You read that correctly – I’m taking a gap year. And no, it’s not some rash decision to satisfy a midlife crisis. I just really want to travel long term and taking a gap year seems to be the best way to describe this desire.
I bet most of my American readers won’t know what a gap year is, so please indulge me as I give a little context.
A gap year is a period of time (a year, duh) where recently graduated students spend time traveling around, finding themselves, and preparing for whatever lays ahead for them. It’s a time typically reserved for students to focus on their mental health and avoid burnout.1
Although the concept of taking a gap year is more common in Europe and Oceania, this unconventional path has gained steam in the US, especially in a post-COVID world.
I’ve posted this article long after it was written. This was intentional. I wanted to announce my decision on this blog when it was go-time.
I’ve already told a few close friends about my decision, because, let’s face it, I need some kind of social accountability. Just a few select people who I trust and will ask me for updates, pushing me forward.
I want to address a few of the questions that I’ve already received. Plus, doing this here will also serve as a nice journal for me to revisit when I actually post this.
Gap Year Q&A
Why are you taking a gap year?
Fair enough, but why not? I’ve been wanting to experience long term travel for quite a few years now, and post-2020 me has learned to stop waiting around for the “perfect” time to follow my dreams.
I originally wanted to travel around Southeast Asia in 2024 for my 40th birthday trip, but no matter how much I scrimped and saved my PTO from work, I would never feel satisfied with the amount of time I could take off before having to get pulled back into the rat race.
Then, someone’s Instagram reel popped up about women over 30 taking gap years…and it just clicked. It felt so right. I want to travel without an end in mind, go wherever the wind takes me, and feel a true sense of adventure.
Plus, one of my dreams is to own a catamaran and sail around the world. In order to do that, I want to gain more experience sailing post-sailing school. It’s too difficult for me to accomplish this with a desk job in Utah.
I also want to experience a more organic and intentional style of travel. I’d love to be able to hop over to another city or country with some new friends that I just met. Or fall in love with a place (or guy along the way…?) and stay in one place for months at a time.
How is this different from a midlife crisis?
A midlife crisis is a state of emotional turmoil, coupled with feelings of a loss of identity and self-confidence. A midlife crisis usually manifests in rash decisions, opulent and nonsensical purchases (like my neighbor during my teenage years…neglecting his 8 kids while buying himself a tacky Miata – classic midlife crisis).
I have a great living situation, a fantastic life, loving friends and family. But I also have a Bucket List and Impossible List that I really want to make a dent in. In order to do that, I need more time and money. That’s not happening any time soon if I keep to the status quo and maintain my current lifestyle.
Also the term “crisis” insinuates a negative connotation, like you’re trying to fix something from your past or patch up a regret. A gap year isn’t like that at all.
When are you going on your gap year?
Because this isn’t a midlife crisis, and because I like to think I’m a scootch responsible, this gap year will require logistical and financial planning. As of right now, my goal is to start my gap year at the beginning of 2025. The exact date is TBD, pending flights and my actual itinerary.
What are you going to do about money?
I currently have 2 full-time jobs – one that pays for my lifestyle, and the 2nd to help move things along a little faster. I will be keeping both jobs until I leave. I currently have some debt that I’d like to pay off in the form of credit cards and student loans. The 2nd job is really just the workhorse to pay off those debts.
I currently rent, already paid off my car, and plan on selling 99% of my things before I go. I will move out of my living situation, and, with no real stuff to worry about, I won’t need a storage unit. I also plan on selling my car, which will provide a little financial gain in the form of Honda’s retention value and lack of car insurance (I currently pay $170/month).
The hope is to have close to $10,000 in my bank account and $0 debt by the time I leave. While looking at this from a more realistic standpoint, my goal is to get my debt under control with small monthly payments because I plan on working along the way.
The gap year isn’t an escape from work in the hopes of becoming a lazy bum, but to try an alternative style of living. Picking up odd jobs when I need money, using my newfound barista talents. Trying out content creation. Crewing on sailboats. Teaching English with my TESOL certificate.
Maybe this is wishful thinking, but I’ve also started thinking about creating a Patreon account. More on this below.
Can you keep your job for when you get back?
No, the plan is to quit. My boss knows that my main job is not my dream job. We’ve had this discussion when she hired me, and I’m sure this won’t come as a shock to her. She won’t like it, but she will understand and support my decision.
You’re calling it a gap YEAR…but will you really only stay out a year?
Knowing me, probably not. But I don’t plan on going into debt to continue traveling. I’ll travel as long as I can, hopefully making my way as I go. I could potentially figure out a way to make a living out of travel and just keep going indefinitely.
I also might realize that long-term travel just isn’t for me. I might get homesick and miss my family too much. Who knows? It’s one of those situations where you can’t possibly know how you’ll react until you’re actually out there, doing it.
Where are you going?
As of right now (like, today), I started planning out a “route.” But to be honest, I don’t want to have much planned. I’d like to start in Southeast Asia and work my way from there. I plan on traveling slow to help keep things cheap. And I don’t want to spend my time actually traveling between places without having much time to experience the locations.
What items on your lists do you want to mark off during your gap year?
I also started going through my Bucket and Impossible Lists today, as I got this question this morning. Some of the big items I’ve written down include: getting scuba certified in Thailand, riding a motorbike around Vietnam, watching the sunrise over Angkor Wat, watching the sunset the temples at Bagan, Myanmar, volunteer on an organic farm in Australia, and camper van around New Zealand. At some point I’d like to get on a sailboat and start getting some nautical miles under my belt.
Are you going to keep people updated along the way?
Yes. I’ll be taking a laptop with me, along with camera equipment to document my journey. I’m still trying to figure out what it will look like, but I hope to create weekly videos for my current YouTube channel (or start a new one altogether) and post semi-regularly to my social media channels. I just don’t want to be a slave to the internet.
Plus, lots of people will be interested in what I’m doing, so having my updates available on social media will be the easiest way to share.
Going back to the Patreon idea. It’s a platform where creators can be supported financially directly by people who care about them and are interested in what they are doing. My hope would be to post weekly updates with highlights of what I’ve been up to on YouTube and my socials, whereas Patreon will have more behind-the-scenes videos, how-to videos if you’re interested in taking a gap year, and a host of other helpful information.
To be honest, I am beyond excited. I arrived at my decision to go on a gap year after years of contemplation and practice. And it just. feels. right.
And I’m trying to not leave anything until the last minute. You better believe that I already started thinking about VPNs, a phone plan, which credit cards I’ll need, which bank to use, how to maximize my miles and earn points to alleviate some of the financial burden…and the list goes on and on.
I recognize that I’m going to be sacrificing a lot in preparation for this life-changing experience. Work and saving money will dominate my choices. My social life is going to plummet. But the goal I’m working towards is something that comes from deep inside. And that’s more powerful than any other forces that I might encounter.
It’s going to be worth it. And it’s going to be a wild ride. I hope you’ll follow along.
