Written by Milly Whitehead on 06 / 01 / 2014
Gap Year Advice
Have you just finished school and fancy a break before heading off to university? Or perhaps you’ve completed your first year and fancy a bit of a long holiday before tackling your second? Either way, going on a gap year adventure could be the perfect way to spend your time.
There are a load of different reasons why it can be a great idea, as you'll soon see. Even doctors stress the importance of changing our surroundings occasionally - they understand that the human mind needs alternative stimulation, especially when it’s been working so hard at academic studies.
The top gap year destinations change often, and which you choose to visit will depend heavily on your own interests and those of anyone you wish to travel with. Still, they all have some similarities on the experience side of things, which is exactly what I aim to tell you about in this post.
You really do owe it to yourself to get away from things for a while, and here’s why…
We live in a multicultural world, and with so much diversity all around us, it’s important we all make a special effort to understand the ways and beliefs of other people.
There’s no better way of doing this than visiting their home countries and getting involved, which is why many people apply to take part in volunteer work around the globe.
The chances of everyone in your class at school or uni opting to visit the same locations are pretty slim, which means you’ll probably spend the vast majority of your gap year with new people.
Again, this will help you to increase your circle of friends whilst also encouraging you to gain a fresh, new perspective on the world.
Now, this is a bit of a cliche term that gets thrown around a lot nowadays, but knowing oneself is incredibly important. Most people don’t get the chance to travel around the world on a gap year, and so they’re left to work out who they are whilst dealing with other issues like finding a job or paying the rent.
This is why you have an incredible opportunity that could well impact significantly on your future; one that definitely shouldn’t be wasted.
Up until the point of considering a gap year, most of us haven’t been outside of the UK without parents or close friends, and almost all of us have never been away from home for more than a few months.
Deciding to take a year out abroad means you’ll have a lot of time to yourself to experience the things you want to, thus creating memories you’ll never forget and stories to tell the grandkids in 40 years time.
The best part of going on a gap year adventure is the opportunity to help other people. Unfortunately, many countries around the world are far from perfect, and people suffer because of this on a daily basis.
Opting to volunteer overseas won’t just be rewarding for you, but it could help to save lives, and that’s something you should be proud of.
So, now you’ve heard about all the reasons why you should go on an adventure next year, what’s stopping you from making arrangements right away?
