Recession and uncertain jobs market 'could make it the perfect time for a career break'
Now could be a good time to take a few months out from your career to go on an overland adventure, it has been suggested.
Taking some time out to travel is not just the preserve of students on gap years. Increasingly older people are opting to spend a few weeks, months or longer away from the stresses of their job to go off and explore new parts of the world.
And according to Rachel Morgan-Trimmer, founder of independent advice site thecareerbreaksite.com, the current economic environment could make this an even more attractive option.
"We find with the recession and the uncertain job market, that it is actually quite a good time to go away," she explained.
"Things can be quite stressful here with jobs [and] taking some time out can be a good way of avoiding all that - especially if you have been working in a very stressful job."
By opting for an adventure travel experience, those taking a career break will not only get to see new parts of the world, but could also find it provides them with useful tools for when they return to the world of work.
"One thing we get told is that the main reason people take a career break is to do something different," said Ms Morgan-Trimmer.
"Often they want to give something back or see the world, but most of the time it's for a change. People do change when they are on a career break. They come back not just with new skills, but they also find they develop confidence."
Meanwhile, while those travelling around South America next year may want to take time to stop off in Ecuador after National Geographic magazine listed the country among the top destinations in its 2012 Hot List, to be published in full in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue.
"A region that looks set to get the attention it truly deserves is Ecuador's Mindo cloud forest, just a couple of hours from the capital, Quito," it said.
"Part of a verdant, biodiverse arc between the rainforest and the high Andes, this region is record-breaking in its richness of endemic flora and fauna, which ranges from hummingbirds to orchids."
