Taking a gap year has been proven to prepare students for college, and teach them important life skills. It is a chance for students to do something besides school for the first time. In this article, I will be discussing how to plan for a gap year of traveling.
Taking a gap year has typically been seen as the alternative to entering college straight out of high school. Now, the choice has been growing in popularity, due to its positive benefits.
Benefits of taking A Gap Year
Before planning a gap year of traveling abroad, you have to make sure it’s the right choice for you. Here are my top 3 reasons for taking a gap year to travel:
1. Avoid “Burning Out” Academically
This time off can help students refrain from becoming academically “burnt out.” Students often feel exhausted by school once high school graduation rolls around, which can make college unappealing to many.
Spending a gap year traveling isn’t about slacking off academically. In fact, taking a gap year has proven to increase students chances of graduating with a degree from college.
According to educationdata.org 40% of undergraduate students drop out of college each year. And 30% of freshman students drop-out of college before they become sophomores.
Taking a gap year most likely wont derail you from your plans of attending University when you return, if that was your intention beforehand.
According to Year Out Group, 90% of students who planned on attending university after their gap year did so. To make it even better, 66% of students said they took their academic work more seriously after they returned from their gap year.
2. Taking a Gap Year Gives You a Full Year Devoted to Travel
Finding the time, and not to mention money, to spend a whole year traveling is not an easy thing to do. Taking a gap year is a unique experience, that allows you to travel, and explore the world before the responsibilities of adulthood get in your way.
This is a time you can devote to saving money, and taking trips on your own schedule. You wont have school, work, or any other responsibilities to attend to other than yourself!
Students who choose not to take gap years may study abroad or travel later in life. Unlike you, they will have school or work to deal with on the side, or waiting for them at home.
To plan a gap year of traveling is the most freeing thing you could do for yourself!
3. Study or Improve Foreign Language Skills
Knowing a second language is becoming an increasingly sought out skill in the 21st century. In fact a lot of universities now require at least two semesters of language study before you can graduate.
Knowing a second language can give you a competitive edge on your resume, and is a great skill for you to have in the real world.
If you have never studied a foreign language, this could be your chance to! Living or traveling through countries that speak a language you are learning can greatly increase your skills, as you gain more exposure to it.
If you are already proficient in another language, you could spend time improving your language skills in its origin country.
Choosing Your Location
In order to plan a gap year of traveling you must first choose which place(s), you’d like to see.
Ultimately, your destinations will impact a vast amount of your planning. From choosing ideal travel dates, to packing a suitcase, your destination can determine quite a few factors. Here’s a few important ones to consider:
1. Where do you want to travel… One country or multiple?
When planning for your gap year of traveling you will have the option to spend your year exploring one location, or multiple.
Traveling to one country would be the most cost efficient option for your transportation budget, but it could lead you to miss out on amazing travel opportunities, and may not make sense depending on your travel location.
For example, when traveling in Europe the cost of travel is so cheap between countries it is recommend you explore multiple countries within your visit.
On the other hand, Australia is a rather large country, and travel access to other countries can be more limited. The country is bigger, causing it to take longer to see fully. Also, flights to other countries are more expensive, so depending on your budget it may be less practical to to travel elsewhere too.
You could explore all seven continents if you wanted to, and had the budget for it! What a dream that would be, right? Sadly, most of us aren’t fortunate enough to plan that kind of trip in one go, so deciding your preferred locations in advance is a great start.
2. Cost of Living
Another factor to consider when choosing where you plan to spend a gap year traveling is the cost of living.
Some countries have a higher cost of living than others. Products and services in these countries will cost more than in countries with a lower cost of living. Depending on your budget, you may want to stick with cities that have lower costs of living.
At the very least, being aware of a cities cost of living, in comparison to the standard you are used to at home, should give you an idea of what prices to expect while there. This can be helpful to ensure you don’t get scammed, or taken advantage of while traveling alone, and in a new place.
Choosing to stay in cities with a lower cost of living means saving money while buying the same products as you could elsewhere for more. It is really one of the easiest ways to save money while traveling, and you don’t even notice you are doing it.
3. Pay Attention to Exchange Rates
Exchange rates don’t have to make or break your location choice. Similarly to cost of living, they could play an important role in selecting a country that adheres to your budget.
It is a rookie mistake to believe that spending 100 Euros is equivalent to spending 100 USD. In fact, 100 Euros is equal to about 110 USD. Those extra ten dollars will add-up overtime, and could lead to you going over budget if you haven’t paid attention.
Other currency conversions are not so easy to keep track of. For example, one Danish Krone is $0.15. You could expect to pay around 30$ for a nice dinner in Copenhagen, which would appear to you as about 200 Danish Krone. If you hadn’t known the currency exchange you may be shocked, and confused by how much you are paying.
Plan your gap year of traveling
So, you’ve decided a gap year is right for you, and you’ve selected the perfect location. Now what? Well, its time to ACTUALLY plan your gap year of traveling.
You don’t want to wait until last minute to figure out the details of your trip.
1. Will You Travel Solo or with a Program?
If the idea of planning your gap year is making your head spin then you may want to book through a program. There are many programs available, and a quick google search will suggest the best ones to you!
Gap year programs can help you feel secure throughout your gap year, and provide you with a line of support.
It is, however, cheaper to travel on your own. Programs come with fees. After all, they have to pay for all your things, and pay the person who planned it for you. You can save yourself some money by cutting out the middle man.
Solo travel, overall, is becoming increasingly common and many students are choosing to set off on their gap years solo as well.
Traveling on your own also gives you more flexibility with your schedule. You will have complete control over the itinerary of your gap year.
You may also want to travel solo if you aren’t looking to take classes for credit, or do volunteer work. Many of the gap-year programs offer what can be used as college credit, or community service hours. If this doesn’t interest you, then don’t pay extra to do it.
2. Find Out What You Need to Do Before You Go
Spending a year traveling takes a lot of preparation. You need a passport, (possibly) visas, accommodations, a destination, and travel dates. All of these things take concise planning. You may also want to open a credit card, or exchange money for a different currency before you depart.
Depending on where you are traveling you may need certain vaccinations or health forms completed beforehand. Do your research.
If you take medications, talk to your doctor about your gap year travels. You may need to visit a doctor abroad, or return home for prescription refills. Again, planning is key, you want to be prepared for these things before you leave.
3. Open a Credit Card or Foreign Bank Account
When traveling abroad you may want to open a credit card. When you use credit or debit cards to make transactions overseas, many companies will charge you a foreign exchange fee. Though, these foreign exchange fees can be avoided with certain credit cards.
Bank of America’s Student Travel Rewards card is a great example of a travel card. It has zero foreign transaction fees, and allows you to earn points on every purchase that can later be redeemed towards travel purchases. I recommend it because it is the card that I used while studying abroad.
Foreign transaction fees can add up to be a hefty expense over time. Don’t forget to do your research and leave prepared.
In addition to opening a credit card with no foreign transaction fees, you may want to open a foreign bank account. This option is ideal for someone who is spending the entire year in one location. It can be more convenient way to access your money, and won’t require you to pay exchange rates every time you need to take out cash.
4. Choose Your Travel Dates
Choosing your travel dates is important. You want to book flights and accommodations in advance so that you can watch deals, and get cheaper prices.
You may not know the entire plan for your year and that is OK. Planning a date for your departure though, is vital, and it will be the start to you’re entire journey.
For cheaper flights, depart at off-peak travel dates. Avoid departing in the middle of summer, or during holidays. Prices will be higher, airports will be crowded, and your trip will definitely be more complicated. Save yourself the trouble, and some money, by traveling at off-peak times.
You can also decide whether or not you want to spend the whole year traveling. Just because it is called a gap year doesn’t mean it has to be a full year long. Feel free to take short trips within the span of the year. This can help save money, and allows you to return to the comfort of your home.
5. How Will You Stay In Touch?
In the 21st century it’s hard to imagine a life without our cellphones. So, the question is, what are you going to do about yours?
Keeping your phone plan based in your home country will become expensive quickly. When traveling abroad for long periods of time it is better to switch to a new plan in your new country.
You can either buy a completely new phone, or just buy a sim card and enter it into your existing phone. From there you will have prepaid data and service for each month.
Wi-Fi will become your new best friend abroad. Many countries across Europe have access to free Wi-Fi in their cafes and shopping squares. On the other hand, less developed countries may not have much service available at all.
Do your research ahead of time to find out how you will stay in touch with your friends and family back home.
6. Plan Your Budget
Unless you plan to obtain a work visa for your gap year abroad then chances are you already have the funds available, or will be saving up enough funds before you go.
Obviously, everyone will be working with different budgets for their gap year. It is important to recognize what your financial situation is before heading out on your gap year.
You can save money by staying in cheaper cities, accommodations, and finding travel deals online!
For more tips on how to manage your spending while traveling check out my article: How I Keep Travel Cheap.
7. Pack & Go
Once you’ve selected your location, booked your flight, and gathered all the paperwork the only thing left for you to do is pack & leave!
For packing tips check out my article: My Tips For Packing Like A Pro.
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