What to Do on Your Gap Year

Taking a gap year is one the most exciting things you’ll ever do in your life, whether you take 3 months, 6 months, or a year it’s the time to do you, discover your passions and grow as a person and make memories to last you a lifetime.

Whatever your age, taking time out is a big decision no matter what and you’ll want to make the most of it, and with some careful planning you’ll soon be on your way to having the time of your life.

A gap year isn’t for everyone and many people have different ideas of what they want to do and achieve during their time out.

Whether you want to travel the world, volunteer or get some industry experience these ideas will hope to inspire you as to what you can do during your gap year.

Travelling

For many when they think of a gap year, it’s likely it’s associated with dreams of a sun drenched beach, exploring new places, perhaps a little culture and lots of partying. Whilst this is true for many travellers, your experience is what you make it and it can be completely tailored to you to help create your dream trip.

With a whole world to explore choosing where to go is certainly a hard task, many travellers go for the usual routes of visiting Australia and Thailand, but you don’t need to be confined to far flung destinations. Inter Railing is a popular option for many who wish to travel the countries on our doorstep in Europe, with the option to visit everywhere from Norway to Greece, you’re spoilt for choice.

Find a Job

If you don’t want to spend a year with little money to your name then getting a job is a quick way to fix that, plus it’ll look great on university applications and give you a healthy lump sum to rely on when you’re a money saving student – yikes!

If you’re unsure which direction you want to take your career in then taking on a job or work experience placement can help you to establish what you want to do in the future. Providing you with hands on industry experience, you’ll have a taste of the working world under your belt before anyone else.

Learning a New Skill

Both employers and universities will want to see what makes you stand out from the crowd and one of the best ways to give them an insight into your hobbies and passions is through learning a new skill.

Whether you learn a new language or how to code, it’ll look great on your CV and provide you with a handy skill to have in your repertoire. The best bit is you can do any of these alongside a job or travelling allowing you to tick a couple of things of during your gap year.

Volunteering

Volunteering is one of the most rewarding experiences you can ever do, not only will you be helping out someone in need or a local community but you’ll also be learning some important life skills on the way that can help to boost that all important CV.

When you volunteer you could be involved with anything from teaching a language, providing medical assistance, or building schools and local centres for underprivileged areas. To ensure you’re kept safe the during your volunteer placement, look for projects which have staff to help keep you safe during your time with them such as Global Medical Projects.

Seasonal Travels

One way to travel and earn money at the same time is by taking on a seasonal travel placement, you could try becoming a ski instructor or work as a surf or scuba diver instructor during the summer months.

Working during high holiday seasons isn’t solely for the outdoorsy and sporty amongst us as many resorts also require waiting staff and au pairs too. The best bit is you get to experience a new country whilst earning money at the same time, some programs even pay for your accommodation and food during your time with them.

Choosing what to do on your gap year is the hardest part, but whatever you choose you’ll have a time to savour for years to come.

Tags: gap year, student travel

Category: Travel