<prompt> Human: Although Im not currently in this position in my life, I was wondering...Once a person is in their professional career, large gaps in employment of months or a year or two at a time make the person seem almost unemployable if they cant explain the gap. I love to travel and would love the opportunity to take extended gaps between work for a few months at a time but I feel like those gaps without explanations beyond I just wanted to travel and needed a break from my job really invalidate any future jobs and the persons career takes a hit. Is there any way to do this where my career will not take a hit?I am in finance and would consider starting and incorporating a Financial Consulting Company and do absolutely nothing where you could later explain to employers that you started a business and it didnt really work out. Would something like this work?  <response>: Lying to prospective employers doesnt seem like a good move. Though you wouldnt be the first to pad a gappy résumé with consultant work. Lots of people take time to travel, or have breaks in their job history. It isnt necessarily a bad thing and could even be seen as positive. I wouldnt think of it as a career death knell. Is it possible you are stereotyping finance?Another option is to take an unpaid leave of absence while you are employed and return to the same job after it. Some employers will do this under the right circumstances.Another option is to line up a job switch with a planned gap between. That would require next employer willing to wait some months for you to start.Also, if you decide to leave a job without one lined up, there are several ways to handle the resume. You can be open about what you were doing, or just leave it out and let hirers ask you what youve been doing since you left your last job, and that might be education, personal projects, consulting, volunteering, travel. Or they may simply ptesume youve been job searching. 