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The freed breed

by Irene Krechowiecka

A new breed of career gappers are leaving their jobs, embracing the unknown - and you could be one of them. You have nothing to lose but your preconceptions

Ever had the feeling that apart from the odd short holiday, there's no escape from work? It's easy to convince yourself there are no alternatives, but that’s just not true. If you really want to travel, write or make the world a better place, take a break from the day job and do it. You'll be part of an increasing number of career gappers – aged 25 and above who choose not to let commitments, age or worries about career progression stand in the way of realising a long-held ambition.

Anything can prompt the desire for change. Jo Smith was fed up with her job, had just fallen out of love and was about to hit 30; she decided to drop everything and take time out to see the world. 'I realised that if I left it any longer I wouldn't be able to get a working holiday visa for Australia. With no man, mortgage or other commitments there was nothing to stop me.' So she's off around the world, and planning to pick up some casual work in Australia to help finance her trip. She also hopes the experience will help her find a new career direction, or even a new man. ‘I’m a bit scared of the unknown and worry about running out of money and being safe. I know that if a problem comes up, I only have myself to rely on. I don’t know if I’ll be able to cope, but I’m going to give it a try.’

Ranbir Sahota decided she was ready to make her escape when she fell in love. 'A trip around the world had been on my wish list for some time but getting married finally made me do it. I think I'd been waiting for someone special to go with.’ When she and her husband ran out of money in the southern hemisphere, they started temping in New Zealand to pay for a diving course; they then emailed all the diving schools in the South Pacific offering to work in return for food and accommodation. ‘We were amazed when Allan Power, caretaker of the largest accessible ship wreck in the world, said yes - all on the strength of an email. We became lead divers on some awesome underwater adventures in Vanuatu and also designed a website for him.’