GIVING UP a profitable psychology practice in midtown Manhattan to play music full time may sound crazy. But for Lucy Kaplansky, traveling the country with guitar in hand is just what the doctor ordered.

"I was in therapy three years ago when I had a life-altering revelation," says Dr. Kaplansky, 36 years old, who spent much of her youth playing folk music in New York clubs to rave reviews of professional critics. "I was explaining why I didn't want to become a professional musician, spending so many days on the road, when I realized I was lying to myself. That life is exactly what I want, and from that moment on, I knew I needed to sing full time." So she reduced her patient load, signed with a booking agency and started performing on weekends around the Northeast. "I was weaning myself off psychology," says Dr. Kaplansky. "I worked really hard earning my degree and license, but psychology was a consolation prize for me, and I need the first prize." She has since closed her practice and now travels extensively, performing four or more nights a week.

Career counselors say they are besieged by distressed baby boomers longing to try new fields. What sets Dr. Kaplansky, and others like her, apart is a longing for the special freedom that comes with a career totally defined by the open road. Of course, many employees have jobs that require them to travel the globe in search of new markets and clients. But true open-roaders call all the shots themselves.

"I grew up going on long family trips, and it's still exciting to me to travel the countryside," says Dr. Kaplansky. "Although there are social activities in every city I play, there's lots of time to be alone, too, which I really like."

DON ASHER IS another professional who decided that hitting the road was more rewarding than meeting client demands and deadlines. "I traveled a lot in my college days, and I really loved being alone and on the road," says Mr. Asher, 38, who says he visited 49 states by the time he was 25. "But then I settled down in the Bay area and started a family."

As his San Francisco consulting business prospered, Mr. Asher says he solicited occasional speaking engagements, primarily on college campuses. "Then I wrote a book five years ago about getting into graduate school, and created a lecture series on the subject." That fall, he accepted more than 40 engagements, and his return to a life on the road reminded him of all he was missing.

When his marriage ended, he closed his business and expanded his speaking schedule to more than 100 talks annually.

"When you're traveling, most of your time is spent being alone. You really only work two to three hours a day," says Mr. Asher. "I love that quiet time. No one's calling in sick or complaining about a jammed copier, and I have time to visit great museums, eat at neat restaurants and do whatever the local people tell me is worth doing."

Arlene Hirsch, a Chicago career counselor and author of "Love Your Work and Success Will Follow," warns that many people who dream of quitting their jobs to hit the road really just want to escape from office politics or a boss they don't like. "They're not really ready to leave their spouse and kids for weeks at a time, or shift careers in such a dramatic way," she says.

But there are ways to fulfill your need to travel without turning your career on its head. "First, try to negotiate for more freedom in your current job," says Ms. Hirsch. Options include taking over a distant account that requires frequent visits, or attending trade conferences that had been handled by others.

Technology may also provide a solution. If your boss is amenable, create a virtual office that allows you to fulfill job duties as you travel.

If negotiations with your boss fail, talk with employee relations or a trusted vendor about shifting into a position that requires constant travel, such as becoming a sales rep for a large territory, consultant or seminar leader.

IF YOU MUST SWITCH jobs, you can make the move slowly, piecing together a new career that provides the travel time you seek. "Test the waters by starting a business on the side," says Ms. Hirsch. Use weekends and vacations to fly or drive to clients, until growth in your side business forces you to quit your full-time job. This approach minimizes risk while ensuring that you're ready for a life of motel rooms and restaurant food.

"It can get old after a while and lose whatever glamour it held for you," says Ms. Hirsch.

Finding the perfect balance between travel and home is the goal of many career travelers. "Once I closed my practice, I started spending at least a third of my life on the road, and I loved it," says Dr. Kaplansky, whose new album, "Flesh and Bone," was released in October. In a typical week, she'll spend Thursday driving to New England, Ohio or Virginia, do shows each night through Sunday, then head home for a few days on Monday. If her gigs are in distant states, she'll spend a week or more away.

While such an erratic schedule may seem possible only if you're single, there is a Mr. Kaplansky. He's a professor at New York University, and not only does he support his wife's newfound freedom, he's co-written several of her songs. Dr. Kaplansky says it's hard being away from her husband, but she had to pursue her dream. "I'd hate to wake up 40 years from now with regrets because I didn't try," she says.