Hey guys! I'm currently in my final year of undergrad in Canada and plan to take 1-2 gap years off after graduating to travel and hopefully do a working holiday visa. I'm hoping to hear some advice/experiences doing so before jumping into graduate school or full time work. Most gap year experiences I've found on the internet and youtube are about taking a gap year after high school and not after university. These situations are a bit different (i.e., age, student debt, pressure to work) so I'm hoping to start a discussion for people in my scenario that are wanting to do a gap year after post-secondary school!
Also sorry if the terminology only applies to Canadian/US scenarios, I'm not sure about the equivalents for the UK and other countries!
I finish University next spring and I'm planning to take a gap year or two before I start working. I started saving up money a year ago to afford my trip, and then suddenly I realized that I have to start paying for my student debt. Here in Norway, we can postpone our payments 16 times (yes I know, it's crazy), so I've been back and forth if I should just postpone or do the smart thing and just start my down payment. Regarding age and pressure to work, my philosophy is that I am still young and I should live and travel while I'm commitment-free. I have the rest of my life to work and have a boring life, and although my parents might not see it, travel and working experience from abroad are good on my resume.
Thank you for posting this! I’m also in my final months of undergrad here in the states and one of my biggest concerns is keeping up with student loan payments while doing a working holiday visa. If anyone has dealt with student loans while doing a gap year please share your wisdom haha!