21 Aug 2019

Walking out your high school gates for the last time will be a bag of mixed emotions. Part of you will be glad it’s all over, but another part of you will be scared senseless about what comes next.

Because it can be bloody terrifying facing the reality of being an adult, it’s easy to choose to jump straight back into studying. Classes and assignments are familiar and even if they are stressful, at least you know what to expect – right?

But deep down, there’s a lil’ feeling brewing inside you that’s telling you to get out there and discover the globe, to see what’s going on outside your high school bubble and figure out your place in the world.

Thing is, you’re still a little nervous, right? All the organising, the fear of being lonely on your trip or perhaps the stigma surrounding kids who don’t commit to buckling down at uni straight away scares you away from jetting off.

Well, I’m here to tell you that you can’t let any of those things stop you. Here’s why you should ignore not only the voices around you, but in your head and just go.

1. You’re never alone

You’re probably asking yourself ‘what if I don’t meet anyone?’ or ‘what if no one wants to talk to me?’ but just because you’re jetting off by yourself doesn’t mean you’ll spend the entirety of your trip that way.

A bunch of people are doing exactly what you’re doing - travelling. Chances are, if you’re staying in a hostel or doing a gap program, you’ll spot a fair few people just like yourself. All you gotta do is introduce yourself and in no time, you’ll be joining them on their travelling escapades and exchanging stories.

If you do one of the gap programs we have over here, you’ll join a group of other young, like-minded travellers from all around the globe – instant new friends, not to mention a list of sofas to crash on when you hit Europe or North America on your next trip.  

A big misconception about gap years and travelling is that you’re gonna be lonely. Homesick? Probably a little. Lonely? Absolutely not.

2. Everything will work out in the end

A lot of the time the things we lose sleep over when we’re planning a trip turn out to be totally inconsequential. There’s always the next bus or plane if you happen to miss one, and the world won’t end if you forget to pack a towel.

That’s not to say the perfect trip will just be handed to you – you need to put some thought into your travel prep. The best thing is, if organising ain’t your cup of tea or you suck at making decisions, there’s a tonne of gap year programs out there that look after all the logistics for you, so you’ll be able to stress less before and during your trip. They’ll pick you up from the airport, have your accommodation and roomies waiting for you and local coordinators on hand to show you the ropes.

3.  You’ll learn and grow in unimaginable ways

Travelling is where you’re finally free to start making your own choices. But that also means you’re left to fend for yourself - a thought that is equal parts exciting and terrifying.

You’ll assume a role of complete independence. You’ll keep yourself safe, control your spending, navigate the geography of foreign countries and even do your own laundry every now and again (maybe). You won’t nail livin’ independently straight away, but you’ll get there eventually.

More importantly, you’ll get to immerse yourself in new cultures which is an experience no textbook or teacher can educate you on. Something they don’t tell you about gap years is that it can be just as valuable as a year of uni or working and when you come back, you’re going to have learnt a whole lot of life lessons you never would have gotten in a classroom or behind a desk.

Look - don’t overthink travelling. Instead, start figuring out where you want to go and what you want to do during your trip. We have a heap of gap programs available for ya, everything from helping kids in Fiji to working in turtle conservation in Bali and being paid to teach English in China, just to name a few. The vast majority of the gap programs can be done for just a couple of weeks so there’s plenty of time for you to work and save up before you leave, and loads of opportunity to travel in the holidays even if you’re heading straight to uni. Check out all the info over here.