Gap years are becoming the norm for British workers, according to a new survey by Direct Line Travel Insurance.

It found that one in four employees now work for companies that offer sabbaticals and almost 5.5m employees are currently contemplating swapping commuting for globetrotting.

The government, public sector, finance and insurance industries are leading the way - 40% of employees working in these sectors are able to take sabbaticals. It was followed by IT and telecoms (36%) and medicine/health service (25%).

It found that one in three workers planning a sabbatical say they are looking to take a break from the rat race (30%) and one in four claim to be suffering from burn out.

One in four employees said they would be more likely to work for a firm that offered sabbaticals, and 33% say they would be more likely to remain with a firm long term if they knew they could take a career break.

However, the research found that more than one in ten workers who have taken a sabbatical said their employer was not supportive - with two thirds (64%) of these revealing their boss had tried to prevent them from leaving. One in three quit their job completely for the freedom of travelling.