Normally it's up to parents to send a parcel to Australia to keep their children well-provisioned, but now it seems as though the tables may be turning.

The baby boom generation - those over 50 - are embracing the concept of travelling for longer periods of time, according to travel experts Gapyear.com.

It seems many older people are in a position to take time off, fuelled by the recession and redundancy payments.

"We are seeing a lot of those take advantage of cheap travel now and heading off for extended trips of three, four or five weeks as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and America," explained Gapyear.com founder Tom Griffiths.

He pointed that it is far cheaper - and no doubt more enjoyable - to be unemployed in places like Cambodia or Thailand where it is possible to live by the sea for £5 a day.

And if people want to take time off from the UK to work abroad, there appears to be no shortage of jobs Down Under, according to Backpacker Operators Association of New South Wales.