Are you a teenager who is interested to take gap year programs? Well, if you are taking gap year because you kind it the trend after high school graduation and before proceeding to college, such motive of decision is not surprising because most teenagers are indeed taking gap year opportunities nowadays.

Just like the person Time sets as an illustration. Monika Lutz took the opportunity to go for a gap year in a Bengali jungle. Aside from this, she also decided to “put together a 14-month schedule that includes helping deliver solar power to impoverished communities in India and interning for a fashion designer in Shanghai. These experiences were considered to be “worlds away from the stuffy lecture halls and beer-stained frat houses that await many of her peers”. She was honestly happy and contented with this great opportunity.

Based on statistics, American high school grads who took gap years have not been monitored for some time, but various high school guidance counselors and college admissions officers exclaimed that gap year programs have indeed becoming popular among teens. This is not surprising since Monika Lutz, as an American who lived in Boulder, Colo., took a gap year of her choice. Indeed, teenagers have gradually embraced the value of gap year in their young lives.

Based on Time’s statistics, Harvard had witnessed a 33% jump in the past decade in the number of students taking gap years. MIT in its own figures have doubled in the past year. Princeton then “formalized the trend in 2009 by funding gap-year adventures for 20 incoming first-years annually.”

Why do you think teens have become attracted with the concept of having a gap year before proceeding to college?

Well, a survey data taken from Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson, education-policy experts and co-authors of The Gap-Year Advantage. They said that the most common reason cited for deferring college is to avoid burnout. “I felt like I was focused on college as a means to an end,” a reason from Kelsi Morgan, an incoming Middlebury College freshman who spent last year feeding llamas at a North Dakota monastery, interning for a judge in Tulsa, Okla., and teaching English at an orphanage in the Dominican Republic.

“The hope is that after a year out of the classroom, students will enter college more energized, focused and mature. That can be an advantage for colleges too. Robert Clagett, dean of admissions at Middlebury, did some number-crunching a few years ago and found that a single gap semester was the strongest predictor of academic success at his school.”

So do you personally prefer taking gap year today? Whether you are a teenager or an adult, as long as you value the importance of this “time out”, you will really avail the advantage.

A gap year travel offers lots of of advantage. It gives the student ample time to go out and experience life on a different plane; to decide on a certain course for college; and help other people on their own way. However, there are certain issues which should be given large considerations – especially for teenagers on a gap year. These issues can affect the whole travel experience and the outcome of the time-year-away.

Alcoholism

It’s not bad to go barhopping and taking appropriate shots of alcohol. The problem arises when the gap year traveler gets addicted to consuming much volume of alcohol. The substance is a dangerous drug when abused. It is greatly associated with road accidents and juvenile crimes. A simple drinking habit might turn into an unbreakable pattern – resulting into an alcoholic traveler. Now, for some countries – alcoholism is a crime punishable by law or can cause you a lot of penalties or worst deport you early on your travel.

Tourists Violence and On-going Wars

As a rule of thumb – never try to choose destinations which are known high with tourist violence and on going diplomatic wars. Safety should be your first and foremost priority and shouldn’t be
compromised it with any holiday vacation.

Religious and Racial Discrimination

Avoid traveling into lands with high rate of religious and racial discrimination. Religious and racial discrimination could be more dangerous than usual wars. Racial discrimination makes the gap year traveler feel less welcomed and less free to act according to their holiday plans. Religious and racial discrimination could result to civil wars involving tourists and hundreds of innocent people.

Illegal Migration and Over Staying

Some tourists have the bad habit of staying past the agreed length of stay. Now, this is illegal and thus not help the reputation of the traveler. There are corresponding visas for every tourists and it has a corresponding length of stay. The traveler might be left undetected for months but he can’t find a decent gap year job and may work illegally because of the lack of documents. Punishments for this foreign affairs violation may range from multiple monetary penalties and temporary travel ban from such country.

These things should be put to mind – if one wants to have a fully enjoyable gap year experience. These issues must be thought a hundred times before proceeding with the holiday travel; whether it’s a gap year travel Europe, Canada, or third world countries. A gap year travel can be done as many as you like ti to be but the first gap year experience is difference – hence, making it memorable and less dangerous can turn it into a memorable gap year experience of all time.

Teenagers on a gap year travel can experience the world at the best. Independent travel doesn’t only show an individual to the world outside their comfort zones but it also changes a person in terms of perspective, life plans, and academic goals.

Perspective of Life

Most of us these days are trapped with our personal bubble and we often see our selves as the center of the universe. Such perspective is ultimately wrong because the world doesn’t revolve around us and there are lives of which needs more attention than our own. Gap year volunteer programs are designed to help those in need for support and nurturing. There are communities in deep jungles who are still behind technology and education.

By helping these communities, Teenagers like us will learn that we have other people to care for and recognize that we are not the center of the universe. Teenagers will also develop human affection and empathy. They will learn to look at life as something extraordinary and worth living upon seeing the situations of the people across the globe.

Life Plans

Through gap year programs, teenagers can find their career path in life. Many of those who have postponed college and proceeded to a gap year have found their purpose in life. At first, they were skeptic if a gap year travel is worth college deferment. But as they made their way to the whole experience, they figured out that it was the best decision they have made for their whole life.

These experiences also took them to the highlights of their education. Many of teenagers who went on a gap year journey have been admitted with privileges on premiere universities on the nation. They also took courses which are more of global development and some took international relations. Both of these courses are learned from an intensive gap year volunteer work.

Academic Goals

Gap year travelers who have been less motivated during their days have spurred interest with academia. The lesson they acquired from the travel experienced motivated them more to do good with their studies. Maybe they have seen poor communities which are hungry for education and realized that they are so lucky to have easy access to school. They might seen children walking from miles just to arrive in school or parents earning $ 1 a day and even managed to send their children at small schools.

There is so much in a gap year that every teenager could learn. It would be a test of faith whether to embark on a gap year travel or continue college but regardless of the decision you can come up with; the first consideration is to never ever regret and just live with the moment.

The young hearts will always seek for fun and adventure. Everyday, teenagers wake up and attend everyday routines. And as they carry on their school stuff and head on for school, they are trying to build the pieces of the person they want to become.

As teenagers, we are on the phase of discovering our inner selves which we will be able to show the world. Often, decisions lead to hard experiences and even immovable consequences which can be hard to deal with. We are guided by the environment around us but at the end of the day, it is us who shall decide for our fate.

The sweetest thing being a teenager is the freedom to become who we are for the future. There is no such thing as predestination; only self advantageous decisions or harmful ones. Some find their selves and choose to chase that idealism while some will divert to other paths which in the end might be less favorable for them.

But whatever the outcome; it won’t matter much compared to the experience; it’s like a gap year program. At the end of the year, we go back home. But it was not the climax of the journey. It was when you were almost fainting when you made your first bungee jump.

Life is short and making the most of it—is a must. We can never choose to be on the neutral side; we are bound to decide and receive the reward or the lesson. You can never be in a gap year travel at the same time attend a university; except if your gone online. That what makes the teenage life exiting; we can never exactly guess what will happen next.

Life is like a gap year destination where we must prepare the necessary things and leave the rest to happen. We meet new people, some come and some go. We are introduced to new culture and new lifestyle. Many times, we fall down on our knees but as long as we have the motivation to do more, we ignite the fire inside us and let it burn through.

Isn’t it very challenging to discover our identity? And the amazing fact is—in order to find our passion we must get out of our shells and explore the world out there. We ask you? Have you been discovering your self? Have you found your personal standards and aspirations in life?

If not yet, why don’t you try now to explore the other communities out there? You will find out many amazing things which are not taught at school. Have you been suffering from being alone? The world isn’t that bad at all as you see in the news. Take a leap now, and refresh your senses by discovering who you really are.

Most think that for a gap year travel to be successful; the students must flocked to the same favorite and popular destination similar to gap year Costa Rica right after grabbing your gap year insurance. Most also think that all gap year travel is all easy work and volunteers. And the only challenge is surviving these easy days away from home.

Let give you a glimpse of my gap year. Would I say my gap year is a challenge to those kids who love not just mere travel but real gap year adventure. Well, let me set this straight- an adventure to me may not be an adventure to you. So we may have differing opinions. I am done with conquering heights and all those extreme adventure sport and this time the word gap year adventure has taken new meaning and new heights.

I am a marketing student and thus I decided to test if indeed I am built for this kind of career. Marketing is not an 8 to 5 job; for marketing is 24 hours job with no holidays. I mean you have to live the life of a real pro marketing genius if you want to excel and be successful in this niche of the business.

So my gap year backpacking adventure start with a flight going to Japan and after a year’s course of Japanese language plunge into a door-to-door selling; the toughest niche in the marketing area. I could have gone to gap year costa rice but decided to go to Japan instead. Yet the bright side of it; I was plunge I mean deeply plunge into a Japanese culture more than I asked for.

But the blessing could not stop pouring in I was given a chance to not only visit and sightsee Okinawa’s best attraction places but the chance to dissect to the very little detail one tourist attraction can ever give.

I got to rub elbows with Okinawa’s best places of interest like Shuri Castle, Nakagusuku Castle, Shikinaen Garden, Nakamurake Residence and Hedo Misaki. A few of the attractions I had visited. I was pleased with what Japan travel can offer to their guest.

I reflected that behind the hardship in my gap year adventure are the most beautiful things.