Close
Search
Menu Menu

What are ‘adult gap years’ and why are they on the rise?

Credit: Unsplash
By
London, UK
0 energy + Add Energy
What is energy?
Want to show your appreciation? Give an article “Energy” and it will help us know what you like.
0 comments
0 comments

Most commonly a pre-uni rite of passage for teens and people in their early 20s, putting everything on hold to travel the world is fast becoming a trend among older generations looking for a break from the relentless nature of life as a grown up.

Typically associated with the brink of adulthood, a gap year is a period of development for those with the time and resources to travel, volunteer, or simply rest before pursuing higher education or entering the workforce.

In some countries, it’s even considered a ‘rite of passage’ for teens and people in their early 20s who aren’t quite ready to exist in the real world yet and who need twelve months of wandering freely about the globe to feel prepared to do so.

Putting everything on hold in order to orchestrate a bout of introspective self-searching no longer pertains to the youth alone, however, with ‘adult gap years’ (additionally known as mini-sabbaticals) increasingly common among older generations looking for a break from the relentless nature of life as a grown up.

Escalating in popularity most significantly after the pandemic – which prompted many of us to question whether hustle culture does in fact suit us – the trend sees anyone who can’t be classed as Gen Z or Gen Alpha step away from the routine to recharge.

From quitting a job to taking leave to going remote in an unfamiliar environment to live a different lifestyle, adult gap years are wide-ranging – and widespread.

What they share is a desire for freedom, but beyond this are numerous benefits including space to reflect on the path that’s right for you as well as an opportunity to improve your mental health and overall wellbeing.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by BBC News (@bbcnews)

After all, one of the primary drivers of this phenomenon is dealing with the burnout we’re experiencing more prevalently as a result of the pressures posed by climate change, inflation, and armed conflicts that only appear to be getting worse.

‘I wanted to know what it would feel like to just be without any worries, without feeling like I needed to check my email or that someone was going to call and want something from me,’ Amber J. Adams told Condé Nast Traveler in 2021.

‘It’s a chance to press reset on your life,’ echoed Roshida Dowe in the same interview. ‘It’s a good opportunity to be with yourself without any outside influences and spend that time figuring out: if you could be anyone, anywhere in the world, who are you? Where are you? How do you spend your days?’

Of course, a mini-sabbatical also allows for exploration, adventure, and new connections, can be a reminder that humanity is still out there despite how often our doom-inducing newsfeeds suggest otherwise, and helps boost the economies of the places we visit through tourism.

This doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been a backlash against it, however.

As many have drawn attention to, adult gap years are for a privileged few, and not everybody can afford the financial luxury of abandoning all responsibilities and embarking upon a journey abroad with no concrete end in sight.

‘When gap years were first invented, in the Seventies, they were for middle-class eighteen-year-olds to “escape” from gilded lives which most average tykes would run towards open-armed,’ writes Grace Dent for the Independent.

‘Do Africans really deserve a legion of post-youth listless busy-bodies arriving to ‘save them’ because we can’t decide on an emulsion shade for the box bedroom and have now realised modern life is rubbish?’

So, although the narrative has evidently shifted, and chasing insouciance for a while isn’t solely for those without family commitments, mortgage payments, and a 9-5, it’s important to bear in mind that cost is an obstacle for people considering an adult gap year.

That being said, the mental health crisis doesn’t seem to be disappearing any time soon and there are, according to Stephanie Perry – a specialist in aiding black women with career breaks and moving abroad – creative ways to circumvent budgeting issues.

‘I thought for sure people who travelled long term were all trust fund babies,’ she told Associated Press.

‘But housesitting is the reason I can work very little and travel a lot. It can be accessible to all.’

Feature Media Manager & Senior Writer London, UK

Sofia (She/Her) – I’m the Feature Media Manager and a Senior Writer at Thred, specialising in exclusive articles and live interviews, fashion and beauty with a focus on sustainability, women’s rights, psychedelics, and Latin America. I studied Spanish at the University of Exeter and International Journalism at City, London. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

Popular

Keep up with thred by signing up to our planet-positive newsletter!

More from thred.

Netflix’s undisclosed AI use sparks debate on media manipulation
Credit: Thred
Media

Netflix’s undisclosed AI use sparks debate on media manipulation

Netflix has come under fire for including undisclosed AI imagery in a new true crime documentary. The backlash has sparked important conversations around media manipulation.  Like it, fear it, or loathe it, AI is now a part of our everyday lives. From education to entertainment, artificial intelligence is only set to keep growing, shaping nearly every aspect of our interaction with the media. But these changes call for boundaries. Both AI’s...

By Brighton, UK
‘Bionic eye’ solves mystery of Plato’s final resting place
Credit: Thred
Offbeat

‘Bionic eye’ solves mystery of Plato’s final resting place

Italian researcher, Graziano Ranocchia, may have finally solved the mystery of Plato’s final resting place. An AI-powered ‘bionic eye’ scanned a 2,000-year-old carbonised scroll written around 348 BC which pinpointed a specific location in Athens. The mystery of where one of the world’s greatest philosophers rests may have just been solved – by a machine, ironically. The burial of Plato, arguably the most revered of the foundational thinkers of Greek philosophy...

By London, UK
Nature has officially become a musician
Credit: Pexels
Media

Nature has officially become a musician

As part of a new campaign, nature has been recognised as an artist on major streaming platforms, including Spotify. Royalties will go towards supporting climate action initiatives across the globe. Temperatures are rising, habitats are diminishing, and glaciers are melting at an unprecedented rate. As the climate changes, the Earth’s suffering continues to reach new heights, and the reality that we’re running out of time to do something about it becomes...

By London, UK
What is the ‘Dead Internet Theory’ and is it real?
Credit: Thred
Offbeat

What is the ‘Dead Internet Theory’ and is it real?

With the ceaseless growth of AI since 2022, conspiracies surrounding the so-called ‘Dead Internet Theory’ have grown stronger. First thing’s first, though, what the hell is it and does it have any credibility? Is this an online rabbit hole worth getting lost in? Is it pure storm in a teacup? Did a human even write this article? So many questions. If you spend any significant amount of time on Twitter (X)...

By London, UK
Accessibility