Meaningful Gap Year Ideas for Young Adults

A gap year, often taken at the end of high school or after college graduation, is an opportunity to take a break from academia or to pursue personal growth through immersive and enlightening experiences. It’s much more than taking a year off to “chill out” and watch reruns of The Office. Doing something impactful and with intention during your gap year can be powerful for your mind, spirit, and career.

Read on to find out some of the most meaningful gap year ideas for young adults!

Yes! In fact, taking a gap year as an adult is the perfect way to enjoy a career break or explore other options. An adult gap year means delaying or taking time away from your career or profession to work on yourself or experience something new.

An adult gap year can mean conservation volunteering in Asia to language immersion in Europe, or community development in Africa! These immersive and often goal-oriented gap year ideas can result in personal development and career growth.

Whether you’re looking to develop new skills or expand your comfort zone, there are many different benefits to be had by taking a gap year as an adult.

• Personal development: The personal benefits of traveling are multivarious. From developing stronger social skills to fostering independence, traveling and immersing yourself in new environments will facilitate personal growth.
• Spiritual nourishment: Traveling can allow us to connect with nature or resonate with different cultures and practices. You may even find a sense of belonging in a different country! Whether you volunteer or engage in adventure travel, an adult gap year can facilitate open-mindedness and a greater appreciation for the world around us.
• Realigning priorities: Taking a gap year can help you return home with a refreshed mind and introspection. This can allow you to realign your priorities, by allowing you to understand what is important in your life. It may inspire you to switch careers, or prioritize other aspects of your life, health, and so on.
• Meet new people: On a gap year, you’ll make friends with people from all walks of life. You’ll connect with like-minded travelers on career breaks and also locals from vastly different backgrounds. Not only is this a great way to form relationships but it also expands your perspective on life.
• See the world! Everyone deserves to see the world and its wonders. From the mountain ranges of Switzerland to China’s ancient temples, the world is full of eye-opening monuments and natural formations that can stimulate our curiosity and imagination.

Figuring out your ideal gap year can be much easier than initially thought once you break it down into smaller and more manageable steps. Here’s what you’ll need to take an adult gap year:

• A rough plan: The world is your oyster, but too many paths and gap year ideas can lead to disorientation. You don’t need to have every detail nailed down, but having a rough plan will maximize your experience. This could be as simple as choosing a country, personal goal, timeframe, and so on.
• Safety net: In addition to your flight and accommodation, you’ll need a financial safety net. It’s always best to overestimate your budget in the event of spontaneous travel plans or emergencies that can occur anywhere and at any time.
• Time excused from work: You’ll need to take time off of work if you’re currently employed. Maybe your company allows employees to take sabbaticals or to work from home (or abroad), or, you’ll need to arrange something directly with your employer before you go.

Popular countries: India, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, Costa Rica

Spending time on a yoga or wellness retreat can yield a range of benefits for your physical and mental health. Whether you learn new yoga poses or mindfulness techniques, travelers often come away from these retreats with greater levels of self-acceptance, mental clarity, self-love, and physical health!

There’s also a strong likelihood that you’ll meet like-minded people with similar energy and outlook on self-improvement, creating a harmonious environment and potential for future travel buddies!

Read more: 6 Opportunities for a Wellness Gap Year

Popular countries: Spain, Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, China

When it comes to travel work programs for adults, teaching English abroad is the whole package. Earn a salary, and diversify your resume, all while experiencing cultural immersion and visiting new corners of the globe. It sounds too good to be true, but the hype is real!

As an English teacher abroad, you’ll be thoroughly interwoven with the culture. You’re not just passing through, you’re giving back to the community by helping locals to speak English – the “business language” of the world. In addition to the common benefits of traveling, you’ll interact with eager learners everyday, learn about their hobbies, and may even receive a thanks from their families for supporting their language development!

Read more: The 10 Best Countries to Teach English Abroad

Popular countries: Indonesia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, South Africa, Peru, Greece

In the age of climate anxiety, protecting our environment is a rewarding endeavor. In addition to reducing your carbon footprint through slow travel – or sustainable travel – volunteering with a conservation team will allow you to develop and apply your skills to where it matters most.

From volunteering in the Peruvian rainforests to protecting baby turtles in Greece, conservation programs exist in many different environments. While volunteering, you’ll make friends for life and gain insight into the local environment while contributing towards community goals.

Read more about conservation volunteering abroad:

Popular countries: Australia, New Zealand, US, UK, Costa Rica

Want to get your hands dirty on a farm abroad? Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or WWOOF, allows you to volunteer on organic farms in exchange for free accommodation and meals. There are WWOOF opportunities in 90 countries globally and positions come in all shapes and sizes. You can volunteer for as little as a few days to as long as 6 months!

Whether you work on a vineyard in Italy, a lavender field in France, or a cowboy-style ranch in the US, you’ll have a unique gap year experience supporting local farmers and learning about self-sufficiency and eco-farming.

Read more: What to Know About WWOOFing Around the World

Popular countries: Spain, France, Italy, China

Aside from maintaining your Duolingo streak, it can be difficult to find the time to practice language learning outside of studying, work, and life in general. So, why not take the opportunity to learn a language during your gap year?!

Learning another language, whether in a language school or a homestay, has profound benefits. Cultural immersion also comes with constant language exposure, and this in addition to formal lessons will accelerate your learning tenfold. Outside the classroom, you can put your new language skills to good use! Whether you order a coffee or visit an iconic landmark, you can integrate with locals and practice your new language every day.

If you thought being multilingual was impressive enough, you may be surprised to know that the neurological benefits of language learning are extensive!

Read more: Why You Should Learn a Second Language

Popular countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand,

Not sure whether to work or relax? Why not do both by taking a working holiday! Countries that offer working holiday visas allow young adults to live and work abroad, gaining experience and earning money while traveling.

Some countries like Australia or New Zealand have a high cost of living, so it makes sense to work where you can during your gap year down under. Working holiday countries often have plenty of seasonal job opportunities, such as becoming a ski or diving instructor, allowing you to intermittently swap between periods of work and relaxing travel ventures.

Gap years have been made easier by programs catering to aspiring travelers who want a defining experience. Here are some of the most popular gap year and travel programs for young adults:

• Maximo Nivel: Maximo Nivel offers meaningful and educational travel experiences across Latin America. From TEFL programs in Costa Rica to volunteering projects in Guatemala and Peru, travelers can be sure that they’ll receive comprehensive support and an immersive experience with Maximo Nivel.
• GVI: Award-winning Global Vision International, or GVI, offers immersive and environmentally conscious programs to travelers through volunteering and interning across the globe. From the Seychelles to South Africa, Mexico, Thailand, and beyond, GVI puts social development and environmental conservation at the forefront of their priorities. Whether you’re intrigued by teaching English, protecting sea turtles, or coral reef restoration, GVI offers a diverse range of enriching programs.
• JENZA: “Earn money, enhance your resume, explore the world” are words embodied by JENZA’s portfolio. JENZA offers plenty of opportunities for young adults who are looking to balance enriching travel with valuable work experience. With programs specifically for young adults, travelers can choose from working holiday programs in Australia, internships in the UK, or seasonal jobs in Canada.
• IVHQ: International Volunteer HQ is known for not only their extensive selection but also their meaningful programs that encourage experiential travel. Travelers can make a direct impact on local communities in Peru, Bali, Tanzania, India, and many more places through different means. Participants are given comprehensive support and accommodation, meals, and an in-country orientation are often provided.

Whether you want to find the perfect travel program for young adults or you want to wing it once you’re in-country, here’s how you can plan your adult gap year overseas.

1. Define your goals: What do you hope to get out of your gap year? It’s important that you ask yourself this because while it’s nice to have freedom, you don’t want to wander aimlessly. If you’re chasing an invigorating rest, adventure activities, philanthropy, or cultural immersion, it’s important to establish a goal for your gap year to be meaningful.
2. Outline your path: You’ll need to select a starting country for your gap year. Once you’ve worked out where you’re going, you can search for programs, work opportunities, or other activities in that area! Remember that a “gap year” doesn’t have to be a year. It can be a summer, 6 months, or as long as you want!
3. Cover your bases: Will you need someone to water your plants? Do you still need to keep up with payments at home? Ensure that any obligations that you have at home are tended to.
4. Set a budget: It’s always a good idea to have a rough estimate of how much you’ll be spending for each month. Beyond airfare or program fees, you’ll need to consider in-country transportation costs, excursions, visa costs, and more. It’s better to overestimate how much you’ll be spending to keep you in a financially secure position. If you’re doing a gap year program, they often cover accommodation and meals.
5. Travel! Once everything is confirmed, you can apply for your visa and book your flights! Research in advance to allow yourself enough time to obtain the right visa if necessary.

With so many options for what to do during a gap year, there are endless possibilities for adventures with new friends in new and unique environments. Whether that means teaching in a remote village in Kenya, becoming a ski instructor in France, or learning Spanish in an Argentinian homestay, your gap year will be one full of introspection and personal growth.

Now that you have a few meaningful gap year ideas based on your own goals, it’s time to start putting your plan into motion. Read thousands of reviews from gap year alumni and search for programs from across the globe right here at Go Overseas!

Read more about taking a gap year abroad: