I didn't start touring until I was 55 and I had a lot of time in with the same employer by then so I was up to 4 weeks vacation per year. I always saved up some leave because I preferred to take longer vacations, so I had 8 weeks saved up. I informed my employer that I was taking 10-12 weeks to do the TA and expected that 2-4 weeks of it would be without pay. I asked them if I would have a job when I got back. It turns out that they were pretty supportive and if anything it has helped my career. I think that they must have missed me when I was gone because I found that I was treated better after the trip than before.