For those who did this? How did you do it?

I'm getting a bit old, 32, have a pretty good 6 figure job, am in grad (law) school in the evening, but still dream of doing a RTW. Were you there? Did you find it hard to get back to the place you were before the RTW? (before you ask, I do want to get back to it bc it means being able to provide for my future family rather than living on ramen noodles)

Am I trying to have my cake and eat it too?

my husband and i did do it under similar circumstances (we were 32 with good paying jobs). We tried to get a leave of absence from work but they would not grant them to us so we had to quit. You may have to be willing to take that risk. Is that risk worth it? HELL yeah! The absolute BEST thing we ever did.

when we returned we were both offered jobs immediately and my husband went back to his company, but the economy was a different beast in 2001.

Can you have your cake and eat it? We were able to, but we didnt plan it that way, we got lucky ( having a solid resume and a little cushion money for our return was our safety net).

On another note, the cake gets much more difficult to eat once you do have a family so take advantage while you can.

If you make 6 figures, you should have no problem building a financial safety net. Put an additional 50k into a termed deposit account. Go traveling. If you come back and can't find a job for a few months, you'll still be able to rent an apartment and eat on a regular basis.

I left for my trip a couple of years ago when I was 29. I did get a leave of absence, but would have walked away otherwise. I have not regretted going for one second. I just got back from a two week trip and now am just itching for another long trip, seriously my mind is all over the place.

You said your going to night school. Are you already working at the place you will work with this degree? If not, and you will be done soon enough there is a natural breaking point. Finish school, do your trip, come back and go to work. Save all you can now both to have on your trip and the safety net when you get back. I've always been more of a saver and had my trip in mind for year before I left and didn't know that my company would take me right back for that time.

Your age really won't be a big deal. A few spots may be overloaded with 18-20 years old, but most of them primarily are there to party every night. There are loads of 20-30 year olds and on up to people twice your age in the hostels. Most of the Americans doing trips end up being a little older than average just because doing this isn't part of our culture and it takes us a bit longer to want to do it and convince ourselves that it is ok to do.

I didn't know of anyone who had asked for a year off with my company, but they were very open to it and made it obvious that they wanted me back. If you don't ask you'll never know.

Unless you can get a leave of absense, you'll never know if you can get your job back. It's a risk you'll have to take. You know your particular job better than anyone else, so you'll have to consider your odds on that one.

My husband and I have now made the decision to go three times. We've quit three times - and it's all worked out.

Back in 1990 we quit and spent a year traveling. Actually, he had a leave of absense that time but I quit. When we came back to the USA I found a teaching job no problem and he went back to his old job.

then in 2006 we quit again - both of us that time. We spent a year traveling with our kids and it was wonderful. Yes, we had those worries about whether we would find jobs again, but the time with our boys was well worth the worry. When we got back home, I got a teaching job - he didn't. We lived for a year on my salary only.

And now we're off again.

For us, it's worth it. We don't know what will happen when we return home in a couple of years. We don't know if we'll be able to get teaching jobs. But we'll deal with that if/when it happens. for now, we're enjoying this time with our boys knowing they are growing up all too fast.

I'll be 28 when I leave for my RTW trip in March. I've spent 7 years at university, have worked in a stable, professional job that I mostly love (veterinarian) for 3 years, and sometimes I think I'm crazy for leaving. But this trip is something I've always dreamed of doing, and I know I will always regret it if I don't go.

I say follow your dreams!

I'm in a similar situation and planning to do the same thing. I will be 33 when my husband and I leave for our trip. I'll likely ask for a LOA when we're about ready to leave, but I won't be surprised if they laugh heartily and tell me I can take a permanent absence instead, which will be fine by me.

I'm not all that worried about it actually. Both my husband and I will have strong resumes and work histories when we leave. Assuming we even want to go back to our old professions, we shouldn't have much trouble finding a suitable job. It's quite possible our current companies will even hire us back again. I suspect the same will apply to you as well, especially if your handle is any indicator of what you do. SAP skills are always in demand. Just make lots of good contacts in the meantime and don't burn any bridges when you leave.

In any case, it's still a good idea to save up enough extra cash to support your living expenses for a few months after you return. It just makes good sense to have some backup funds to cushion the return to reality.

Good luck with your escape plan!

There is nothing to regret except for things that you did not do We left too, we did not hold good jobs then and are still transitioning back to where we want to be (good transition: school for my hubby, change of carreer paths for me). If you state a reasonable 'safety net' for yourself as far as $$ goes and enjoy yourself on your trip then when you get back you'll have still some $$ in account but countless memories...

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things - air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” - Cesare Pavese

I havent traveled yet, im leaving for a 4month trip in 12 days, though i dont have a high paying job, i am leaving my family and friends behind. I know it will be hard but i want to be able to see what i am able to do when it comes down to it.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

i was 34 when i did my first RTW- actually i am still 34 just returned saturday evening!

i was fortunate enough to get a LOA ( I would have quit anyway) and am sitting in my cubicle as i write this- trying to update my laptop with all thats happened in the last 10 months! while it is great to come back to 'real' life and have a job, i am sitting here checking out travel forums already planning my next move

it was the absolute best thing I have done in my life- I say go for it. you won't regret it..

I was 34, a great job 6 fig job, great apartment in downtown SF, good enough life when I resigned and went on the road for 9 months. Came back relaxed a month and got a career changing job within a month...took shit load of pay cut to work in the area I wanted to. Once again at 37 I resigned a very good job and future possibilities to hit the road again. Still on the road with an idea of a major career shift. From Business Consulting to Adventure Travel Business.

If you have confidence in your abilities and know yourself you can do it. Don't plan too much for the future. Plan a little, save a little but gather those memories that nobody can take away from you. If I had listen to my practical side I would saved more money only to loose it in this financial crisis...glad I did not.

Age is relative. In Siliguri (West Bengal India) I met a group of trekkers who had just come back from Sikkim. The baby of the team was 62. One of the members at 72 had walked the circumference of the River Narmada in central India. Longest river that originates and ends in India. Took him 4 months on his feet. Now that is adventure all in itself.

I do pretty well myself, but I started to look at what I really wanted out of life.

It is like sitting at a dinner table and having a meal. There may be more food than I can eat, so I pick and eat the things I like the most - knowing that I can't eat it all. If life was a meal, then I'd be satisfy in having a good meal and not lament over not being able to have it all.

I've been worrying a bit over the whole "what will I do when I get back" issue too. Just coming up with a plan has helped a lot, however.

Work's been a bit slow at my company lately, so they'll probably be all too happy to grant me a LOA. If not, I've got a pretty good resume so I'm sure I can find something. I've been thinking of relocating anyway, so this might be a good opportunity to make a few changes in my life. I am a bit worried about saving up cash for when I get back (I make decent money, but not six figures or anything), but I still have several months before I leave.

Anyway, I agree with everyone else - save up a safety cushion, keep (or make) a few contacts to hook you up when you get back, and don't worry about the rest. Long-term travel might not make a lot of financial sense, but life isn't all about money.