5 Reasons Why You Should Take a Gap Year

After college or after uni?  

Before we jump into the (many!) reasons why you should take a gap year, let’s take a moment to discuss when you might take one.  

Typically, students in the UK take a year out between A-levels/college and university. Doing this means you can either apply during Year 13 and defer your entry for a year, or you can apply during your year out and take more time to consider your options. 

This is a great choice if you’re not entirely sure whether you want to go to university, if you’re not sure what to do at university or if you didn’t get the results you hoped for.  

A gap year after secondary school or college gives you a chance to reassess your next steps.  

Alternatively, you might know exactly what you want to study at uni and have the grades to get into your choice of university. Congrats! In which case, it might be best to take a year out after you finish your degree and before starting your career.  

This gives you an opportunity to explore the world and let off some steam after all those years studying, and before committing to the 9-5.  

Both options are valid choices – when you take your gap year is ultimately up to you.  

Here’s why a gap year is always worth it 

1. It’s a chance to reflect on what you truly want 

It’s easy to get swept up into the routine of study, homework and exams without thinking about what you truly want from life. Everyone has their own ideas – your parents, your teachers, your friends. Maybe you’ve been told you’d make a great lawyer, or that a career in engineering is the perfect match for you.  

But at 18, how do you know?  

Getting some real-life world experience under your belt is a surefire way to challenge any assumptions you have about what your capable of and where you want your life to take you.  

On a gap year you might discover that, actually, you want to study wildlife conservation and protect orangutans in Borneo. Or perhaps you’ll prove to yourself that the next seven years of medical school will be totally worth it.  

Either way, you’ll come back from a gap year with a much clearer understanding of what you want to do next. Even if the outcome surprises you.

2. You’ll learn so much about yourself 

Don’t think you could manage travelling solo? Scared of navigating a mega city without knowing the local language? Never done your own laundry, let alone packed all your belongings into one bag and travelled the world?  

You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve on a gap year! Whether it’s your first time travelling solo or the first big trip abroad without Mum and Dad, you’ll have no option but to become self-reliant and street smart.  

You’ll discover that you’re far more capable than you give yourself credit for. Within a few weeks you’ll be ordering food you’ve never tried before, speaking with locals using hand gestures and facial expressions, and figuring out the local bus network.  

All those things you thought you couldn’t do will become a thing of the past. And you’ll be a much more confident person as a result.  

3. You’ll gain new skills and experience 

Done right, a gap year can be a real boost to your CV and employability. You’ll develop a load of useful skills that can be applied to the workplace, like resilience, independence, communication, and motivation.  

If you include a volunteering project, you can gain even more skills in a field relevant to your studies. Plan to study marine biology at university? Join a marine conservation project! You’ll learn to dive and how to undertake research to help conserve marine ecosystems. Won’t that look great on your resume?  

You could also use your gap year as an opportunity to work abroad with a working holiday visa. And whatever job you choose – retail, hospitality, agriculture – you'll gain hands-on experience that’ll add to your list of competencies.  

4. You’ll meet new people and make friends for life 

Whichever way you spend your gap year – travelling, volunteering, working abroad, or all of the above! - we guarantee you’ll make at least one friend for life. It’s impossible not to! 

Following the classic backpacker route around Southeast Asia you’ll bump into loads of other young travellers keen to make friends and memories. On a volunteer project you’ll be with other volunteers who share similar values. And after a few weeks of hard graft, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to bond. 

If you’re travelling solo but want a ready-made travel crew, join a group tour for part of your gap year. You’ll get to travel with like-minded people of a similar age and share once-in-a-lifetime experiences that you’ll want to reminisce about for years to come.  

The best part about making friends abroad? You’ll have a great excuse to travel in the future to meet up in your respective hometowns! A free bed is a huge bonus.  

5. You’ll become a better person 

Sounds farfetched? Think about – you'll be exploring the world, meeting people from all walks of life, learning about new cultures and confronting the realities of life in poorer countries. If you don’t come away from this experience to be a more rounded, more understanding and more open-minded person then you’re better off staying at home! 

Seriously, don’t underestimate the transformational power of travel. Learning about a country’s troubled history outside of a schoolbook will really open your eyes. And exposing yourself to different cuisines, languages and religions will make you more tolerant. All qualities we love to see in world citizens!

So, there you have it - more clarity, more self-knowledge, more skills, more friends and more memories. Five irrefutable reasons why you should do that gap year!

Further reading

Need a little more help planning your gap year? Check out more of our handy resources:

• Gap Year Planner - your 80-day countdown
• What to Do on a Gap Year - activities to include during your time out
• How to Budget for a Gap Year - let's talk money!
• Best Places to Go on a Gap Year - our round-up of gap year friendly destinations
• Gap Year Ideas for Young Travellers - loads of inspiration (some more wild than others!)
• How to Take a Gap Year - the nuts and bolts of preparing for a year out
• A Parent's Guide to Gap Years - for when you need to convince mum and dad it's a good idea