Top 10 Ideas for Personal Growth and Exciting Adventure In your gap year
by Lydia Lawrence
Taking a gap year will give you many incredible opportunities to explore the world, develop new skills, and successfully prepare you for your future. In fact, Harvard university has just recently declared that they “encourage admitted students to defer enrolment for one year to travel, pursue a special project or activity, work, or spend time in another meaningful way.” Which just shows the positive feedback and advantages of taking a gap year out.
Whether you’re looking to discover new passions, gain real-world experience, or simply take a break before diving into the next chapter of your life, a gap year can be an transformative journey. But let’s be honest figuring out how to spend that time wisely can be a challenge.
If you’re someone who has just finished high school, taking a break from college, or just wanting to discover more about your life from whatever stage you’re in, but you’re struggling to find out what’s next or where you can go from here, this post is perfect for you!
So read on for the top 10 things you can do in your gap year to make it an unforgettable experience, for your own personal growth and to create many amazing memories and adventures.
Travel & volunteer
Going travelling during your gap year is one of the most popular ways to gain a brand new fresh perspective and experiences.
Whether you want to backpack through Europe, island hop in Southeast Asia, or take a refreshing road trip across the U.S, travel offers endless opportunities for adventure and self-discovery, and they’re many ways to do it.
You may opt to go with a group or your friends, if you’re not comfortable starting this journey alone, they’re are many gap year organisations that plan and organise accommodation, activities and meals for you.
I personally chose The Leap for my gap year and enjoyed the fact alot of activities, the accommodation and volunteer projects were already sorted out, it took the stress and pressure off my shoulders and I had an amazing time meeting new people from all walks of life.
There are also many other organisations to check out such as: Gap 360 , Plan my gap year and GVI.
Travel & Volunteer
Many others, use this time to mix travelling and volunteering into one experience as they’re are also many ways you can do this.
Find a charity, organisation or project you might be interested in, and then simply search for ways to get involved!
Many programs vary from wildlife conservation, teaching languages in schools, helping out with agricultural projects and many more.
Choosing volunteering within your travels adds a meaningful dimension. It provides a sense of purpose and allows you to make a positive impact on the world and you definitely will come out of it feeling refreshed and rewarded with a brand new perspective.
Seek Adrenaline: Embrace Adventure & Life
If you’re an adrenaline junkie, a gap year is your chance to try thrilling activities like skydiving, bungee jumping, or scuba diving. Hike and explore the mountains, dive into the ocean, or ride the waves by learning to surf, there’s no better time to embrace adventure and the beautiful activities of life.
Even if these things i’ve mentioned have suddenly scared you and made you shake your head in disbelief, you especially should get out there and try something new and exciting too!
A gap year is all about going outside of your comfort zone, what would it be if it wasn’t? This is the time to overcome those fears, to do what scares you most and to not worry about anyones else’s opinions about it.
Learn a new language or Become part of a culture
Deepening our cultural understandings of different worlds and cultures is an amazing way to gain new perspectives, appreciation for different lives, and enhances our communication with others. It not only gives you a fresh perspective but also opens up a lot of opportunities for your personal future by enriching your life experiences.
Learning a band new language can be one main way to open many doors as a bilingual or multilingual skill is very appreciated and sort out after in corporate and noncommercial environments. Either, try out eating different foods from all around the world or educate yourself on different cultural habits and routines. Doing so will give you a lot of experience and appreciation for different cultures.
Learn new skills by taking up a new hobby
A gap year is also a perfect time to pick up a brand new hobby or even if you used to like a certain hobby but had to leave it for a while, why not pick it back up again?
Whether it’s learning to play a musical instrument, a sport or similar activity, learning to cook or trying out photography for the first time, its worth a try! If you have an interest in something it can only be rewarding to use this free time to simply try it out.
Work: Build Your Savings and Skills
Working during your gap year can help you save money for future adventures or studies. It also provides valuable work experience and can boost your resume when applying for future jobs.
Pick up a part-time job, freelance in your own chosen field, or step into a full-time position. Whatever it is, work itself, can teach you great responsibility and time management skills which are especially helpful if you’re continuing into studies or higher education after the year has ended.
get some work experience / internship
Another valuable way to spend your time during your gap year is to apply for a work experience role or internship.
This is great if you’re not completely ready to jump into a full time committed role, as every beginner has to start somewhere, right? Start building up a portfolio, Learn brand new skills and get ready to learn even more about your chosen field.
You can also take an internship somewhere even if you’re just figuring out what it is you want to do. Many people do this just to test the waters, if they have more than one career’s interest or if they even like the job they’re studying for. This is perfectly okay as choosing your main career is a big and sometimes a scary decision, take your time and try not to rush, opportunities wont pass you by.
start up a business idea / a blog: Unleash Your Entrepreneurial Spirit
One amazing way to venture into a creative project without using your free time to work or gain work experience is to set up an business. All you truly need is a great idea, research, resourceful tools and a detailed plan to help you get started.
Even start up a blog! This is one of the easier ways to expresses creativity whilst eventually earning an extra bit of money on the side. For more information be sure to check out our post on: how you can get started blogging today, here!
8. Spend time with family
If you find that your reason for taking a gap year in the first place was to slow down, recharge and to go back to those things are are truly important in life, it is defintely worth spending this time with your family, friends and community as a whole.
I found in my gap year I connected more and grounded myself by doing more with those around me as i used all the free time i had to spend more with my loved ones doing daily activities, trips out or even just enjoying their company at home.
9. Volunteer within your community
If you don’t want to travel, spend a lot of money, work or gain work experience, you may want to consider volunteering within your community, close to home.
There is always something to help out with, a charity asking for volunteers or events that need a helping hand from others. It’s a great way to spend up your time whilst also giving back to your community and helping others.
10. Do whatever you want
The best feeling you’ll get out of taking a gap year is realising you now have all the free time you could possibly want. You have full control over your life and most of all your time. It gives complete freedom and at first alot of people struggle to handle this, I know I did.
However I personally tackled this by creating a detailed plan, writing down all my goals that I wanted to achieve then got out there, got active and got busy.
Many people mistake gap year’s as a year of relaxation and a turning away from all responsibilities, when this can’t be further away from the truth.
You may want to relax and simply do nothing, that is perfectly okay if that is your goal.
However, to make the most of your gap year and to get the most out of it, my advice would be to get stuck in and as quickly as you can without any doubts! Maybe choose 3 main ‘projects’ or activities you want to try and go 100% in, what have you got to loose? Your gap year is about discovering yourself and what you truly enjoy. It’s a rare opportunity to live life on your terms, so why not make the most of it.
What are your gap year plans? Share your thoughts and experiences over on our instagram page @bloomwithflore.
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