Have You Heard of Domestic Gap Year Programs?

Why do domestic gap year programs? WHY NOT? Who says you have to go abroad to have a meaningful, educational, and transformational gap year? If traveling abroad sounds like something you want to do someday but not quite yet (or maybe never? Planes, man), you’re still an excellent candidate for the empowering experience of a gap year. Explore your own backyard instead! The US is so big anyway—there are plenty of corners to get lost in, cool cultural pockets to dig into, and pristine nature worth waking up to. Or maybe you want to take a break from the books and spend a year in the working world.

Take a modern day walkabout in your own backyard. Find gap year programs in the US!

It’s ALL good, and it’s ALL fair game. 

Take a gap year in the US pronto! Here’s everything you need to know about domestic gap year programs for American students.

FAQs on domestic gap years

Where do people usually spend them?

With cowboys, surfers, ghost towns, cosmopolitan cities, skyscrapers, weird and wonderful monuments, deserts, mountains, great plains, lakes, beaches, and road trips, there’s something for everyone! Here are a few of the most popular locations for gap year programs in the US.

New York. If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. Spend your year off discovering yourself in a city that continues to inspire artists, travelers, and ordinary people. New York is also popular with gappers because it’s such a multicultural place. Where else in the world can you chomp on a hot dog, have lunch in a Jewish deli, buy real Indian sweets, eat Ethiopian for dinner, and then go salsa dancing afterward? It’s also chock full of iconic US landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, and Times Square. Are you a musician? You’ll go nuts over this performance gap year program with Eastman Immersion in New York.

San Francisco. San Francisco is the original hipster city. It’s the home of the Beat generation (think authors like Jack Kerouac), the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Twin Peaks, and revolutionary political movements. Be sure to check out the cool cable cars, Alcatraz (home of that famous prison), modern art museums, and Castro, the gay community’s epicenter. San Fran is also great for nature-loving gappers, with lots of camping, cycling, hiking, and exploring opps. If you want a little taste of life abroad in conjunction with deepening your understandings of the complexities of modern American life, Year On’s combo San Francisco-Abroad program is worth checking out.

The welcome gate on our west coast—San Francisco is a great spot for domestic gap year programs.

Alaska. Alaska is the final frontier for many gap year programs in the US. With massive glaciers, deep forest, Huskies, the Northern Lights, and igloos, Alaska is truly the Wild. Its sheer size will inspire, amaze, and overwhelm you. It’s one of the few places in the US where you can see wildlife up close (not too close though!) and camp under the cleanest skies in the world. If you’re just itching to get away from it all, Alaska will welcome you to explore its heights and depths. You’d be hard pressed to find a more adventurous, yet skills-focused gap year program in Alaska than Outward Bound’s Rockies to Alaska leadership semester.

The American southwest. Spend your gap year wandering one of the strangest landscapes in the US. Although the Southwest was the backdrop for many of the country’s land squabbles in the past, today it remains naturally spectacular and soaked with history. Trip highlights include the iconic Grand Canyon and quirky ghost towns galore, but you’re not just here to play—learn about border security, indigenous people’s rights, and the importance of water resources while you’re here, too. Why not become an au pair in the Southwest with Cultural Care Au Pair?

At home? There is absolutely nothing wrong with deciding to spend your gap year chilling at home—so long as you are intentional with your time, your goals, and what you’re accomplishing, there is still a great deal to be learned amidst family time and hometown hangs. Don’t confuse travel, whether domestic or abroad, as synonymous with growth. Home is where your roots are; it can be where your wings are, too.

What do people usually do during domestic gap year programs?

There are many things to do and places to explore in the US. Here are three of the most popular activities you can try with formal programs.

Take your exploration skills up a level… or 10.

Adventure travel. Gap year programs in the US offer a host of activities for living adventurously. Do the ultimate bucket list item: take a road trip along Route 66, from LA to New York or vice versa. To hit the open road, hire a pimped out camper van or rent a car and split the cost with other gappers. Go backpacking across the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachians. Or make it your own and run, surf, bike, camp, or dance across America! When it comes to adventuring around the US on your gap year, almost anything is possible. There’s never been a better time to make progress on your National Parks bucket list!

Volunteering. If it’s one thing Americans love to do, it is give back. There are tons of opportunities to pay it forward, from wildlife conservation and rescue in the national parks, community projects, working on summer and sports camps, or helping underprivileged kids learn to read. Volunteer opps can be paid or unpaid. Consider formal programs like Americorps or something more short term, like Volunteer World, to accomplish your community service goals.

Wilderness exploration. Programs like Outward Bound offer wilderness gap semesters or years to those who’d rather have a 5,000 star hotel (the great outdoors!) than a 5 star hotel. Turn off that WIFI and hit the road less traveled. Develop new outdoor leadership strategies, or learn search and rescue and other technical skills. With over 640 million acres of public land in the US, you’re not short for choice when it comes to domestic gap year programs in the wild.

Go your own way. Finding a part time job(s) or full time gigs are a great way to spend your time off between schools or between career paths. There’s no shame in the work game!

[Browse ALL Gap Year Programs in the United States]

What’s this going to cost me?

Can you take a gap year for free? Not really… most gap years come with a cost. Formal gap year programs in the United States can range from a few hundred to multiple thousands of dollars. I know that price tag can be overwhelming, but think of your gap year as a more enriching freshmen year of college—or as investing in yourself to figure out what you want to do before investing thousands (and thousands and thousands) of dollars into a school or major that you actually don’t even like.

Find some part-time work to build your income AND your professional skillz.

Lucky for you, there are many gap year travel scholarships out there just begging for more applications. There are also tools to help you streamline fundraising efforts, like the travel-dedicated platform FundMyTravel. If all else fails, we recommend considering a combination of adventure and work throughout your year “off” (ON), so you don’t end the experience too deep in the red.

How do accommodations work? Are they included?

If you're volunteering during domestic gap year programs, you might stay in volunteer housing or with other gap year volunteers. Tackling a wilderness program? Hope you packed your tent! Anyone doing learning enhancement or academic courses will probably stay in university dorms. There are also ways to find cheaper accommodation through sites like Airbnb and Couchsurfing if you’re striking out on your own. In short, accommodations are almost ALWAYS part of the program package and coordinated by the domestic gap year program themselves.

And remember your Great Aunt Edna or long-lost-cousin Luke? Their guest rooms are worth considering if you’re keen to find an ultra-low cost housing option for your domestic gap year.

Are domestic gap year programs safe?

Although the US isn’t free from crime in general, the further you move away from the city, the lower the crime rate. Watch out for petty and sometimes violent crime in cities, like pickpocketing, robbery, and other scams. Women should avoid walking along empty or unlit streets alone at night—buddy system, anyone? 

Grab your buds and build some new skills. Photography, baking, wildflower arrangements, SEO, entrepreneurship?

Also, although it’s romanticized in movies and TV shows, you really shouldn’t hitchhike or pick up hitchhikers. Avoid traveling alone on public transport, like subways and buses, at night if you can. You never know how quickly it can get weird and uncomfortable! 

Read more safety tips for gap year programs in the US.

Next steps to a domestic gap year

Don't pack your GoPro juuuust yet. There are a few items on your gap year to do list you should check off first.

• Decide where to go. Figuring out where to take your gap year isn’t easy. The dazzling Pacific Northwest? Somewhere with a beach? A powerhouse city like New York? Don't let ANYTHING hold you back—choose a place that's right for you.
• Language classes, wilderness exploration, volunteering? You don't only have to take classes, this is all about experiential learning, baby! Decide if you want to use this time to learn hard skills, like Spanish and backcountry camping, or to develop soft-er skills, like teamwork and communication, through something like a service project.
• Choose from the best gap year programs. Pay attention to past participants’ reviews, program/university reputation, location, and your ease of getting credits. Some schools or providers may even provide contact info for student ambassadors or past gappers if you want the REAL dirt. Here’s our guide to choosing between gap year programs. 
• Plan your finances. Sort out funding before you go start your gap year to afford daily essentials and splurge on travel (in addition to program costs and airfare). Do your research to have an idea of how much your gap year program will cost. Be sure to check out travel scholarships too!
• Get prepared. Don’t wait til the last minute to figure out what to pack for a gap year or how to prepare for the experience, both mentally and physically. (Here’s our cheat sheet for gap year prep if you’d like!). You’re close to ready!

You’re ready a gap year—and we don’t mean abroad

Somewhere between the staggering peaks and the bluest waters, we guarantee you’ll find yourself.

Whatever people say, taking a gap year is not a vacation. It’s a game changer. You can spend a full year working/interning, traveling, volunteering, or educating yourself and discover hidden passions or potential career paths on gap year programs in the US. You can do challenging and rewarding work for those who aren’t as fortunate as you. You can develop new skills and mature as an individual. Also, if you choose to take a gap year in the good old US of A, you’ll develop in-depth knowledge of your home country and save money! Own it! Spending a year working, volunteering, adventuring—whether in your hometown or in a nearby state—is just as beneficial to your resume as taking a gap year abroad. 

Are you psyched yet? Is the open road calling you? Gap years are the new black. It’s time for yours!

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