The traditional gap year trip, long seen as a rite of passage for many school leavers before they take on the challenges of university or the workplace, is falling out of favour, according to a global report.
The study, conducted by Hostelworld, found that while 16% of modern day Brits took a gap year trip, 34% are more likely to take a career break to go travelling instead, or have done so already.
Those surveyed were older than the millennial demographic, where the desire to take a break of three months or longer from work within the next three years is not as strong at 24%, according to research commissioned by VisitEngland late last year.
While this may not be great news for purveyors of cheap accommodation, it could be a bonanza for agents booking career break trips for customers with bigger budgets and higher expectations.
As well as the 34% who have either taken or are planning to take career break trip, 8% of survey respondents said they would take such a trip if they were not working, rather than seek a new job immediately.
Among the reasons for Brits choosing to take a career break trip were stresses of day-to-day life (36%) and mundane work lives (36%).
South America is popular with these later-in-life gappers, with Peru, Argentina, Brazil and Chile all expecting to welcome increased numbers of guests from the UK in the coming years. Europe, however, remains the most popular destination for these tourists at 54%, with France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands proving the most popular on the continent.
In a three-month career break trip, the average Brit will visit nine different cities in five different countries, and these travellers are committed to the adventure with only 6% cutting their journey short to come home.
