10 Impactful Activities To Elevate Your Gap Year Experience

Travel is a surefire idea for how to enhance your gap year experience, expand your horizons, and make meaningful connections to new people and cultures. The reality is, life unfolds quickly, and you might not have another window of time–like the one you have right now–to travel until much later in life. 

Luckily, travel gap year opportunities are virtually endless. You can travel internationally or domestically, solo or with a friend, to work or to play, and so on. No matter the type of travel you choose, the impact you feel will be clear and immediate, and is a reason why a gap year is a great idea for many students.

Benefits of traveling during your gap year include: 

For many, personal growth comes by way of taking measured risks and having a willingness to push outside of your comfort zone. Whether it be learning to navigate a new city, trying new foods, or experiencing an entirely new culture, traveling during your gap will push you outside of your comfort zone towards experiences that you’ll never regret. Time away from home is a real concern, but know that many gap providers offer full-year programs, semester programs, and even short-term travel opportunities to fit all preferences. 

If you grew up in a single part of the United States, it’s natural to wonder what else is out there in the country and greater world. Traveling inside or outside the United States on your gap year will allow you to become fully immersed in new cultures that have their own ideals and ways of living. Who knows, you might even want to live in a new country permanently some day! 

Perhaps the most important and eye-opening gap year experience is volunteering and supporting others through service projects. Service learning is a philosophy you can implement on your gap that combines educational objectives with hands-on experience as a vehicle to help you become a better global citizen.

Ways you can volunteer on your gap year include: 

There are numerous NGOs (non-governmental organizations) locally in your community, across the country, and the wider world that are set up to address various social and environmental issues. The WANGO Worldwide NGO Directory is a place to start your search for an organization that is addressing an important cause you might like to support.  

There are numerous organizations that connect eager volunteers to worthy service-projects around the world. Your gap could be spent addressing educational needs, community-health concerns, or environmental conservation with organizations like the Peace Corps, Americorps, or service-minded gap year providers. Gap year student Lilly P. experienced the power of service first-hand during her time working with Lifting Hands, a community organization in Costa Rica.  

We are living in an era of increased globalization. Cross-cultural communication is more important than ever, especially in the workplace, which makes honing this skill a worthy idea for your gap year. In fact, some career opportunities favor individuals who can speak at least two languages. Plus, learning a new language can be fun and make you more confident and culturally literate. 

If you’re interested in using your gap year to continue your current language studies or picking up a new language entirely, there is no better way than immersing yourself in that given culture. 

Here is how to continue language learning on your gap year: 

The best thing you can do after high school is to continue to practice your language skills. If your family is bi-lingual or if you have a friend who is at a similar language level, continue your conversational practice with them. If that’s not an option for you, there are many online learning platforms like Duolingo, Babbel, or EF Hello. These online platforms will continue to work the language-learning muscle while you chart a potential immersion trip abroad.  

The secret to language learning is full cultural immersion into the foreign-speaking land of your dreams. The only way to do that is to pack your bags and make your way to the continent, country, and city where your desired language is spoken. Self-funded travel, or a language-focused gap program, done with friends or family can give you the opportunity to practice your language skills amongst the people who speak it best. 

An internship can be a pivotal steppingstone toward a successful education and career after your gap year. It provides practical, hands-on experience in a professional setting, allowing you to apply the knowledge gained in school to real-world scenarios.

Here's why pursuing an internship during your gap year can be immensely beneficial: 

Internships offer you the opportunity to gain insight into many career fields, develop future-ready skills, and build a network of professional contacts. Whether it's in business, technology, healthcare, or any other sector, the experience you gain during a gap year internship can set you apart from your peers when you enter college, or eventually the job market. This experience can also be used in application when applying to college after your gap year.

Seeking internship opportunities abroad during your gap can broaden your cultural understanding and global perspective. Working in a different country exposes you to diverse work environments, cultural norms, and business practices, which can enhance your adaptability and cross-cultural communication skills.

While on gap, working abroad allows you to immerse yourself in diverse work environments where practical skills and knowledge are gained. Whether you're interning at a multinational corporation, teaching English in a foreign school, or volunteering with a local NGO, the hands-on experience you acquire can pad your resume and set you apart from other students upon your return.

One of the most rewarding aspects of working abroad during your gap year is the opportunity to immerse yourself in a different culture. This firsthand exposure can broaden your worldview and help you develop invaluable intercultural skills that are highly sought after in today's interconnected world.

Like an internship abroad, the opportunity to teach abroad is a surefire way to make your gap year memorable while gaining valuable experiences.

Here's why teaching abroad is an excellent choice:

Teaching abroad presents unique challenges that foster personal and professional growth. This experience boosts confidence, leadership abilities, and global awareness, preparing you for future academic and career endeavors.

Teaching programs often offer housing, meals, and a stipend, making it an affordable way to explore new destinations. By teaching English or volunteering in schools abroad, you can immerse yourself in local communities and experience cultural exchange without a hefty price tag.

Teaching abroad will give you the opportunity to engage with local communities and positively impact student lives along the way. There are few experiences as rewarding as entering a new community and learning cultural norms, all while having a crucial role to play for the community. Overcoming these challenges will increase your cross-cultural communication, adaptability, and understanding of the people and world around you.

Although your sites may be set on a global experience, don’t overlook the opportunities to gain meaningful work experience right in your backyard. For example, working for a community organization during your gap year can be just as enriching as spending the time abroad.

A few reasons to consider this path include:

Beginning your post high school journey by working for a local community organization is a way to begin your career before your peers. While your friends are stuck in a classroom learning theory, you will be on the front lines organizing events, managing projects, and learning how to be an effective leader in the real world.

Contributing to a community organization allows you to give back to the community that shaped you. These efforts will strengthen the fabric and heritage of your community and set an example for generations to come. This could be the time to “do something different” that you need, or the beginning of a career centered around public service.

In a rapidly changing job market, acquiring a trade or specialized skill can be a career-enriching way to spend your gap year that could pay dividends well into the future. This is a legitimate way to start your career, or a way to gain more hands-on skills that you can continue as a hobby, side business, or for your own around-the-home benefits.

A few reasons to consider this route include: 

There is a growing opportunity in the trades due to a shortage of skilled laborers entering the field. If college isn’t an easy decision for you, taking a gap year to explore the trades could be for you. Whether it's coding, graphic design, plumbing, or culinary arts, acquiring a trade can open doors to lucrative career opportunities in high-demand fields.

While higher education is often touted as the only path to success, it's not always the right fit for everyone. For some, pursuing a trade or specialized skill offers a more direct route to a fulfilling career. By investing your gap year in skill development, you can gain valuable experience and credentials without the price tag of a traditional college education.

Investing time in your craft as a content creator is an interesting and less talked about gap year pursuit for those with an interest in the creative arts. Journalism, graphic design, video production, and more are in-demand needs that have a low-barrier to entry, and that can quickly become a paying career.

Here’s why taking a year to sharpen these skills could be for you: 

The need for content creators has never been higher. Better yet, there is a low barrier to entering the industry, meaning all you need to get started is the desire to start and an internet connection. You can build your own audience around a niche that interests you or develop general content making skills to leverage via your own business or eventually in the workplace.

Storytelling lies at the heart of all content creation. It’s also a valuable skill that will impact you in all facets of life. Outside of the practical uses of storytelling–blogs, social media, video productions–the practice can sharpen communication, elevate your confidence, and increase likelihood of success in your career. Afterall, success requires strong communication–and storytelling is the most effective form of communication. Former gap travelers share their perspective on content creation here.

Another idea for self-motivated students is to spend your gap exploring sales and entrepreneurship. Learning to sell is crucial to educational and career success; while building a business is a crash course in the skills necessary to excel in your personal and professional life.

Here’s a few more reasons why this could be for you:

Selling is as valuable and universally applicable a skill as there is. Sales forces you to learn effective communication, be comfortable with the uncomfortable, and gain empathy for people while understanding the problems they face. Sales jobs often require no experience and are a great way to spend a gap year before college.

To sell a product or start a business you must put yourself out there–you must take a risk. While not everyone needs to be the next top salesperson or entrepreneur, there is no better time to develop a level of comfort with risk than immediately following high school. This will make it easier to make hard life decisions, adapt in times of uncertainty, and participate in activities that are outside of your comfort zone.

Diving into sales or entrepreneurship at a young age should expand the size of your network, which leads to new friendships and career opportunities. Ultimately, selling requires tenacity and the ability to forge new connections. If done well, it will lead you to learn about the world around you and find opportunities that are reserved for the doers.

That concludes our 10 most impactful activities you can engage in during your year away from school. Note that this is not an extensive list–there are theoretically endless possibilities for your gap year–that’s exactly what makes deciding to take a gap year so difficult and equally invigorating when you find the right path. Remember that this is an ephemeral moment in time, so be introspective, challenge yourself to think outside the box, and find the confidence to step into the unknown. As they say, the greatest things in life sit on the other side of fear.