that they are not encouraging people to stay with their company long-term if they stop one-off trips like this?
CM, UK

Does anyone have any information or experience on the environmental impact of thousands of well-off westerners travelling around SE Asia/India/Sth America before returning to their cushy UK jobs?
Mike, Italy

We are in the middle of a spate of travelling. I'm 28, my husband is 31 and our daughter is 3. We downsized from a dream house and my husband left his high level/high stress job to do contract work when we need the money. We don't have any plans to stop making the most of our lives, only our daughter's schooling will limit us to her holidays from now on. We've become so close as a family. Just having my husband at home all Dec rather than a couple of days over Christmas is fantastic.
Fay Spencer, UK

Beware, a friend took 12 months sabbatical after seven years work - now that she has returned has discovered that the break in her career has affected the number of years service for her pension.
Jenny, UK

At 21, I horrified my parents by informing them that I planned to hitchhike around Europe for 11 months. In those days (1964) nice girls didn't do that. I had the most wonderful rewarding time of my life. Now I'm approaching 60, I wonder if it's too late to do it all again, or have I got so used to comfort that my bones would protest?
Valerie Anne Ford, UK

My mother - who is the other side of 60 - has not long returned from a 500-mile walking trip across Northern Spain. She went alone with a rucksack and walking stick and came back a stone or two lighter, much fitter and also it would seem, much happier.
Mark, Scotland

Whether young or old, you will come home a different person. More relaxed, more self-reliant, and therefore better equipped to deal with the stresses and strains of working life. Employers should realise the benefit of giving people longer spells of leave. Whether or not you want to go back to work is another matter. Travelling is addictive, so be warned!
Richard Carter, UK

Don't underestimate the problems when you come back. Getting a job can take months - employers are rarely impressed by "interesting" CVs - and during that period you may not enjoy your enforced and impecunious free time, especially when your friends are cash-rich/time-poor. If you can possibly work for a company that gives sabbaticals, do it!
Rob Ainsley, UK

At 24 and 27, my now wife and I set off for Africa and South America. We now share many happy, sad, peaceful, frightening, exhilarating and calming memories. And 26 weeks in a two-person tent is great practice for married life. To have done it earlier would not have been a financial option and neither would we have got quite so much out of it.
Jo , UK

At 27 I left my IT job and headed off to New Zealand and Australia for a year. I am back now and have picked up my career where I left off. To be a good employee it is just as valuable to have a rich life experience as to have spent that extra year behind the desk.
Gareth Cutler, UK

In October I am going on my second bout of long-term travelling. Now I have work skills that I can take anywhere (web design), I am going to take advantage of the skills I picked up last time when I became a dive master. I plan to go somewhere I can work as a web designer whilst working towards my dive instructor certification. I'm still scared, though - it is daunting to set up somewhere else.
John Wedge, North England