What if they don't let me into the country? I knew I was being irrational but, strapped tight into my airplane seat on the way to Bangkok, I'd already had enough surprises to be nervous about what came next.

It was March last year and I was beginning a two-month career break – alone. My partner had had to postpone his flight due to work commitments and we were unsure when he would follow. So, in a fit of impatience, I said I'd go ahead, and now I was regretting it.

Yes, I was equipped with money, maps, an airport transfer and hotel accommodation for the first few nights. But what then? I was a female travelling alone and didn't know one single other person in Bangkok. What if I got attacked, robbed, or simply couldn't negotiate the ins and outs of another city?

Like many career breakers, this was my first chance to really travel. I hadn't taken a year out after university to go in search of the world, I was encouraged to get a job, some work experience and...ummm... travel later.

But then life kicked in. The routine, the money, the lifestyle, the responsibilities. And suddenly travelling wasn't my top priority - my mortgage repayments were. A decade on, I was finally getting a chance to get out there, and I was freaking out.

"I was working long hours, considered 'successful', yet my social life was non-existent. And, worse still, I wasn't even sure how I felt about the work I was doing anymore."

Sound familiar? Well, maybe that's because my story is. Career breaks are now a firm fixture in the British work place, with over 1.5 million people taking one last year, according to Mintel research. About 60 per cent of those were aged 25 and 35, according to a Lonely Planet report, though pre-retirement travellers made up a large number of the rest, says Mintel.

"Having a career break on your CV is now seen as a plus," confirms Charlotte Hindle, principal author of The Career Break Book. "Far from indicating irresponsibility, it suggests you have get-up-and-go."

Companies agree, with a third of those in the private sector now boasting policies for career breaks, according to the British Confederation of Industry. And it's just as well, considering over 25 per cent of UK workers are planning one this year, says a Norwich Union survey.

There are all sorts of reasons why people take career breaks; to avoid burn out, to travel with the comfort of knowing you have a job to return to, or to simply have some time out to think. I was taking mine for all of those reasons.

I'd got to a point in my life where it was normal having emails from friends pile up in my inbox, and never getting the time to read or reply to them. I was working long hours, considered 'successful', yet my social life was non-existent. And, worse still, I wasn't even sure how I felt about the work I was doing anymore.

I felt constantly on the back foot, increasingly negative, with no headspace for anyone or anything new in my life. Yet, making changes to this seemed much too scary. A career break, I thought, would be a nice long holiday before getting back to it all.

My first week in Bangkok didn't prove much of a confidence boost. Looking back, I stupidly treated the city like London at first. Staying near the famous Kho San Road tourist district, which was heaving with people of all ages and nationalities, I was too busy convincing myself I'd be robbed or pillaged to make eye contact, never mind new friends.

"I mistakenly treated the place like London and was too busy convincing myself I'd be robbed or pillaged to make friends."

But it wasn't long before I began embracing my new life, engaging with natives when they stopped me to give friendly advice, and enjoying bartering over prices with market stall owners and Tuk Tuk drivers.

I started lapping up the easy going, traveller lifestyle, taking short trips around Thailand and longer ones to Vietnam and Cambodia. Meeting new friends in cafes and then organising to catch up later. Sometimes sitting alone for hours over a meal (something I'd have never done before) or simply reading, investigating markets, visiting the tourist sites and just having time to think whenever I needed to.

One month in, my partner finally arrived over and I said goodbye to my new friends in Thailand before travelling across Australia and New Zealand. But it was in Bangkok that reality hit home for me - I needed to make some life changes.

And on my first day back to work, that's exactly what I did, approaching my manager and negotiating changes to my workload, work focus and even work location, moving away from the traditional office setting I'd begun to feel smothered by. And I haven't looked back since.

Career breaks don't have to be for the over-worked or those looking to make for life changes, but they're great for those who are. At the very least, they're an extended holiday allowing you to really recline. At best, they can give you a sense of adventure and achievement, especially travelling alone, putting things you felt were insurmountable into perspective. Whatever the case, I can't recommend them highly enough. What started out as a rash, even wreckless decision to travel solo on my part turned out to be the most rewarding experience.

Useful links:

www.thecareerbreaksite.com

www.gapyearforgrownups.co.uk

www.responsibletravel.com

www.realgap.co.uk

www.ventureco-worldwide.com

By Barbara Walshe