An aimless year of travelling/navel contemplation does not impress. One of the hard parts of joining the world of work for the first time is the 'got to' nature of it. You have to just get on with it. It wont get easier for putting it off for a year of grape picking.
It's a shame that you think that way Gnome. I see it another way (I would, I'm his mother!)
DS has organised his travels himself, you could compare the planning and research to a dissertation/project. He has also had to find the money so he has been part of "the world of work" for several months, grafting away full time. He will come back from his travels having experienced different cultures and ways of doing things; he will have seen and lived it, not merely jetted in and out like a holidaying tourist.
When I was in my final year, I went on the milkround. There was one company in particular who stood out with their 'work hard, play hard' attitude. I realised that, in return for their high wages, they wanted a pound of flesh and went to a less pressured outfit. I believe that I did the right thing as a few years later the results-at-all-costs company collapsed following financial scandal.
DS has probably inherited some of my non-conformity but he is a bright lad who always falls on his feet so I have no worries about him 'retiring' for a few years (although I have warned him not to do it for too long and miss the boat).
In summary, you may not rate him, Gnome, but I'm not sure that he would rate your company's attitude either.