These days it seems like everyone is quitting their jobs to travel. We can’t spend any time on Facebook, or Instagram without someone proclaiming to have quit their job to travel, that they are making thousands of dollars and how you can do the same.
In reality it is very hard to firstly have the confidence to quit, let alone figure out a way to travel and make money at the same time. Plus its pretty important to be sure that you have a great CV that you can fall back on before you do leave to travel – which is why considering an adult gap year rather than one straight after university might be for you! Here are 6 reasons why you should take an adult gap year!
1. YOU WILL APPRECIATE IT MORE
I did a gap year in Asia after I finished my degree and although I had the most incredible time and it firmly instilled the travel bug in me, I probably didn’t appreciate the time in the same way I did after 10 years of working 60 plus hours a week. All the stresses and frustrations that can come with a fast paced city lifestyle melt away.
2. YOU PROBABLY HAVE MORE MONEY
When I did my first long trip in South East Asia, my friend and I both had a budget of around £3,000 to last for 4 months and of course we ran out of money! Now back then this amount went far when a hut on the beach in Koh Phi Phi set you back $5 and a 12 hour bus ride was only $10. Although you can still travel on a budget you might find you don’t always want to and having a bit more spending money allows you to mix up your accommodation, opting for a nicer hotel or a flight instead of a bus journey.
3. YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DO IT AGAIN
Depending on your situation, you may want to have children, buy a property or start your own business. In our late 20’s and early 30’s this tends to be what the people around us are doing and it’s likely you will want to do one or all of these things. This creates physical and financial ties that prevent you from being able to spontaneously quit your job and to run away to South America like I did!
4. YOU WILL FIND ANOTHER JOB
by the time you decide to quit and take a later age gap year you are likely to have established yourself in your industry. You will hopefully have a CV with a number of years experience and a little black book of contacts who you can call on. On my return I went to quite a few interviews, not one of the people I met with looked negatively on the fact I had resigned, given up my clients and taken over a year out of the industry. In fact everyone I met congratulated me, wanted to discuss what I had done and said they wished they could do the same! I was lucky enough to have no shortage of job offers and actually went back to the company I had left over 14 months previous.
5. YOU WILL COME BACK WITH RENEWED ENERGY
…And actually might crave the structure that you were so desperate to escape. After my trip I came back re-energised and enthusiastic, not only about businesses I wanted to start or get involved in, but also on re-entering the corporate world. Having such a long time off allowed me to see the merits of the corporate structure and although it may not be where I remain long term I certainly think for some having a break will make you appreciate what your job can give you, friendships, purpose and of course funding for your travels!
6. YOU WILL NEVER REGRET THE DECISION
To sum it up in a quote from Mark Twain ”Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Have you taken an adult gap year? Please share you own tips and experiences with our readers in the comments below.
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We Are Travel Girls Founder & Editor Becky van Dijk of BeckyvanDijk.com
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Kristen says
May 13, 2016 at 9:19 amVery inspirational! I am going to pursue a change in career for traveling physical therapy rather than staying in one place to help with this desire and will eventually take long travels between assignments. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Ally says
November 7, 2016 at 9:59 pmSo much YES to this! Some of my friends in their mid-late 20s think they ‘missed the boat’ for taking time off to travel since they didn’t do it during school or after college. There are so many benefits to traveling, and as you said, employers don’t always look down on it negatively (I have yet to have had an employer see my previous travels as a negative experience). Thanks for sharing 🙂
We Are Travel Girls says
November 8, 2016 at 1:36 pmThanks for reading Ally, I definitely found the adult gap year a great experience that was a positive not negative for employers! Glad you liked it!
Lena says
December 15, 2016 at 12:46 pmThanks Becky, I needed this today!
We Are Travel Girls says
December 16, 2016 at 5:26 amThanks Lena, Glad to hear it was helpful for you!!
Sophie says
April 11, 2017 at 2:05 pmJust what I needed to read! I’m doing this in a couple of weeks and cannot wait 😀 xx
We Are Travel Girls says
April 12, 2017 at 5:07 amSo pleased you enjoyed this article Sophie! Enjoy your ‘adult gap year’! XO, Becky