Building Gap Year Skills Before You Go

Most students think that their gap year starts the day they board their flight. In reality, your gap year starts the day you commit to taking it. From there on, the entire planning process is a skill-building opportunity that regularly pushes gappers out of their comfort zones. For perhaps the first time in your life, you’ll be managing a budget, researching destinations, signing up for gap year programs, and sorting out the minor details of the adventure ahead. It’s a lot to process, isn’t it?

To get the most out of a Gap Year, you’ll want to start establishing travel skills and challenging yourself before even leaving home. Create the ultimate adventure and build confidence in your skills by doing the following:

Take Charge!

This is YOUR gap year. Not your bestie’s, not a gap year organizer’s, and not your mom’s. It is the responsibility of each student to personalize their own trip to fit their goals. Only you can know exactly what kind of gap year would work best for you, so it should be up to you to mastermind the adventure.

Would you rather work with wildlife in South Africa or learn about textile weaving in Perú? What about an internship with a social justice organization in your hometown? What jobs are available locally to help you get started with funding? Gappers who take charge of their own planning process and savings will get so much more out of their gap year.

Planning your own adventure can:

• Boost excitement and inspiration for the adventures ahead
• Improve personal awareness of the next step in your planning process
• Increase your confidence and independence
• Plan what you want to do and when, but make room for flexibility
• Teach financial management skills

When students take charge of planning and funding their own gap year, it becomes truly theirs. After months of hard work and research, this gap year is your baby. There’s a feeling of tremendous success and accomplishment that comes with pulling off your first big adventure.

Go on a “Test-Run”

Never traveled before, or only traveled with family, or in a group? Think about taking a test run before the main event. Test out your travel and planning skills with a weekend trip away. Trust me, there’s no better way to find the kinks in your planning system than to put them to the test!

• Does your backpack work?
• Have you packed a dozen things you’ll never actually use?
• Can you read a map and navigate a bus transfer?
• Do your shoes work, or will you need to buy a new pair?

A test run is a safe and easy way to gain confidence, find the flaws in your gear, and to challenge yourself while home is still close by. Keep track of any fails or problems you discover along the way and find solutions before your big take-off date.

Set Monthly Personal Growth Goals

Ideally, gappers set themselves a series of goals – some help with planning the actual details of the gap year, others encourage personal confidence-building as the departure date grows closer. Setting these goals requires quite a bit of introspection, so set aside time to think about what you want to get out of your time abroad and what you want to know before you get started.

• What are you afraid of?
• What do you most want to accomplish over the next year?
• Take it a step farther: how can you start today?
• What can you do now to push yourself out of your comfort zone and find your feet?
• What makes you nervous about your upcoming gap year?

In all likelihood, there’s a way to challenge those fears before leaving home.

Afraid of navigating transit? Take day trips alone or with a friend.

Worried about the language barrier? Start taking classes with Duolingo or a local language center.

Scared of culture shock? Learn as much about the culture as possible before leaving.

Learn Some Gap Year Safety Basics

There’s nothing like some basic safety knowledge to take away fear of the unknown and boost the overall success of a gap year! Did you know that global travel is far safer than the naysayers would have you believe? Well planned gap years are relatively low in risk and high in potential benefits. For more info, check out our Data & Benefits page.

According to the stats, travel outside of the US is generally quite safe. Even so, it’s a good idea to have some safety knowledge under your belt:

Communication! Stay in touch with family and friends, let people know your plans, and know emergency phone numbers.

Health insurance! Invest in good travel health insurance and know the medical situation in your destination country.

Plan your accommodation in advance by at least a day or two. Avoid arriving at night without booked accommodation.

Stay away from any protests or demonstrations. In some countries, it’s illegal for you to participate or even watch.

Know basic first aid, even if your gap year won’t be international.

Avoid binge-drinking and drugs. A party year isn’t a gap year.

Keep track of your passport and documents. Make copies, in case something goes missing.

Prepare Yourself With Realistic Expectations

Gap years aren’t always a walk in the park. Prep yourself for an upcoming gap year by reading everything out there on your destination, the experiences of other gappers, the program(s) you’ve signed up for, and more. Understand that homesick days are inevitable and that a gap year is a challenge, not a vacation. Just understanding this can help gappers find their courage in hard times and push through to reap the benefits of an amazing year. Trust me, it will be worth the work.

Last but not least, never give up!

Set goals and knock them out, dream big, and watch as all of the hard work pays off. You absolutely can do this.

Parents: How to Help

So how do you encourage your gap year student? Keep in mind that this is your kid’s gap year, not yours.

The best way to be supportive of their adventure is to be interested and positive about their progress, but NOT to take charge. Don’t helicopter.

Students get the most out of their gap years when they’re the ones to plan, self- motivate, and fund the year. Encourage your teen to plan a gap year itinerary that will further their educational and personal goals. Talk to them about their ideas and their passions, encourage problem-solving instead of providing solutions to challenges.

Finally, encourage your gapper to fund their future adventure themselves, even if you could help significantly. Gap year students who fund their own time abroad learn valuable skills that will help them into adulthood.

Essentially, your job now is to facilitate learning, from the sidelines! Hand over the reins, provide encouragement, but be insistent that this gap year be their baby, not yours.