10 GOOD REASONS FOR SPENDING A YEAR ABROAD

1) RELAXING

You have just finished a big part of your life. Many years of hard work at school, many months full of stressful exams, several hours studying without sleeping.  Now it’s over, but… Don’t you think you need to do something pleasant now? Your mind has been working for so long! A gap year is the perfect way to relax after working so hard, don’t you think?

2) BREAKING OUT YOUR ROUTINE

Every day is the same thing: you wake up early (earlier than you want, of course), you go to school and you come back home to keep studying. You see your family, your friends, and your teachers. It’s always the same. This monotonous life may be slightly boring… Becoming a gapper will make this change: you’ll enjoy a brand new routine and meet new people every day.

3) HUMAN CONTACT

Because we live under pressure, we’re not able to take the time to exchange ideas and share opinions with different people. We always socialize with the same few friends, which is not as rewarding as talking about important things with people from different cultures. Crossing cultures might help you improving human contact in your life.

4) SOLIDARITY

Being a volunteer overseas will make you aware of all the problems (such as poverty, hunger, etc.) people in other countries may have. Getting involved and trying to help someone else is something very meaningful, not only for the people you will help, also for you. This will make you more mature.

5) OPENING YOUR MIND

Somebody said “the world is you oyster”, but you know only a few things of it. Maybe you’re prejudiced against something because you don’t really know it. As now you have time to discover this oyster, I impel you to travel the world, have new experiences and to learn as much as possible. This will make you become a much more open-minded person.  

6) LANGUAGE

Spending time abroad, in countries where the mother tongue is not yours is something very useful. For example, if you don’t understand a single word of German, going to Germany may be the perfect solution for you. Maybe what you want is to reinforce a language you already know. It’s impossible not to improve your English level (for example) if you spend time in an English speaking country!

7) BEING READY FOR UNEXPECTED SITUATIONS

As you won’t be in your country, which you know very well, you don’t always know what may happen. You’ll probably be surprised more than once in different situations. This will make you search the way to solve any problem you face. You’ll be more self-assured, and you’ll get prepared for hard situations that may appear when you grow up.

8) INDPENDENCE

As you’re young, you are used to being helped by your family, your teachers and your friends. But…what happens when you’re on your own? As a gapper, you’ll spend more time alone than as usual, and you’ll have to deal with it. It may be hard at the beginning but then you’ll get used to it. You’ll feel very well by being able to decide what to do on your own, you’ll feel independent!

9) KNOWING DIFFERENT PLACES AND CULTURES

As a normal trip, you’ll probably go sightseeing. You will have the opportunity to stare at breathtaking landscapes, visit many places you don’t know, listen to different music, and taste new dishes. We all know this is always enjoyable. And by spending some time overseas, you’ll be living in different societies and knowing different cultures and its customs. Some gappers say that when you start travelling, you get addicted to it and you never want to stop making those discoveries.

10) GETTING TO KNOW YOURSELF DEEPER

You’ll have time to relax, to do new things, to have more human contact, to help people, to be on your own, to open your mind, to learn lots of things, to become more independent and… just to travel. That’s why I believe this gap year will give you the chance to lose your mind and find your soul. You’ll discover who you are and who you want to be while you discover the world.