There are a million reasons why you should leave the UK behind you and head for sunnier and more diverse cultures. Unfortunately I haven’t got time to list them all right now, but I have managed to narrow it down to the top 5! Read and be inspired!
1 - There’s no better time to do it.
You’ve just spent most of your life in a public institution, confined within 4 walls whilst enduring hours upon hours of classes and lectures. The next logical step is to get stuck in the 9 to 5 rat race, buy a house and have a family…. or is it!? Give yourself a break…, you NEED to know that there’s more to life than 4 walls!
Seriously though, once you have finished your education whether it’s to A-level or degree level, there couldn’t be a better time for you to go travelling. At this point you’re still young, open minded, and full of life. You will benefit from travel discounts aimed at the under 30s plus you will still be able to use your student card which will save you money on all sorts of activities while abroad. Fresh out of schooling you’ll have no ties, and no responsibilities! Yes, you will have to leave family and friends behind but you’ll be able to entertain them with all your travel stories on your return.
2 - Meeting new people, making new friends.
It goes without saying that you’ll meet loads of new people on your adventures. Either travelling by yourself or with friends or a partner, the friends you make will help keep you sane! Heading off around the world gives you the perfect opportunity to start afresh. Nobody knows you so you should break free from your restrictive personal barriers and get out there and meet people. Most travellers are in the same situation as you, so it’s not hard to meet people.
These people are likely to have very different backgrounds to you, giving you the opportunity to really learn from them. It also goes without saying that meeting all these new people will undoubtedly boost your social skills and confidence in different situations. Invaluable skills for life.
3 - Experience a different way of life
This really is your chance to escape from your comfort zone and experience cultures very different to your own. This may sound daunting at first, especially if you are travelling by yourself, but you will be amazed at how quickly you are able to adapt to these situations. So venture into them with a completely open mind.
You are more likely to benefit if you visit developing and third world countries such as Thailand and India, as you will be entering into a world much different to your own. You will end up appreciating your life back home more, and find it much easier to adapt to difficult situations life may throw at you.
4- Ready you for full time employment
What? You can’t believe that you’ll actually be ready for full time employment!!? Well prepare to be surprised! It’s amazing what a year away from home can do.
Perhaps it’s all the fresh air, but you should return knowing exactly what you want to do with your life and you will have a determination to actually carry it out too! So when you get home, make sure you don’t forget your hopes and dreams, and keep that determination to follow up your aspirations.
In interviews, be sure you speak about your travels with passion and enthusiasm, but also reassuring them that you are happy to be back and ready to settle down (not likely to go travelling again any time soon!) it will reflect well.
5 - Memories for life.
No doubt you will return home with a whole pile of memories and just not enough places to store them! But when you’re feeling low, you’ll be able to remember the good times and how you felt. You’ll be able to tell your children, and your children’s children all about the time you spent travelling the world, so keep hold of those memories! It might be a good idea to keep a day to day diary so if you start forgetting things, you will always be able to refer back to it.