The 10 Best Gap Year Destinations for 2025

The benefits of a gap year, like the opportunity to gain knowledge, confidence, and new skills through experiential learning, are as relevant as ever. A gap year in 2025 means spending the year investing time in your well-being and broadening your perspective through taking a break from your traditional job or academia.

Whether you want to work in Australasia, learn a language in Europe, or teach in Asia, you can go anywhere! But, while international travel is an important aspect of many people’s gap years, its not required for a life-changing experience, and many of the same lessons learned through trotting across the globe can also be learned through domestic travel.

The first step in planning a gap year is finding a destination that can provide a meaningful experience. Maximizing the benefits of your gap year will require work both before and during your time abroad. To find the perfect gap year destination for you, consider:

• Your proficiency with a second language or desire to learn one
• Your budget, including cost of living, transportation, and program fees
• The activities, including work, volunteering, internships, or adventure sports you would like to take part in

✅ Known for: Working holidays, coastal cities, biodiversity
⚽ Activities: Beaches, surfing, camping, roadtrips,
🌐 Type of visa: Working holiday visa valid for 12 months

Australia is a highly desirable gap year destination for travelers worldwide. It boasts of the second most gap year programs of any destination and offers a working holiday visa, giving gappers from the US, UK, and many other countries the ability to legally work and travel for at least a year.

Due to Australia’s size and remote nature, long-term travel here can be expensive, but supplementing travel with work in hostels, bars, or farms can make a gap year in Australia affordable. With its vastness comes biodiversity, like the tropical beaches in the state of Queensland, to the temperate climate in Victoria and Tasmania, to its 500,000 square miles of desert.

Read more: What to Do on Your Gap Year in Australia

✅ Known for: Islands, cuisine, affordability, conservation
⚽ Activities: Diving, snorkeling, cooking, Muay Thai
🌐 Type of visa: Tourist visa valid for 3 months or working visa

From emerald waters, enchanting temples, lively cities and bountiful jungles, Thailand has it all. If you want to learn about a distinctive Asian culture while embracing a varied landscape and unrivaled cuisine, Thailand is for you! You’ll gain insight into local life by interacting with friendly locals and learning their language.

You can also take part in volunteer projects in Thailand, such as helping out at an orphanage or teaching English at a local school. With a booming tourist sector comes the desire for English education, and teaching English in Thailand opportunities are plentiful.

Read more: How Much Can You Earn Teaching English in Thailand?

✅ Known for: Seasonal work, mountains, Māori culture,
⚽ Activities: Hiking, adventure sports, camping,
🌐 Type of visa: Working holiday visa valid for 12 months

With English speakers, diverse program options, and a working holiday visa scheme, New Zealand is one of the most popular gap year destination behind Australia.

Many people interested in an adventurous gap year find New Zealand to be a great option, with adrenaline-pumping activities being the norm in much of the country.

New Zealand is expensive to travel through, making the working holiday visa a great option for travelers on a budget. Employers are always looking to hire seasonal workers, and many offer work exchanges through organizations like WWOOF. A work exchange provides budget-conscious travelers with room and board in exchange for work, typically on farms or in hostels. With a thriving tourist economy and large agricultural demand, it is easy to find work in cities or on farms spread across the islands.

Read more: What Kind of Working Holiday Jobs Are in Australia & New Zealand?

✅ Known for: Art, music, language, beaches, cuisine
⚽ Activities: Language learning, cooking, river cruise, flamenco
🌐 Type of visa: Schengen visa valid for 3 months

Spain is one of the most popular gap year destinations in all of Europe, with Barcelona consistently ranking among the top cities on earth.

Spanish language immersion programs are popular for those looking to learn or improve their language skills. Additionally, it’s home to many important cultural sites, a vibrant nightlife, and a world-renowned culinary scene. Many programs focus on immersing gappers into the Spanish language through experiential learning, making a gap year here the perfect place to grow as a Spanish speaker, no matter your skill level.

Spain offers a tourist visa to visa-exempt countries, including the US and Canada, allowing visitors to stay for up to 90 days. Spain also has several work visas relevant to gappers, including seasonal work and Au Pair visas.

Read more: Where to Go on a Gap Year in Spain

✅ Known for: National parks, wildlife, roadtrips, movies
⚽ Activities: Hikes, camping, spectator sports,
🌐 Type of visa: If you’re not a US citizen, you’ll need a B-1/B-2 Visa valid for 6-12 months

The US offers a huge range of opportunities for domestic and international gappers. From New York City and San Francisco to Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, the US has something for every type of adventurer.

That said, with its scale comes challenges for travel, including expensive flights or long road trips, so it’s best to research and focus on a few states or geographic areas instead of trying to see everything. Many US gap year programs will focus on outdoor adventure, leadership, and service, meaning you can still grow immensely from the experience without leaving your home country.

Read more: Why Are Gap Years More Common in Europe than the US?

✅ Known for: National parks, wildlife, winter sports
⚽ Activities: Skiing, snowboarding, hiking
🌐 Type of visa: International Experience Canada (IEC) valid for up to 24 months

Canada is a gorgeous country full of vast and photogenic wilderness. As the second-largest country on earth, behind Russia, forests making up nearly half of Canada’s landmass. Additionally, Canada is home to an estimated 2 million lakes (yes, really!), including Moraine – the ‘most photographed lake in the world.’

While many travelers teach ski or snowboard lessons, the options for a gap year supplemented with work go far beyond that through the International Experience Canada work permit.

With diverse and multicultural communities, Canada is very welcoming to foreigners, and the ability to find seasonal work is a great way to offset some of the expenses of a gap year. Many programs offer gappers the opportunity to both get certified and work as a ski or snowboard instructor for those who have less experience. Citizens from the US do not need a visa to visit Canada, but most visitors can stay in Canada for up to 6 months, with an additional 30-day extension being possible.

Read more: How to Get a Job in Canada

✅ Known for: Architecture, history, countryside
⚽ Activities: Football, hiking, camping
🌐 Type of visa: Standard Visitor visa valid for 6 months

A gap year in England allows you to see more of what makes this UK country appear postcard-perfect. England provides the opportunity to combine workplace experience with the benefits of living abroad and immersing yourself in another culture. Many gap year programs focus on professional development in business, hospitality, medicine, fashion, and more. London, home of the London Stock Exchange, is one of the worlds leading financial centers.

Travelers will have the opportunity to see iconic sights such as Stonehenge, the Palace of Westminster, Windsor Castle, and can even visit Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland without having to change visas. US gappers can stay for up to six months without applying for a visa, however, they’ll need a working visa to work legally for more than six months. Program providers offering professional experience will help assist you through the proper visa process for your circumstances.

Read more: Best Working Holidays for UK Citizens

✅ Known for: Wildlife, beaches, adventure travel, watersports, cuisine, diversity
⚽ Activities: Swimming, diving, safaris, hiking
🌐 Type of visa: South African Visitor visa valid for 3 months

From world-renowned vineyards to fascinating wildlife roaming freely in national parks, South Africa is a fantastic gap year destination for adventure seekers, animal conservation volunteers, and foodies alike. The low cost of living and diverse landscape makes South Africa a destination with something for everyone.

Many gap year programs in South Africa allow travelers to experience world-renowned vineyards, a sprawling eco-tourism industry, and adventure travel. There are also many volunteering opportunities in South Africa that allow travelers to give back during their time abroad.

US, UK, and EU travelers can enter South Africa for 90 days without applying for a visa.

Read more: What to Know About Becoming an Au Pair in South Africa

✅ Known for: Cuisine, spirituality, festivals, architecture
⚽ Activities: Yoga, meditation, cricket, tiger spotting
🌐 Type of visa: Tourist visa valid for 3-12 months

Whether you teach English, volunteer with local NGOs, work on the front lines of climate issues, study spirituality and religion, or relax, India provides a culturally immersive experience. The low cost of living allows gappers to maximize their time abroad while traveling throughout the country and visiting its many iconic temples and landscapes.

In addition to the culture, architecture, and spiritual history, India has a diverse climate and environment. India is one of 5 countries sharing The Himalayas and is also home to animal species ranging from elephants and rhinos to lions, tigers, and even snow leopards.

Read more: What You Need to Know About Being an Au Pair in India

✅ Known for: Biodiversity, beaches, volcanoes, conservation, safety
⚽ Activities: Hiking, watersports, animal watching,
🌐 Type of visa: Tourist visa valid for 3 months

This small Central American nation is famous for being one of the most biodiverse places globally. Its forests, mountains, and coastal areas are home to a vast array of animals, birds, and fish, many of which are endemic to the country. The land of pura vida offers countless outdoor adventures to such as surfing, white-water rafting, horse trekking, ziplining, and more.

Costa Rica is a highly wishlisted country and the Central American country with the most gap year programs. Naturally, many gap year opportunities in Costa Rica revolve around wildlife, conservation, and the environment. There are conservation centers and programs all over the country, but it’s a good idea to ensure that those you visit are appropriately credentialed and not just using ‘eco-friendly’ as a fashionable buzzword.

Citizens from many countries won’t need a visa to enter Costa Rica and can stay for up to 90 days. However, any stay longer than 90 days will require a residence permit.

Read more: The 11 Best Things To Do on a Costa Rica Tour

Ultimately, gap year is about becoming a better version of yourself. No matter where you go, you’re likely to find new experiences that could make you a more open-minded and well-rounded person. As you grow and learn, your horizons will broaden, and the world will become one step larger. And that’s something really worth having.

Everyone has unique personal goals and expectations when taking a year to focus on personal development. Your ideal destination may not be as popular – but that doesn’t mean it’s worse. You can search programs and alum reviews for gap year programs across the globe right here at Go Overseas to help find the perfect fit for the gap year of your dreams!

Read more about the perfect gap year abroad: