When is the right time to take a gap year? There is no right answer for everyone. It depends on your age and what time of life you’re in. However, these are the most common times in life I feel a gap year could be taken. If you don’t have much time, jump to #8, which is universal to everyone!

Key Points:

• Life is short and there may never be a right time to take a gap year. You got to make a right time for yourself.
• A gap year is a temporary period. Your regular life and responsibilities will always be waiting for you on the other side.

1 ) Time Between High School and College

In Europe and some parts of Asia, it is common practice for youth to take a gap year to travel between their high school and college years. Unfortunately in the United States, this practice isn’t common at all. When I was a graduating senior in high school, I had no clue that this was an option to me. It was only after traveling in 2017 and staying in a countless number of hostels, that I learned from my European friends that this commonplace.
My goal with the Your Year Away website is to educate American youth that taking a gap year to travel IS a viable option before college. If you’re reading this as a high school senior or as a recent graduate, you’re most likely still trying to figure out life and have no clue what you want to do for the rest of your life. This is the prime time to travel and see new places without having to rush back home. Not only that but, many countries will offer a working holiday visa (especially Australia and New Zealand). During this time, you can work, save money and receive potentially free or reduced fees for lodging. If college is the next stage in your life, you can have some time to save some money to put towards college, potentially reducing the student loans they need to take out. If you’re not looking to work, you also have the option to get free lodging through house sitting, working in hostels in exchange for free lodging, working on farms just to a name few examples. Many of these arrangements can be found through the Workaway or Help Exchange (HelpX) websites.

If you’re worried about being behind all of your American peers going to college, I can tell you school will always be waiting for you. I hate saying this, but American colleges want your money, so many will be open to receiving your application for the next school year when you come back home.

2) Time Between College and the “Real World” Responsibilities

If you’ve just graduated from college and about to move into the real world, this is another great time to take a gap year. While you may want to jump into your career, as a 21, 22 or 23 year old, you have many years in front of you to start your life. 40+ hour workweeks, rent/payments and adult responsibilities will always be waiting for you on the other side of your gap year. If you have student loans like I did when I graduated college, your first inclination is to work to pay them off. Even if you take a gap year, you can spend some of your time traveling and working. There are a couple of ways to do this. Many countries offer a holiday working visa, in which you spend time working and then take some time for extended travel. If you’re looking to work during your gap year, you could also teach abroad as a ESL (English as a Second Language) Teacher. If you’re fluent in English and achieve a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) or TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certification, many foreign language schools will hire you to teach their students. This is most common in Southeast Asia (South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, etc.), but is an opportunity available in many parts of the world. Again, this is a great way to make some money, pay off your student loans and travel.

Why take this time now to take a gap year and travel? After college is over, many 20 year olds will settle in real world and take on real world responsibilities: a full-time job, a mortgage, marriage, kids, etc. While it is possible to break away from these, for many Americans, it can be very difficult, or at least be perceived as difficult. Taking a gap year while you’re in your early 20’s will be a decision you’ll never regret later on.

3) Sabbatical

For those who work in academia or for those lucky few in Corporate America, a sabbatical period is a great time to take a gap year. Sabbaticals are typically rewarded after so many years of service with an educational institution or a company, and can last anywhere from one month to a full year. The advantage of taking a gap year during this period, is you’re fully employed! That means you can take time off to travel while still getting paid and you keep your benefits, which can save you lot of money and worry versus traveling without an income.

A sabbatical of course, doesn’t have to be just travel. Some will use it as a time to do research and/or to write papers/articles in their field. I’ve met people who were also networking for their jobs, meeting those of the same profession in different parts of the world and making connections. It doesn’t matter what one decides to do, the most important thing is if you’re offered a sabbatical, by all means, take it!

4) During Retirement / Empty Nest

Traditionally, those in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s are moving into their retirement years. Not only that, but their children are generally out of the house by that time, so they’re also potentially downsizing their home and lifestyle. With more baby boomers living longer than ever, retirement is a whole different ball game than it was even just 30 years ago.

If you’re in that group right now, it is the perfect time to travel. Many retirees will take extended periods to go travel and why not? An employer no longer demands your time, your kids are grown up and independent (most likely!), so you have the free time to travel. Some personal examples of this I’ve seen is retirees buying an RV and travelling across the US, parking their RV for a period of time and enjoying the area for a while. Or when I was walking to Camino de Santiago (pilgrimage route) in Spain, I saw many retirees taking 40-50 days walking this. One other common option for seniors is extended cruises around the world. There are so many places to see in the world and when you’re retired you will have the time to travel!

5) Unemployment

If you’re unemployed, this may seem like the last time you’d want to travel. After all, it’s essential that you apply for jobs, get interviews and get a job offer. However, in my past experiences, the job search process can be very grueling and a full-time job in itself. Taking some time to rest during this transition period, is important like any other moment in life. If you have the financial ability to, I’d encourage you to take some time to travel. When else in life, do you get to have a break from the normal 9-5 schedule and responsibilities? Very seldom for most Americans in a regular job.
This is especially a great time, if you’re having a hard time finding work. Maybe you’re still burnt out from your last job and now even more burnt out trying to apply and interview for new jobs. Taking a few months or even a few weeks off can allow you to travel and/or work on personal projects that you never could before while you were working. Taking this time for yourself is a form of personal rest, which can give you a new sense of inspiration, new ideas and in the end, energy to tackle your next job!
I can tell you as from my personal experience working in the HR world, employers will likely not “penalize” you for traveling between jobs if you have good reasons for it. If you can show to them that you’ve done something worthwhile, such as taking extended travel AND for example, taking a language course or taking additional certifications, it’ll show to them that you’re actively investing in yourself. Not only that, but those who are well-travelled are generally a more well-rounded candidate, which can be a distinguishing quality in the job search.

6) For Families, Taking Time to Live Somewhere Different

Are you married with kids? Personally, I’m not at this stage of my life just yet, so I can’t speak for readers who may have a family with children, however I’ve listened to many podcasts and read many blogs of families who have taken a gap year. Many are couples who have full-time jobs, who can work remotely abroad. Some are business owners and entrepreneurs. Some take time off work to travel with their kids and do home-schooling. The best option depends on your personal and financial situation. In other parts of this website, I cover best practices on how to save and plan for your trip. When I have kids myself, I hope to be able to do this with them. Here are some of great podcasts or blog posts to listen/to read about this:
I can guarantee you, you and your family will always treasure these memories, especially your children. They will carry them with them for a lifetime.

7) When You’re Burnt Out, Bored or Just Need a Change

While routines and certainty can be a good thing, it can also make life super stale. Having the same days in and out, with no variety can be tough. Even though you can add some variety to your normal days by trying a new hobby or a new food, that may not be enough to break the cycle. At least this was the case for me before I took my gap year.
I was in this category, where I lived in a comfortable life, had a decent job that paid the bills and had benefits. I lived for the weekends, but the weekends were a temporary relief for me and I didn’t feel like I had any vision for life. I was dealing with chronic anxiety and depression and nothing was really helping. My case may be a bit extreme, but my world trip did a couple of things for me: it took me out of my normal routine and life and it also took me out of my comfort zone. I lived like a nomad for a year and everyday was different. It effects changed the trajectory of my life forever: I made a commitment to never stop traveling and to stay connected with other cultures and ideas. Not only that, but in my opinion, it helped heal me of my deep anxiety and depression.
Travel may not be for everyone, but even taking a gap year or extended period of rest is great and healthy for everyone. Rest is a necessity and can do wonders if given time to do its magic.

8) Anytime – Life is Short: There are so many places to see, and not even time to see them all

Obviously this isn’t a specific time period, but there may never be a perfect period for you to take a gap year. You may need to craft a time in your life to take time away from normal life and go travel. In life there are NO guarantees. It’s not guaranteed you’re going to live until 65. You’re not guaranteed to have great health your entire life or be able to always have full mobility. This for me is the most important reason to consider taking a gap year. Life is short and you never know how much time you’ll have on this planet. Many people will put the things off in their lives that want to do (like travel) until it’s too late. We all have a finite time to be on this planet, and while it is important to reach for a career and family, it’s even more to provide time for yourself to chase for your dreams. Regular life will always be waiting for you on the other side.

When I took my gap year in 2017, this was one of my main reasons for taking a year off of work. There were many places I wanted to see, foods and experiences I wanted to try, hikes I wanted to do, but some couldn’t be done with a regular vacation period. With most companies in the United States offering on average about 2-3 weeks of vacation a year, that is barely enough time to spend in one country. At this rate for me, I wouldn’t have even seen a quarter of the places I’ve wanted to see in my lifetime.

To sum up, the right time to take a gap year depends on the individual and their situation. There may never be a right time, so you may have to just take one, even it isn’t the right time.

Inspired? Check out other portions of the site to learn how to take your own gap year.