Absolutely do it. But don't sit at home writing code. Get out and see a bit of the world. These days most tropical beaches have wifi, so you can still do all

Absolutely do it. But don't sit at home writing code. Get out and see a bit of the world. These days most tropical beaches have wifi, so you can still do all that boring stuff you listed above. You'll just do it from a laptop while living in a grass hut and eating Thai food every meal. Trust me, it's way better that way, and it's also a lot cheaper than sitting out your sabbatical in your expensive apartment. Step one is to head down to the bookstore and park yourself in the Travel section. See if you can make it 20 minutes into Lonely Planet's Southeast Asia on a Shoestring before you head over to the coffee shop to boot up and book a flight. Don't worry about your career. It'll still be here when you get back. As others have said, taking six months off often just gives your friends time to find you awesome contract jobs at their companies. Chances are you'll have something lined up before you even leave the beach. Good luck!