The fact that we are expected to decide on a career path and make a life-altering decision at 17 or 18-years old seems slightly bizarre, looking back. At 18, I hardly knew who I was, what I liked, what I loved (although as a head-strong 18-year-old I would have told you I knew exactly who I was). Besides our parents, social pressure from external forces tells us we need to jump straight into tertiary education otherwise we will lose our way of life. However, more and more recruiters and companies today see value in a person with a colourful history of travel and life experience than a “by the book” (literally) life path.
While I didn’t travel straight after school, over the past few years I have been fortunate enough to visit a few incredible places including Malawi, Mauritius, the UK and a few European countries. These vastly different places offered lessons of their own which I could not have learned in a classroom or from my parents.
While not all of us will have the luxury to do so after school, exploring who you are, your passions and desires don’t solely come from travel. Volunteering for a charity or NGO, doing internships at different companies, learning a skill or even learning a foreign language can throw you head-first out of your comfort zone. Sometimes, by not jumping into studying a course your child thinks they want to do, will save them from dropping that course later on.
These are five reasons why you should encourage your child to travel after school:
Learning to appreciate and respect different cultures
Whether your child decides to spend their year away picking strawberries in the South of France, teaching English in Thailand or go on a Contiki trip, they are bound to meet people from a slew of different cultures, races and religions who have had a vastly different upbringing to their own. They will come to appreciate the life they have at home but also embrace the differences between themselves and the people they meet and could end up making life-long friends.
Expanding the mind beyond the classroom
Some of the most important lessons I learned about myself and the world were not learnt within the four walls of a classroom and often happened in seemingly unexpected places. Travelling allows you to never stop learning – whether it’s about people, places or cultures you might have never come across in a textbook.
Dealing with difficult peoples and situations
Through travelling, I realised I was better at dealing with difficult peoples and situations than I thought. When you’re in a foreign country and don’t speak the language, you have no choice but to tap into your natural instincts and it often makes you realise while our languages and cultures are different at the end of the day we are all simply human beings working towards a common goal.
Taking risks and living outside your bubble
When you’re outside of the physical and metaphorical walls of your daily life, something makes you braver. While you usually wouldn’t bungee jump or try snails back home, something comes over you when you travel to take chances no matter the consequences. Taking this back to their daily lives will show your child without chances there are no rewards.
Perspective on the life you want to live
Of course, a year or two off will not provide the answers to life’s great questions but it will certainly provide some perspective. Taken a path that is not predictable or safe will mean your child won’t be afraid to colour life outside the lines in almost every other aspect of their lives. Your child will become a more interesting and well-rounded adult and certainly have conversation starters for years to come.
If your child expresses interest in travelling, the most important thing you can do is support them in their decision, making sure they know the pros and cons of the decision and how it will affect their future. While it was not common practice for you to take a gap year when you were 18, the world is certainly changing and you can either decide to keep up or get left behind.
You might want to read more about what exactly a gap year is.