They left their jobs in their 50s to reconnect with their kids. It helped them rethink their long-term career plans.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
A selfie of a man, a woman, and their three sons in Turkey.
Pablo Slough and Karen Gilchrist quit their tech jobs in mid-2024 to take a gap year to spend time with their sons.

Pablo Slough and Karen Gilchrist.

My husband and I quit our jobs to travel for a year. My biggest concern was having a career gap on my résumé.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Maria Laposata and her husband in the Masai Mara, a national game reserve in Kenya, with elephants walking in the background.
Maria Laposata and her husband left their jobs to spend a year traveling around the world.

Provided by Maria Laposata

I couldn't afford to take a gap year in college. So at 53, I retired early and did exactly that.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
Kelly Benthall and her husband in Seville, Spain.
Benthall and her husband retired early and spent the first year traveling around the world.

Provided by Kelly Benthall

I saved $50K to take a 'gap year' from work. It helped me reprioritize my life and find joy.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Alma Rex-Ezonfade wears a white dress, seated on a pink chair with a pink wall behind her

Alma Rex-Ezonfade

When I was 30, my mom gave me $15,000 to spend on a gap year in Italy instead of a house or wedding. I have no regrets.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
Rooftops and cathedral di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy, with mountains and bright-blue sky in the background
With my mom's help, I lived in Florence, Italy, at the end of 2023 and early 2024.

xbrchx/Getty Images

My son and I deciding whether he'll go straight to college or take a gap year. I'm fine with whatever he chooses.

Tech Insider
Photo of young man wearing a backpack with skateboard looped through it from behind at sunset.
Stephanie Kaloi's son (not pictured) is deciding whether to go straight to college or take a gap year.

Alvaro Medina Jurado/Getty Images

I'm quitting my job at a big tech company to travel. Hustle culture is overrated — I'm taking a year off.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
An image of a businesswoman stressed and tired at work.
A project manager at a big tech firm is putting her burgeoning career on hold to focus on her mental health.

hxyume/Getty Images

I spent two months working on a farm in South Korea for free lodging and food. It was hard work, but I saved at least $2,000.

Tech Insider : Travel
Composite image of a man weeding on the left and a hand picking chestnuts on the right.
Tim Winkler sought volunteer experiences on his travels to save costs and immerse himself in local culture.

Tim Winkler

Burned out from their healthcare jobs, this millennial couple sold almost everything to take a gap year around the world

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
A woman and man pose in front of a lake at Ang Thong national park, Thailand.
Katie Flynn and Bhavik Mistry decided to take a gap year, and have visited Ang Thong National Park in Thailand.

Katie Flynn and Bhavik Mistry

Chinese millennials and Gen Zers have had enough of work, so they're embracing 'naked resignations'

Tech Insider : Travel
A woman looking up at trees in Xi'an, China.
This feeling of monotony and overwork has inspired unsatisfied workers to push back, one expert said.

Zhang Yuan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

Subscribe to gap-year