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Gap Year

Gap Year Programs

Experience a year of growth! Spend your days exploring new places, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, and meeting lifelong friends.

Looking for the perfect balance between globetrotting and enlightenment? Take a gap year! Whether it’s a year off between high school and college (a healthy break from monotonous school life!), a gap year after college (which can give you time to figure out your next steps), or a gap year at literally any other time, it’ll be time well spent. Gap year programs are riddled with opportunities for personal growth, attainment of new skills, reevaluation of personal and career goals, and (of course) once-in-a-lifetime adventures.

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Find adventure in South Africa during a GAP year internship with VACorps!

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Get your eSIM with 10% off using the code GOABROAD10. Stay connected!

GAC Gap Year Learn Chinese & Internship in China Program

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How to Take a Gap Year

Overview

How to take a gap year

Not sure what a gap year even is? We don’t blame you—”gap year” has come to be somewhat of a blanket term for any extended period of time taken off away from home or “normal” life. The unstructured pursuit of personal growth abroad tends to be what defines a gap year. If you want to know how to do a gap year, here’s a general overview:

Figure out why you want to take a gap year. Don’t set off on your life-changing journey without knowing what you want out of the experience. Do you want to learn a new language? Gain career skills? Just plain old immerse in a brand new place and culture? There’s no wrong way to take a gap year, but mapping out your gap year goals is a helpful first step.
Decide when to go. There isn't a wrong time to take a gap year; it’s all about finding the right time for you. If you’re a recent high school graduate who has no clue what they want to study in college, your time will be better spent on a gap year abroad, getting a firsthand look at how the world works, and learning more about yourself and your wants. Or, if you’re about to graduate college and aren’t sure you actually chose the right field of study anymore, going on a gap year is a great way to take some time to figure it out, while still building skills and having one-of-a-kind experiences.
Choose a gap year program. Booking a gap year program can be immensely helpful, especially if you plan to go to more than one destination. Gap year programs will help you sort out visas, find safe places to stay, and maybe even find you some paid work opportunities.

Benefits

Why take a gap year?

There are lots of reasons to take a gap year, and plenty of benefits of doing so. The best reason to take a gap year though is to learn more about yourself and your future goals. You’ll be surprised at how much a gap year can change your life and perspectives! Gap year benefits include a better sense of what you want for your future, increased confidence and feelings of capability, and even hard skills like new languages.

Gap year pros and cons can be a long list depending on your goals, but the most common con of taking a gap year is that tight backpacker budget. Traveling is expensive! However, we’re confident that the benefits and pros of taking a gap year will be well worth overcoming any roadblocks.

Getting Started

There’s so much to do during a gap year, which is (again!) why mapping out your goals is important. Deciding what to do in a gap year will depend on what you want to get out of the experience. Do you want to volunteer for a cause? Learn a new language? Summit a mountain? All of the above?

The world is your oyster during a gap year, so don’t be afraid to pursue every opportunity. If you do have something specific in mind though, traveling with a gap year program will help you iron out all the logistics, so that you can focus more on fulfilling your gap year dreams!

It’s also incredibly common to work odd jobs while on the go in order to pay for them. If you know you’ll need to earn money while traveling, we suggest heading to a destination that offers Working Holiday Visas, like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, among others. Otherwise, start perusing online jobs boards for backpackers in your chosen destination prior to arrival, so that you know what type of work is common and where to go looking for it. Gap years tend to be lessons in extreme budget travel, so you’ll surely learn how to make your dollars stretch as far as they can go.

Locations

You can take a gap year anywhere—as long as you can get a visa, of course! However, some destinations are better suited for gap years than others, especially if you’re on a tight budget or looking for job opportunities. There are some places that seem like they were made for gap year travelers (we’re looking at you, Australia and New Zealand). But that doesn’t mean you need to be limited to one country for your gap year! Maybe you want to budget travel Europe or South America. Or maybe you just want to go where the wind blows you! Either way, it’s good to remember that the wider you cast your net, the more money you better have in your savings account. Research the cost of living in your intended destination(s) and whether or not you can offset those costs with gap year work programs or odd jobs.

Popular Providers

Frequently Asked Questions

A gap year is an intentional break from school or work for travel. They traditionally last for a year or longer, but can be as short as one semester. Gap years are characterized by immense personal growth and education through travel.

Why Take a Gap Year?

It's a great idea to take a gap year, as they're highly beneficial to travelers of all ages. The best reasons why you should take a gap year include educational opportunities, work experience, global perspectives, and personal growth.

12 Gap Year Benefits Your Future Self Will Thank You For

To take a gap year, you should set goals for what you want to accomplish during your time off and what parts of the world you want to see. Decide if you want to go after high school, during college, or after college, all of which are possibilities.

How to Take a Gap Year Abroad

You can do so much on a gap year! Some ideas are to study a new language, backpack through a country, work in a hostel, or volunteer on an organic farm. Be intentional and set goals, and think about how your plans factor into life after your gap year.

You can take a gap year after high school, during college, after college, or mid-career. The best time to take your gap year will depend on your personal and professional goals, as well as your budget and responsibilities.

How to Decide When to Take a Gap Year

The best places to take a gap year include New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland, as they offer working holiday opportunities for gappers. Other popular places are Southeast Asia and Western Europe.

10 Beautiful (and Best) Places to Take a Gap Year

It depends. If you make the most of your gap year and can add what you learned or experienced to a resume/CV, colleges will be more appreciative of your gap year. However, this varies from institution to institution.

You can take a year off during college for a gap year, or even a semester. The process for this will depend on your home university, and whether or not your gap year can earn you college credit.

How to Defer Enrollment to Take a Gap Year

To plan a gap year, you'll need to know when you want to go, what you want to do, and which countries you want to see. These are all important steps in planning a gap year. MyGoAbroad can help get you started.

Latest Program Reviews

Life-Changing Gap Year in the Heart of China

June 16, 2025by: Noah Taylor - AustraliaProgram: GAC Gap Year Learn Chinese & Internship in China Program

I joined the GAC Gap Year Program right after high school, and it was truly transformational. I split my time between learning Mandarin, interning at a local startup, and participating in cultural activities like calligraphy and martial arts. The homestay experience gave me real insight into Chinese family life, and my language skills improved faster than I ever expected. It wasn’t just educational — it was fun, challenging, and eye-opening. If you’re a high school grad looking for something meaningful before college, this program is 100% worth it.

Gap Year Adventure

June 15, 2025by: Sophia R - United KingdomProgram: GAC Gap Year Learn Chinese & Internship in China Program

I joined the GAC Gap Year program hoping to make my year off productive, and it ended up exceeding all expectations. The Chinese language classes were intense but super rewarding — I went from barely knowing anything to having real conversations with locals. My internship placement in an international marketing firm gave me hands-on experience and boosted my resume. What made it special was the balance: mornings in class, afternoons at the office, evenings exploring Beijing with new friends. I came back home more independent, culturally aware, and with a clearer career path. Highly recommended if you're serious about making your gap year count.

Life-Changing Gap Year in the Heart of China

June 16, 2025by: Noah Taylor - AustraliaProgram: GAC Gap Year Learn Chinese & Internship in China Program

Gap Year Adventure

June 15, 2025by: Sophia R - United KingdomProgram: GAC Gap Year Learn Chinese & Internship in China Program

Latest Interviews

Caoimhe Flood

EF Gap Year

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I have always loved to travel and this opportunity gave me the chance to explore places I have never been before. I also wanted to travel while I was ...

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Drew Beasley

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When I was in high school, I never seriously considered taking time off from school. I started college at Chapman University in the fall of 2018. Unfo...

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