Gap Year
© Renate Franke / pixelio.de
Taking the year out from school or uni and travelling the globe will be the best experience you will ever have. There is no better way to get out into the real world, engage in some volunteer work or just learn how to surf, get to know the local people and learn heaps about a new culture and yourself along the way. This experience will teach you much more than a classroom ever can.
For decades, it has been a hugely popular right of passage among Brits, Australians, Kiwis and Canadians to take the year off before jumping into the hamster wheel and slave it off for money. However, recently it has become more and more common among Americans and other nations and no one will be frowned upon anymore if they decide to take some time off in order to learn some valuable stuff about the real world.
There is a lot of programs offering you help and assistance on how to organise your gap year or even arrange volunteer and work abroad kits. That way you will have everything being taken care off: visas, flights, the work or language school, first few days at the new place in a hostel and usually also a contact person at your destination. These programs can be especially useful for very young travellers who, for the first time of their lives, leave their homes and family to live far away. This kind of program will lead you to rewarding activities such as teaching English in India, doing a Ski internship in New Zealand, learn a new language in Europe or doing some volunteering help in the jungle of Costa Rica. The choice is entirely up to you. However, these programs do cost money and can be a bit pricey at times, so it definitely pays to compare prices of the different travel agencies and ask around before you book anything
If you are after the real experience and adventure, it is clear that you will want to organise everything yourself. That way you will have the ultimate freedom and are free to do whatever you want whenever you want. You could just book the one year valid around the world ticket and off you go. The ultimate adventure. You never know what will wait for you around the corner and the feeling of having done it all by yourself will leave you feeling empowered. A priceless sense of delight.
Often times, travelling for the first time alone into a new and foreign country with a different culture and your parents being far away to wash your clothes and babysit you can be a bit daunting. But if you give it a chance and are prepared, then travelling on your own can make a huge difference on your growing up. You will come back home feeling more mature, more independent and more self confident, with a much better understanding of people and an open mind to their believes and problems. And of course, you will have made tons of new friends across the globe you can visit in the future– a couch waiting for you in each corner of the world. Or you might decide to stay behind altogether and prolong your stay. Maybe becoming a diving instructor or manage a hostel and fulfil your dreams. Who knows, the world is your oyster after a gap year!