Most people have probably heard of a gap year at some point or another. For most Americans it is a very foreign concept, generally reserved for those in Europe. It is embedded in European culture and is a common practice for many students (especially those from Germany, in my experience meeting many gap year travelers) to take a gap year after high school or after university studies. Gap years have been practiced surprisingly for centuries, per the Gap Year Association’s article, “A Short History of The Gap Year.” The average time can range from 3 months to 1 year, usually before students take their “next step” in life, whatever that may be. However, that time is dependent upon the individual, and can be shorter or much longer. While some may view a gap year as just a time to travel and party, a gap year can be so much more.

While much of a gap year can be to travel, it can also be a time to take on an internship in a foreign country, to network with individuals in a career field, to study, and/or to take a religious or spiritual retreat. For me, as the author, my greatest purpose of my past gap year (and future ones) was/is to travel, see new places, taste new foods, try new experiences, live a different way, learn new languages, and most of all, connect with others from different countries!

Beyond that, my personal belief is that a gap year is not just for youth! A gap year can be taken by anyone. This can be any point of life from someone who “burnt out” in their career, someone with a family with kids that want to take time to share the year as a family, or even the empty nester. It’s never too late to travel and take time for yourself.

Some celebrities have taken gap years, including Malia Obama (Former President Obama’s daughter) to Prince William and Henry from England, making the concept of a gap year brought to the attention of many Americans who never heard of it prior.

A gap year can be subjectively different for everyone, and it will be up to you of what your potential gap year could be. The purpose of this website is to equip you with the information needed to consider a gap year, what you need to plan it and how to take the steps to begin it. Please also feel free to contact me, for any questions you have and I will do my best to answer them for you.