Advantages of Taking a Gap Year to Travel

So it's that time of year again to start thinking about what university will be best for you and your chosen subject. But have you thought about taking a gap year? University isn't for everyone, so here are just some of the benefits of traveling whilst on a gap year.

Taking a gap year to travel will allow you to meet people from other countries. With them they will bring new cultures, etiquettes and religions. Experiencing these will allow you to broaden the way you look at the world, and make you more accepting to the things that people do differently and why. Making international friends is also a benefit, as once your gap year is over, you can use them as a base rather than paying out for a hotel - just like having your own mini Airbnb system!

Many teens taking a gap year work whilst away to top up their travelling funds. As well as allowing you to meet new people and interact with different cultures, working abroad also allows you to gain work experience and life skills, that you wouldn't necessarily be learning if you went to university. Different countries have different types of jobs compared to the UK, so you could work doing something totally fun and different, such as teaching children to surf in Australia, washing down elephants in Thailand, or becoming a beach lifeguard in New Zealand - and still earn money!

Gap years are to be used for challenging yourself and facing your fears. It is portrayed to us that the “typical” gap year must involve at least a skydive and a bungee jump. However, the real thing to think about is why do we do such adventurous activities when on a gap year? Stepping outside of our comfort zones and taking more risks than we usually would allow us to grows as human beings. These once-in-a-lifetime experiences enable us to expand on our previous knowledge and experiences and become more impulsive and creative.

Whilst travelling, you may find something that you are totally passionate about that you wouldn't have found back at home - so maybe the subject you were going to study at UNI actually wasn't for you. Finding yourself whilst traveling will sound so cliché, however you will certainly find things out about yourself that you wouldn't have known if you had gone to university. Maybe you are good at communicating with people who don’t speak your language. Or maybe you are good with maps and can get yourself from A to B in a new location without any hassle. Or maybe you have discovered a newfound love for their way of cooking.

Travelling allows you to experience what local life is like for someone where you are staying. Seeing what the locals, eat, cook, wear and buy will expand on your cultural outlook on life, rather than staying at large commercial hotels with all of your home comforts.

Hopefully, this post will give you an insight into why taking a gap year to travel can be good for you, if you are currently undecided on whether to go to university or not.

Don’t forget, you can get your travel insurance from DirectTravel at either www.direct-travel.co.uk or ring our friendly team on 0330 880 3600.