Blog #11 — So You Want to Take a Gap Year
A gap year is a great way to broaden your perspective of the globe and learn not only more about the world, but more about you. While transitioning from high school to college, you are arguably at the most opportune age to take time to reflect on yourself and develop a solid idea of who you are and what exactly it is that you want to do for the rest of your life. What better way to figure this out than to travel far and beyond your comfort zone; to places you’d never imagine visiting? With proper planning, you can easily make your gap year a productive, worthwhile, and life-changing experience that will help you enter college with a sense of rejuvenation, enthusiasm, and purpose. So what must you know before packing your bags and jumping into a plane?
1) Be Organized:
It is very important to carefully plan everything out well ahead of time. Know exactly what you are getting yourself into. You cannot wake up one day and blindly decide to travel somewhere simply for the sake of it. Spend time doing extensive research on places you are interested in seeing. Look for any organizations or NGO’s in those areas and get in touch with their coordinators. Be mindful of this research when selecting the location you wish to go to. It’s also important to arrange a budget. Even though you will be receiving a scholarship from FSU, your expenses will likely not be completely covered. So it is imperative to consider costs for traveling, housing, food, etc. When looking at NGO’s abroad, be sure to find out what accommodations they include. Lastly, it is highly recommended that you purchase travel insurance.
2) Establish Goals:
As I mentioned earlier, you cannot decide to travel somewhere for the sake of it. Setting goals for yourself will give you a sense of purpose; something to work towards. While striving to achieve these objectives, you’ll see that you are learning lots of valuable life lessons, acquiring new skills, or revealing unknown desires. For example, you could aim to learn a new language, meet and befriend a certain amount of people, learn such and such about a country’s history, and so much more. Working to fulfill these goals will guarantee that you stay productive constantly, and will force you further away from your comfort zone, allowing you to truly explore and discover new things.
3) Remain Open Minded:
During your gap year, you must maintain a sense of optimism throughout…Regardless of how discouraged or troubled you may feel at times. Not everything you see or do abroad is going to be pleasant and delightful. You are more than likely to endure some problems and setbacks while traveling. There may even be moments when you feel helpless to certain situations. But that is simply just a part of life. Rather than let these problems take away from your trip, you should let them embellish your trip. Use them as learning tools. Let them assist you with your character development.
Above all else, just have fun. Make sure you enjoy your gap year. Keep a positive outlook on your trip and make this experience one you’ll forever cherish. Good Luck! And Safe Travels!
