09/04/2011

10 reasons to take a Gap Year now!

Thinking about a gap year? Finishing school or graduating this summer? Here are BUNAC's top 10 reasons why you need to take a gap year now!

1. You can’t take a lion cub to work.

As a volunteer, on Wildlife Conservation South Africa, for example, taking care of lion cubs is your work, but in Britain that may mean breaking about 50 health and safety rules. And you certainly can’t leave that little cub at home.

2. Anything you do is a reason to take a photo.

In an office, the constant photo taker would start to annoy people, however when you’re standing next to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, trekking through the Amazon or doing handstands on the beach, every moment is a photo opportunity.

3. You can make friends with anyone you meet.

On the plane to India, at the hostel in Peru, on a Greyhound bus to Las Vegas, on a night out in Australia, any other traveller you see is immediately your new best friend (another photo opportunity!).

Sure, people are friendly in every country, but you don’t have to feel embarrassed if you don’t remember their name in a month’s time, because chances are, you’ll be on the other side of the world by then!

4. You can act like a big kid and get away with it.

With no parents to tell you what to do, you can’t help but revert back to your childhood ways. Eating Nutella out of a jar, refusing to go to bed even though you’re exhausted, or even spending the summer working at a summer camp in the USA, it’s the last chance to hold on to your childhood before the real world kicks in.

5. You can go somewhere where it’s Christmas Day every day.

A popular option is to go and work the ski season in Canada or France, where the abundance of snow makes it feel like it’s Christmas Day every day! (back to childhood again).

Then, after the ski season is over, people flock towards the sun to spend their earnings and enjoy the massive change in temperature. Best of both worlds!

6. You can’t go to the beach after work.

I am aware that there are coastal towns in the UK, but can you sunbathe on the beach at 5pm without people staring at you or catching pneumonia? Probably not.

However, on a gap year in South East Asia teaching English as a Foreign Language, this freedom is available, so you can work and boost your tan too.

7. You can hear hilarious versions of your accent.

Have you ever heard an American person try to do an English accent? Or an Australian attempt a Scottish accent? I can confirm that it’s hilarious, and a memory that will keep you laughing for years.

8. No studying!

I mean it, no revising when it’s beautiful outside, no coursework or dissertations to do, no horrific group presentations with people you don’t even like, how do you celebrate? Skydiving in New Zealand? Possibly…

9. It’s not an expensive choice.

Seriously. I mean, there are costs involved, as there are with anything, but if you’re a sensible spender, you could come back with more than you spent. Work Abroad holidays are a great way to do this, to live and work abroad, earning money for travelling, or saving up for when you get home.

10. Employers and university admissions tutors love it!

Employers and university admissions tutors have admitted that taking a gap year is an extremely valuable experience, teaching you organisational skills, resourcefulness, independence and maturity. Volunteering and working abroad add to the abundance of skills and experiences you gain on a gap year, whilst giving you a lifetime of memories, so why not take one now?

For more information on BUNAC's gap year opportunities please visit: www.bunac.org.uk.

Browse Gap Year 365 Travel Opportunities: Gap Year Volunteering / Gap Year Jobs / Gap Year Summer Camp Jobs / Gap Year TEFL Teaching / Gap Year Tours