Millions of Brits wish they could escape the daily grind of the rat race by taking a few months or a year sabbatical to travel, refresh their creativity or do the things they’ve always wanted to. Read on for advice on how to do it, as well as our top ways to spend your break.

"Taking an extended break from work used to be the preserve of a privileged few, but now more and more people are taking time out from their careers to travel,” says Chris Price, business manager at Direct Line Travel Insurance. “It seems that firms are recognising this desire and are offering sabbaticals as a way of recruiting and retaining the best staff." Read more: Wanderlust Leads Brits to Abscond.

Planning Your Getaway

Know what you’re getting yourself into, but don’t be so worried about the financial side that you miss out on the experience of a lifetime. First of all, accept that when you come back you may initially need to search for a job again, and you may even earn less money than you do now.

The important thing to remember is that a character-building, adventurous career break can actually look good on a CV and prove that you’re more self assured and creative than other candidates, while if your trip lasted less than a year it’s not necessary to include it on your resume at all if you’re not convinced.

If your company doesn’t offer sabbaticals, opt for a leave of absence if possible – it’s less stressful than quitting, even though it’s unlikely you’ll be able to walk back into your current position. Give at least three months notice, so you can help train a replacement and show you care about the company, increasing your chances of getting your job back or of a good recommendation.

A couple of months of self discovery may even help you realise that you’re in the wrong career, and give you the courage to start over, so you’ll end up happier in the long run.

Before you make the move though, calculate how much it’s going to cost you and asses your assets, making sure you have enough to keep you going. Be realistic; most people underestimate their expenses. Factor in at least three months of job-searching when you get back and don’t be tempted to spend all your savings, mess with your pension or life insurance policy or sell your car unless you know how you’ll buy a replacement. It will be difficult to get a loan once you’re unemployed or on unpaid leave, so if you’re planning to go that route then get the loan before you reveal your plans to your employer.

What To Do

Teach English And Travel The World

Go on a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) expedition and combine tourism and the chance to become a qualified and experienced English teacher, all in beautiful settings. This is a great option for people who are worried about their finances, since TEFL is a fun working holiday that allows you to stay in beautiful locations at the same time as getting really involved with the locals, gaining true inside insight. Plus, you’ll come back with a whole new set of skills you can bring to the table.

You could even add in volunteer work. Companies like Global Vision International (GVI), the ethical volunteering organisation, offer opportunities to help rebuild disadvantaged communities whilst completing a comprehensive TEFL training and certification course. You can, for example, join a TEFL project in Thailand and help Tsunami victims take advantage of the newly resurgent tourism industry there.

“Our TEFL courses provide volunteers with the chance to learn on the job, with hours of practical application, and form connections with the local communities,” says Alexis Bleasdale of GVI. “Our expeditions and courses offer volunteers the chance to contribute to humanitarian projects which not only provide support to struggling communities, but offer a sense of personal fulfilment as well,” she added.

GVI offers a range of TEFL training courses in destinations like Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Kenya and now Thailand, as well as shorter courses in the UK.

Visit www.gvi.co.uk/tefl

Go On a Lo-ong Cruise

Take in a fabulous variety of beautiful coastlines from the comfort of a luxury cruise ship. You could embark at every port and take in the action, or simply watch the world go by – and the great thing about an extended trip is that you have the chance to discover whole countries and even continents.

Our Top 5 Picks

• Star Clippers 37 night Mediterranean tour, stopping off at ports like Piraeus, Mykonos, Alexandria, Cairo, Goa and Sri Lanka. Star Clippers stands out because of its beautiful rigged sailing ships. You’ll feel like a pirate. Visit www.starclippers.com

• Seabourne Spirit 47 Night Southeast Asia cruise. Departing from Alexandria, Egypt, just some of the ports of call are Oman, Dubai, Mumbai, Penang, Singapore, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City. Visit www.seabourn.com

• P & O Cruises 84 night World cruise is a fabulous odyssey. You’ll travel from Southampton and pass through Dominica, Barbados, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Lima, Mexico and Portugal, to name but a few. Visit www.pocruises.com

• Seabourne Spirit 61 night Mediterranean cruise. You’ll visit several ports in Turkey, China, Greece, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand. Visit www.seabourn.com

• Holland America Line 64 night Southeast Asia. This fabulous tour calls at Seattle, San Diego, Russia’s Petropavlovsk, Tokyo, South Korea’s Cheju City, Dalian in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, Honolulu and Shanghai, to name but a few. Visit www.hollandamerica.com

Bling It Like Beyonce

When money isn’t an object, take a five star extended holiday to rival a celebrity’s. Stay at the world’s most luxurious party hotels like The Mansion at The MGM Grand, Sunset Boulevard’s scandalous Chateau Marmont for some serious celebrity action or gamble the night away while sipping champagne off a playboy bunny at the Palms in Las Vegas. Read more: Party Hotels – Five of the Best.

If you’re planning on spotting some fabulously beautiful people (besides you) head to St Tropez for a host of stars including Beyonce, or visit Cambodia for some luxury save-the-world-chic a la Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. If you’re looking for Leonardo Di Caprio, Thailand is your best bet. Rome and Lake Como are your best bets for spotting stars like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts (Julia also loves Venice), while sports lovers should head to Dubai – the English football team (including Posh and Becks) and Michael Schumacher sun themselves on the beaches there.

Volunteer

Volunteering can be hard work, but it’s incredibly rewarding to face the unknown and give something back – and it’s also an amazing adventure. There are hundreds of ways you could truly make a difference.

In Africa, for example, you could help save the Black Rhino in Zimbabwe, coach football for disadvantaged Township kids in Cape Town, work at an orphanage in Ghana, teach children who can’t afford school on Lake Malawi or help communities crippled by AIDS in Kenya. Visit www.gapyearforgrownups.co.uk/Africa

Or you could head to Asia and help the Indonesian Bornean Iban jungle tribe build Orang-utan trail tourism, help conserve the rare pygmy elephant of Borneo or even trek through Nepal up Everest while helping out at orphanages, schools or national parks along the way. Visit www.gapyearforgrownups.co.uk/Asia

You could also volunteer in Dominica, where you can learn the island’s traditional crafts from the Carib Indians, hike to the second largest boiling lake in the world, cruise down the Indian River and explore the island’s lush green rainforests. But at the same time, you can take part in community conservation and renovation, education, sports coaching or eco tourism. Visit www.i-to-i.com

Closer to home, the National Trust also offers volunteering working holidays for you to help conserve the environment and the UK’s heritage. You’ll find something to match your skills and help you build new ones – from carrying out a conservation survey to herding goats, painting a lighthouse or planting trees. The Trust’s website even has a useful search engine to help you find the perfect job to match your skills, requirements and location. Visit http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-trust/w-volunteering.htm

Go Backpacking

Backpacking is becoming hugely popular, and it’s an adventurous way to see the world on a budget. It’s the most flexible way to travel as you can mess with the itinerary, so you can to be independent and spontaneous. You can also keep going for much longer without spending your life’s savings on a week at an exorbitant hotel.

With no restraints, there’s no end to the places you could go. To read our time out options listing the pros and cons of countries you may be considering, Click Here.

For our super-sorted backpacker checklist and safety advice, Click Here.