17 Jun 2015

It’s coming up to that time of year again, when Year 12 exams are looming on the horizon and phrases like “course preferences” and “university choices” are becoming all too familiar. There’s one topic of discussion in particular that I’m sure you’ve heard doing the rounds, and that’s the matter of the gap year. Whether to take one or not, whether to travel or to work, whether spending a year churning through the entire Netflix library would be an immense feat of heroism or just plain sad.

In my opinion, yes you should take a gap year and yes you should travel. There is no joy greater in life than travelling, and I believe it should be compulsory for everyone to do it before they commence studying. Don’t believe me? Then here are 5 big, fat pros to add to your list of reasons why you should travel before uni:

1. Travelling will prevent you from burning out

Congratulations my friend, because if you are graduating this year, you will have officially been at school for a whopping thirteen years of your young life. Give yourself a pat on the back, a self-five and a round of applause for that one, because you’ve worked hard and you’ve earned it.

Now, isn’t it time you gave yourself a break? Depending on what course you’re looking to get into, you could be spending another 3-5 years at school, more if you want to do your Masters. While school is important, your wellbeing takes top priority, and you don’t want to burn out academically or mentally by taking on too much. Travelling is the perfect breather – you’re still keeping your mind active and you’re still learning, but in the most enjoyable way possible (as in, more slacking off, more sunbathing, and a whole lot more beer).

2. Discover yourself and refine your interests

It’s one of the most unwelcome questions, the kind that can give Year 12 students nightmares or force them into an anxiety-fuelled procrastination frenzy: “what are you going to do with your life?” To put it frankly, high school graduates are in no way equipped to answer this question (hell, 30 year olds are barely able to do it!), because all you’ve really known up until this point is school and study. So far, you’ve been lucky enough to have only a little interaction with “the Real World”, but until you’ve put yourself out there, you can never really know what you want out of life.

Travelling is like a crash course in Real World Life. You’re suddenly thrown into a situation where you are independent, free of parental guidance, and totally out of your comfort zone. For the first time ever, you’re actually in the driver’s seat of your own life and while it can be daunting, it teaches you so much about yourself. Experiencing this is one of the best ways to discover what you want, what you hope to achieve and what kind of person you want to be—an extremely valuable tool when it comes to choosing a uni course and, ultimately, a career.

3. Travelling matures you and makes you more independent

When you’re thousands of kilometres away from home and there are oceans separating you from everything you’ve ever known, you learn to rely on yourself a lot better. Travelling alone or with your mates means that your parents aren’t going to be there to pick you up when you fall, and while this gives you a whole lot of freedom, it also comes with a lot of responsibility.

It’s amazing how quickly travelling can mature you, particularly if you consider yourself a shy person. Travelling will give you the confidence to ask for directions, to make new friends and to take risks you never thought you could. And it’s the kind of confidence and independence you’re going to need in your post-school life, whether you’re connecting with other university students, getting a new job or moving out of home.

4. Explore the world while you still can

A gap year comes at the most opportune time. You’ve just finished high school and suddenly you find yourself with no responsibilities, no hassles and absolutely nothing to do. It’s an incredible feeling, but it’s not going to last for long—soon you’re going to find yourself worrying about study and debt and rent money and relationships… all of which tie you down and make travelling far more difficult to organise.

Taking the time to see the world before any of these worries kick in is the best way to travel. Your mind is free, you can drink in as much culture (and booze) as possible and – if you still live at home – you don’t need to worry about coming home with only $4 in your bank account. So take the chance to travel while you’re young and you still can, before that messy old thing called Life gets in the way.

5. Experience a different kind of education

You’ve all heard the saying that there’s book smarts and then there’s street smarts, right? Well, up until now, you’ve probably mainly experienced the former. Now it’s time for the latter.

You might not have considered travelling as a form of learning, but it’s actually one of the most valuable educations you will ever get. Getting a feel for different cultures by eating their food, exploring their histories and talking to their people is a far superior way to learn than memorising passages from a textbook. I can remember more facts about WWII from Berlin walking tours than I can from high school presentations, I learnt more French from a week in Paris than I did from months in class, and I know more about the layout of European countries now than I ever did in a geography room.

But it’s more than just facts and figures that you learn while you travel. You learn about interacting with others and making new friends. You figure out how to plan ahead and organise, and when it’s best to throw that organisation out the window. You learn how to deal with tough situations and make the best out of the worst. You learn about friendship and love. You learn and then you learn some more until your mind is full and rich and bursting at the seams.

Travel is the best gift you can give yourself and The University of Technology in Sydney (UTS) is the type of institution that wants to wrap it up and put a bow on top for you. UTS does exactly this by encouraging young people to consider their travel options before they join the UTS family. They partner with us here at Year13 specifically because they want to further the information surrounding travel and study options and genuinely want you to make the best decision. There are only five reasons listed here for why you should travel before you study but in reality there’s never going to be a countable amount and both UTS and Year13 want to give you the chance to make your own list and find your own reasons.