Skip to content
Liv Student
  • Experience
  • AboutExpand
    • News
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • MYLIV LOGINExpand
    • Sheffield
    • Belfast
    • Dublin
    • Portugal
    • Spain
  • Book Your LocationExpand
    • UKExpand
      • Sheffield
      • Belfast
    • IrelandExpand
      • Dublin
    • SpainExpand
      • Barcelona 22@
      • BARCELONA SARRIÁ
      • Granada
      • Seville
    • PortugalExpand
      • PORTO POLO UNIVERSITARIO
      • PORTO CAMPUS STREET
  • EnglishExpand
    • 中文
Liv Student

Student Travel: Are You Taking a Gap Year?

  • June 16, 2019
  • Blog

Since the 1970s, a common tradition for students in the UK and Ireland is to embark on a gap year before enrolling in university. Decades later, gap years are still on trend. According to reports from The Guardian, an estimated 230,000 young adults between ages 18 and 25 will take a break from their studies and coordinate a gap year adventure. (Hint: even Prince William and Harry took one).

Students pursue a gap year experience for many reasons. Some desire to be immersed in different cultures and worldviews. Others want to acquire practical skills they can use in the future. Alternatively, they may aspire to work for a meaningful humanitarian cause. While some just want time to find themselves before they take the next step into adulthood. No matter the motivation, if you’ve considered a gap year to broaden your horizons prior to university, here’s what you need to know.

What’s the Purpose of a Gap Year?

Let’s quickly dive into the history of the gap year. Sons of 17th-century British aristocrats toured Europe as a means to establish their positions in western society. Cut to present day, gap years aren’t reserved for the elite, but popular with all students, regardless of socioeconomic backgrounds.

Taking a gap year is meant to enrich your personal growth. After which, students feel motivated, refreshed and equipped for the rigorous coursework of university.

Which locations are the most popular? According to tour company Gap Year, the hot-spot destinations for uni students taking a gap year are:

  • Thailand, Asia
  • Australia, South Pacific
  • Malaysia, Asia
  • New Zealand, South Pacific
  • Tanzania, Africa
  • Peru, South America
  • United States, North America
  • Vietnam, Asia
  • Fiji, South Pacific
  • Brazil, South America

Gap Year Pros

Whether you decide to teach English at an urban school in Southeast Asia, explore off-the-grid in the Australian Outback (like Harry), or join wildlife conservation efforts in West Africa, there are many incentives associated with taking a gap year. Discover some of the benefits that a gap year experience can offer:       

✅ Enhance Your World View

International travel helps you gan a more globalised perspective. As you absorb the social customs and environment of another country, this immersion turns you into a more globally aware citizen. A PhD student from the University of Sheffield, who travelled to Singapore, tells The Guardian: “[Seeing] the world through a foreigner’s eyes led me to realise my previously invisible cultural habits and hone my sense of empathy and ability to understand others.”

✅ Elevate Your Academic Performance

As author John O’Shea explains in his book, Gap Year: How Delaying College Changes People in Ways the World Needs; “In the United Kingdom, students who had taken a gap year were more likely to graduate with higher grade point averages than observationally identical students who went straight to [university].” The experience of travel leaves you informed, motivated, resourceful, determined, creative and solution-oriented, which then directly correlates to academic performance.

✅ Reduce the Effects of Stress or Burn-Out

With mental health issues on the rise on university campuses, over 15,000 first-year students disclosed some form of mental illness in 2017, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research. Mental health issues are often the result of academic stress, which is an inevitable part of higher education. Allowing yourself to take a gap year can eliminate some of that burn-out since it helps to create margin for self-reflection, leisure, rejuvenation and emotional peace.

✅ Take Time to Figure Out Your Direction

When you’re 17 or 18, figuring out what you want to do with the rest of your life is daunting and nearly impossible. Not to mention, uni is expensive, do you really want to waste time and money to study something you aren’t sure of? Taking a gap year lets you reflect on the direction of your studies and what you’d like to pursue.

Gap Year Cons

While taking a gap year certainly sounds fab so far, we’d be remiss not to discuss the potential negative aspects. To build a comprehensive framework of what a gap year entails, here are a few of the drawbacks:

❌ Wasting Time

If you don’t carefully plan, a gap year can end up being a waste of precious time. While there’s no problem with enjoyment and relaxation, if you don’t invest in working, learning or volunteering, a gap year can cause “academic skills to depreciate which is detrimental for future productivity,” notes the Centre for Analysis of Youth Transitions.

How to overcome this: Gap year does not equal Netflix and Chill, make sure to plan ahead and make the most of your time!   

❌ Prohibitive Cost

Gap years can be an expensive and often complicated undertaking. Between planning, passports, airfare, travel documents, insurance, housing, transit, meals, and vaccinations (if needed), the expenses can add up. Just accounting for the bare essentials, one trip can cost approximately £1590, based on reports.

How to overcome this: The good news is there are resources and programmes available to offset this price, to help you travel the globe. Keep reading for more info!    

Affordable Gap Year Options Worth Checking Out

If you want to fund a cross-cultural gap year on the cheap and still maximise the number of places you are able to visit, check out the following programmes. From transport to hostels to excursions and tours, the resources below can assist you in planning a gap year that is both streamlined and economical:

  • Hostel World: highlights inexpensive accommodations in 170 countries
  • Round the World Flights: offers customised multi-stop airfare routes from the UK
  • Student Universe or Gap Force: curated gap year programmes which span everything from backpacking in the wilderness to volunteering for social impact causes to teaching other students to earn money or internship credits
  • TripIt: booking platform that consolidates all aspects of the itinerary, transportation and lodging on a convenient mobile app

Taking a Gap Year to Hit Pause Before Uni  

Not everyone knows what we want to be or do at age 18; it’s a very formative (and sometimes crazy) time in our lives. Going to uni is fantastic, but you don’t have to be in a rush to get there. Consider taking a gap year if you want to travel, explore and learn more about outside cultures as well as yourself.

 

At LIV Student, we offer weekly accommodations during the summer months, if you’re passing through Dublin.

PrevPreviousMocktails vs Cocktails
NextLIV Student Sheffield x Beats TravelNext
Recent Posts
  • Double date for LIV Student in Global Student Living Awards, based exclusively on residents’ feedback
  • Are we all lonely? How to manage feelings of loneliness and isolation
  • What is Stress?
Archives
  • August 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • January 2021
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • UNITED KINGDOM
LIV Student Sheffield
LIV Student Belfast
  • IRELAND
LIV Student Dublin
  • SPAIN
LIV Student Barcelona 22@
LIV Student Barcelona Sarriá
LIV Student Granada
LIV Student Seville
  • PORTUGAL
LIV Student Porto University
Center LIV Student Porto Campus Street
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corporate
  • About
  • Blog
  • News
  • FAQ
Menu
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corporate
  • About
  • Blog
  • News
  • FAQ
Copyright © LIV Student 2022
We use Cookies to provide a better user experience. By accepting, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
REJECTACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Your Booking Starts Here!
Subscribe to receive LIV Student news, information and rewards.(Required)

View our Privacy Policy and Terms.

Your Booking Starts Here!
Subscribe to receive LIV Student news, information and rewards.(Required)

View our Privacy Policy and Terms.

  • Experience
  • About
    • News
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • MYLIV LOGIN
    • Sheffield
    • Belfast
    • Dublin
    • Portugal
    • Spain
  • Book Your Location
    • UK
      • Sheffield
      • Belfast
    • Ireland
      • Dublin
    • Spain
      • Barcelona 22@
      • BARCELONA SARRIÁ
      • Granada
      • Seville
    • Portugal
      • PORTO POLO UNIVERSITARIO
      • PORTO CAMPUS STREET
  • English
    • 中文