Deepa’s story shows that your career break can be as individualistic and eclictic as you want it to be. Deepa left her job in Chicago as an Account Director for an advertising agency. The combination of being wedded to her career and her upcoming nuptials led Deepa to visit family and friends all over the world to have some much-needed quality time with them…

Before taking their career break, Fabian and Melanie toyed with the idea for years. Fabian had been thinking about taking a break for years, but Melanie remained unconvinced, not knowing what to expect on such a long trip. Eventually, the decision to move in together provided Melanie with the catalyst to say, “OK. Now is the time if we’re going to do this”…

Kent took a three-month career break to escape the post-merger acrimony after the consulting firm where he was employed was purchased. He originally intended to quit, but the partners of his firm convinced him to take a few months off and return to the firm after the upcoming summer…

Caroline exemplifies the kind of transformation that can happen to people on their career break. Leaving the US in January 2000, Caroline sought time to decompress and escape the burnout she felt after years in corporate sales for a local television station in Austin, Texas. She and a good friend left to pursue an endless summer. After leaving India where she spent time volunteering, she was haunted by memories of conditions of the Indian orphanages where she worked…

Fabien and Emma show that a career break cannot only be good for the soul, but for your relationship. In February 2007, they set off for a 23-month trip around the world. They traveled through South America, Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu and Asia with their last stop in India where they got engaged at the Taj Mahal. Over the course of the trip, they showed that a career break trip could be anything you want it to be.