Budget Travel, Guest Episodes, Long Term Travel, Podcast Episodes, Season 2, Solo Travel, Travel Tips, Working and Living Abroad
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When you hear the term “gap year” what do you think of? I bet it is a young person who takes a year to travel the world before college or starting their career right? But what if we told you as an adult, you can also take a gap year. You heard that right, you can take a gap year at any age.
On this weeks episode of the Passports and Coffee Podcast, we welcome our friend Megan Wright to talk about the adult gap year and why we think you are never too old to travel the world for a year!
Megan Wright, otherwise known as the Travel Wrighter on socials, is a travel creator with a passion for inspiring people to get out there and explore the world no matter their age. She’s been to 40+ countries, moved abroad from the US to London, and at the age of 31 took a year off work to travel around Southeast Asia. At the end of 2022 she launched a podcast where she discusses topics such as grown-up gap years, solo travel, moving abroad, exploring new countries and so much more.
Become Megan’s New Travel Bestie: Instagram | TikTok | Website | Podcast
A gap year is very common for young adults outside of the US, so for those of you who do not know what a gap year is, let’s define a gap year. A gap year is traditionally when you take a year off to travel either between high school and college or after college before you start your career.
I used the word traditionally because today we are going to encourage you to take a gap year at any point in life. Why? Because life is too short to be stuck in a job that you do not like for 40+ years.
There are so many reasons why you should take a gap year as an adult. It is so easy to get stuck in a rut of daily life. You start to question why you are going to a job you hate every day and if this is what life is supposed to be like. Life is meant to be lived and slaving away every day at your 9-5 is not always living.
A gap year offers you so many amazing opportunities. Not only are you able to experience life and gain skills that you might not necessarily gain while at home, it is also a time for you to re-evaluate what you want for your life. Taking time off for an adult gap year provides you the much needed time to reflect and focus on what you want for your next phase in life.
If you listened to this episode, Megan was presented an opportunity to take time off while waiting for a new work visa. She saw this time off as an opportunity to take an adult gap year to re-evaluate what she wanted out of life. So taking an adult gap year doesn’t mean you need to quit your job, it can also come at a time of transition.
When taking time off, it is important to properly plan for your gap year. One of the biggest pieces of advice that Megan has for you is to come up with a budget. Planning a daily budget for yourself will help you stay on track.
Megan gave herself a daily budget of $50/day and she started in Southeast Asia which allowed her to stay within this budget. But she also planned for emergencies as well. In addition to her daily budget, she budgeted for the finances that she would have to pay while she was gone, such as student loans.
Another way to prepare is to find a travel plan that works for you. Most people will do the typical backpacking route in Southeast Asia because it is so affordable, but remember with proper planning, you can travel anywhere within your budget.
Lastly, make sure you are having fun and enjoying yourself. That is why you are taking a gap year after all. The whole goal is to put yourself in a new and exciting situation. Don’t hold back. If there is something you really want to do but isn’t part of the budget, weigh those options. At the end of the day, you only live once so live it to the fullest!
One take away that we hope you get from this episode, is that it is never too late to take a gap year. In fact, it is never too late to travel. So we hope that this episode inspires and encourages you to say yes to a new adventure. And maybe if the opportunity arises, you take a gap year to rediscover who you are and where you want to go in life!
Hi travel besties! It's Kayla and Cheraya, your co-hosts of the Passports and Coffee Podcast. We are fellow corporate world millennials looking to escape the 9-5 and are encouraging you to do the same.
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