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What to expect on your gap year

The best piece of gap year advice given to me was in the few weeks before I set off on a gap year to Tanzania. I was unsure of what to expect on my gap year and the advice was golden. It has stuck with me through out all of my travels. Go on your gap year with an open mind and be realistic about what you are getting yourself into.

gap years by their very nature tend to be set in developing countries, this means some of the home comforts often disappear. Don’t expect to be able to drink out of the tap, or flush your toilet paper down the loo. Having a hot shower is a luxury. Sometimes you will cross paths with the hugest of insects that desperately wants to live with you, there is not greater adrenaline kick than sharing a shower cubicle with a tarantula! But don’t worry, just because the lifestyle may be slightly different, It does not mean that it is worse. After a quick adjustment period, you will be bragging about the size of the bugs you have braved in the shower and preaching to the new arrivals that it is too hot for a warm shower anyway.

Then there are gap year cultural issues. There are things in other countries and cultures that we may think are “wrong.” This is not the case, it is just a difference of opinion. Judging or looking down on people offends in any culture or language. On your gap year, try to open your mind to new ideas, be open to learning about other cultures and try respect these differences.

Preparation will help a great deal before setting off on your gap year. Research your destination. Know the proper etiquette and customs. Start learning some of the language or exploring the country’s main religion. For example on a gap year in Thailand it is considered extremely rude to touch someone on the head or show them the soles of your feet. You don’t need the hassle of offending someone on your gap year: ignorance really is not bliss.

If you’re not a very social person and you’re travelling alone on your gap year, you will have the opportunity to make lots of friends on the way, but be prepared for some moments where you feel a little alone, usually if you eat in a restaurant on your own for the first time it can be quite daunting. It needn’t be. Take a good book, while you are waiting for your food, but most likely you will be half way through the first page when someone starts chatting to you.

To prepare yourself up for this, you may want to try being more outgoing. Refine the art of small talk and chatting to strangers and make an effort to be more approachable.

Everyone has a different experience on their gap year. Some people can adjust really easily to life in a third world country, and some people take longer.

Basically, you can try to mentally prepare yourself for your gap year, but the truth is that you really can’t, and that’s probably a good thing. While you don’t want to have specific expectations and end up disappointed, you don’t want to know exactly what’s going to happen either. Part of the fun of a gap year is the surprise and adventure.