No matter what are you’re at in your life, it’s never too late to take extended time to travel. Whether you’re a high school student about to graduate or a empty nester who’s about to retire (or in between), it’s something you owe yourself.

While this site is geared towards Americans, as I feel the concept of a gap year is very foreign to most Americans, this is for anyone who is considering taking a gap year. From growing up in a small town, the notion of taking off a year or even 3 months off to travel would be labeled as crazy talk. Even more, the idea of quitting your job, getting rid of half your possessions is just insane.

If you’re considering taking a year off (or even a few months) to do a gap year, here are some reasons why to do it:

1) You get to travel the world!

This for me, would be the biggest why anyone would want to take a gap year. Regular life allows us very little time to actually go travel and take time for ourselves. Whether it is your school, work or even your family wanting your time, most will never dedicate time to travel and see all the places they want to see. During school, whether it be high school or university, there are extended breaks to travel, however once you’re in the “real world” as an adult, that is not as much of the case. Now don’t get me wrong, most employers do provide time, but it is very little in the United States. Most Americans are lucky to get 3 weeks of vacation each year and some don’t even receive vacation time.

2) It shows you that life isn’t just about work, daily routines and responsibilities

Every part of our lives have routine. From a small age all the way up to adulthood, we’re conditioned to adapt to daily routines and responsibilities, whether that be going to school or work, then the gym, then doing chores and sleeping, then repeating day today. This has sometimes been labeled as the “rat race.” Once in a blue moon, there may be spontaneity during a weekend by going to a new place or doing a concert, but those are often short lived. Overtime, we all at some point or another experience burnout. Even those whom absolutely love their jobs and what they do, can still succumb to feeling burnout and boredom.

Not only that, but as Americans (and many other parts of the world too) we’re spinning at 100 miles per hour (or 160 kilometers per hour, if you’re reading this from somewhere else) and we have a million things to do in a day. Every second of our day is jam packed with obligations: work, chores, kid’s activities, etc. There’s no time to breathe and over time this wears us down. Every day you wake up more and more worn down.

Overtime, life feels stale and like the “same ol’, same ol’.” This sometimes of course could be depression, but you don’t have to be depressed to get burnt out.

While taking a gap year won’t take you away from all of your life worries and responsibilities, it will give you a break from a lot of them. This break can give you time to rest, to explore and see new things. Disconnecting from the regular routine can be very healthy and will give you new perspective on your regular life. Coming back from a gap year, you’ll have a new drive for life and will do your daily life more differently.

3) You will meet people different and similar to you, and learn new ideas and inspire creativity

With a gap year and traveling to new countries or even different states, you are by default going to run into people who are both different and similar to you. By nature, you’ll meet people different from you who you would never encounter in your daily life. Again as mentioning routines from earlier, in our daily lives, most of us don’t actively take the time to go out to meet new people with different perspectives.

As a traveler, meeting new people is just part of the territory. Whether it’s that person you meet on the bus sitting next to you in New Zealand or on the group tour of a volcano in Hawaii, travelers are generally more relaxed and will open themselves up to meeting people.

When you’re out and about, I’d also encourage you when traveling to a new country, try to meet the locals. This is a prime time to do so as they will generally love meeting visitors from other countries.

4) It will bring you rest and refreshment

Taking a gap year is not only just fun, exciting and sometimes scary, but it will also give you the chance to have physical and mental rest. First of all, it takes you out of your normal routine. This includes your work or school life, family life and regular roles and responsibilities. Getting out of your routine, will take you away from the things that tire you out. You will see new places, learn new ideas and concepts, taste new foods, hear new languages and so on. You become a student of life and this inspires creativity and refreshment. Your brain becomes a sponge and it refreshes your ways of thinking. I cannot tell you how many things I’ve learned in my travels, and how I apply many in my daily life still today. Travel changes you for the better.

During travels, you will also get tired as well, but you will make the time as a traveler to rest. Lucky thing is you can travel to beautiful places that have nature or beaches, and places to relax. I spent a week alone sitting on the beaches of Greece, and it was one of my favorite weeks. Sometimes that is just sitting in the hotel or hostel for two days sleeping and watching Netflix. In Barcelona, I met an amazing group of people and stayed at the hostel for 2 straight days hanging out with my new friends and chilling. That might be spending an afternoon in the local park with a nice beer and snacks. During this time you’re giving yourself the rest that normal life never normally affords you.

If you deal with anxiety or depression, I’m no doctor and not providing medical advice, but before my travels in 2017, I was dealing with a deep case of both. After taking a year off to travel, I feel that year abroad healed me. Again I’m no medical expert, but you can read more about my story here.

5) It will get you out of your comfort zone

I think the concept of getting out of your comfort zone regularly is super important. One of my favorite quotes is “life begins out of your comfort zone.” There will be many times in your gap year journey that you may be uncomfortable (and completely excited at the same time!).

First the idea of taking a gap year can be uncomfortable in itself. The idea of getting out of your normal surroundings and routines, especially if you’re traveling to a completely new place. That also could include leaving your regular job and income. However, many will work for a portion of their gap years, which funds their travels.

These are many examples, but what is the biggest takeaway from getting out of comfort zone? I think with getting out of your comfort zone, you experience new things and learn much about yourself and the world around you. It’s very unlikely these lessons would have come to you, had you not taken the courage to get out of your comfort zone. Get out of your comfort zone and take your gap year!

In the end, the “why” is different for everyone, so in the end you will have to determine yours. You may already know yours, but I hope this helps provide even more reasons to consider a gap year!