Most of us are familiar with the concept of a gap year, a supposedly life-changing few months in between schooling and higher education common for teenagers looking to 'find themselves'.
Not many are brave enough to take that same 'gap' in the middle of their career – but I couldn't help but try it. I was given an offer I couldn't refuse to spend a week in the heart of Kenya and complete a half marathon for the charity Compassion, a humanitarian aid charity that works for children in poverty.
I wasn't going to be gone for a full 52 weeks of fun, but even a short break as jam packed and busy as mine was long enough of a taste of the sweet life. And funnily enough just those few extra years of maturity helped me to enjoy the experience so much more – so here are my top six reasons to gap year once you've finished adulting.
1. You understand how life works and have a wider perspective
Students go off on gap years to learn who they really are and who they want to be. Surrounded by tempting influences, engaging in bad behaviour to test the limits, and meeting hundreds of people all over the world – it's not surprising the whole experience does make you 'grow up'.
So when you've passed that youthful point in your life and you have a better idea of what you want, it's the perfect time to travel the globe and get to know more about the world we live in. I decided to head off to Kenya a year into my first full-time job – and I couldn't have timed it better. Not only was it a welcome break from London and working life, it was an opportunity to completely switch off and totally immerse myself in the culture, joys and woes of another country. In my teens, perhaps I would have struggled with the extent of poverty in the areas I visited – but just an extra year or too made the difference in processing this difficult time, and others felt the same way too.
Not only that, but having a knowledge of how the world works, which is vitally picked up in the workplace, helps you come up with solutions to problems in these areas, or suggest alternative ways of thinking.
2. You can make a difference with your time and money
Students these days may have a lot of time to play around with, but money is always tight, with most teens living on a small budget. So saving up for a gap year can be tough enough, but then fundraising on top of that to make a difference to people's lives can appear like an impossible feat. However, when you have a career, which often brings with it a stable income and some disposable cash, you can give more of your assets to those who are in need of it most. And although mission trips aren't supposed to be about your money, giving donations, buying presents and ministering to the needs of people living in poverty will massively extend your experience.
Similarly, even though work life might seem busy, an organised adult schedule has more room for slotting in fundraising activities as well as raising awareness, both inside and outside the office. You may be more likely to divide your time better before you head off, especially like me if you're opting for a trip with some sporting activities that require hefty training. A half marathon, full marathon or more in the African heat shouldn't be done straight off the bat, so with a little grown-up hindsight, you should be able to fully prepare.
3. It's not about partying, and you aren't afraid to get involved with the nitty gritty
Many students are itching to head off to a destination where they know they'll get a chance to party. Hard. And some of us may still want to visit the local bars to taste their finest tipple when travelling the world, but we can also moderate this with the stuff that's more difficult to see. 'Gap years' sometimes lend themselves to focusing on having a good time – and while a mission trip or adult gap year should not be dreary, you do know where to set your priorities.
In Kenya, it was important to me that I remained thoughtful at all times, and though it didn't stop me from visiting the hotel bar with friends, I certainly wasn't scared of talking about what we had seen that day. With growing up can come confidence that will help youdish out food and drinks for children, get down and dirty playing games and hold hands with kind strangers without a second thought. While travelling with others can lend itself to fantastic friendships, some of the best memories you'll be left with on your return from your trip are those that required you to overcome something.
4. There's less to worry about when you get back
Going off on a gap year is stressful as you're essentially leaving behind lots of plans that need to be made: university, work, possible love interests. As much as you can forget your troubles for a year and deal with everything later, you're leaving plenty of decisions like which university you might want to study at or where you want to work until very late.
And although going in your more mature years may mean suspending your job, leaving behind your children or not seeing family for a long time, at least you know what you're coming back to. Being in a strange country and experiencing foreign things is hard on your mind and body, so it's always good to know that your normal work life will be there when you get back. It'll actually help you cherish your normal work life even more, as although like everyone else you won't want to return to normal life, you'll have a lot more appreciation for everything you've got sorted out.
5. You may have more wrinkles, but you're more in your prime than ever Youngsters might have the upper hand when it comes to speed, as they tend to be more lively and still have some childlike energy. But that doesn't mean that you can't compete because you're actually more in your prime than you realise, with a stamina and determination you may not have had before.
I may still be quite young, having completed my first half marathon in Kenya at 20 years old, but my running partner Michelle was more than double my age. And it doesn't stop there; we even had some people pushing themselves to walk half and full marathons even though they were grandparents. It's not all about bodies either, as mental endurance and strength are just as important as having the physical prowess to keep up with locals, like we attempted to do when running in Kenya. The mental strength of adulthood, whether that be from work, becoming a parent, marriage or experiencing loss, is an invaluable asset not only to yourself but also to those around who need it – and there surely will be those. Wisdom most definitely does come with age, despite what most of us probably said against it as teenagers, so using your life experience will help you to maximise the new memories you make.
6. You might even still have the potential to learn something new
Those in their late teens or early 20s will probably tell you they're looking to escape to see new horizons and learn new things. Just because you aren't as young as they are doesn't mean you aren't allowed to have the same experiences – and you might surprise yourself and find out something new about yourself. For me, it was that I don't hate running as much as I used to claim when I tried getting out of school cross country – and that it's a great way to explore your own town, or the wilderness of Kenya. Experiencing new cultures isn't something that isn't limited by age either, so anyone and everyone can enjoy travelling the globe at any time.
And of course, even if you've been all over the world, every trip will bring with it something that you've never seen or heard before, especially a mission trip where you'll really get stuck in to daily life.
If you're interested in taking your own gap year at any age, check out the mission trips organised by Christian organisation Compassion UK to Africa and South America. Click here to read up on next years trip to Rwanda, where you could join me running a marathon through the wilderness of Kigali.
