Gap Year Travel in Europe on a Budget
By Josie Herring
During the spring portion of my gap year I spent 2 months traveling solo-ish in Europe. Although this was never in my original gap year plan, I had to rearrange my plans quite a few times and it is where I ended up and I am so grateful that I did. This past year was a weird time to take a gap year with ever-changing COVID restrictions, war, and multiple other factors. Not only did I get to learn about the world and myself, but I also learned the importance of going with the flow. I’ve always considered myself to be a flexible person, able to move wherever life takes me but in all honesty, this was a totally different ballgame. I had never traveled alone for so long and I had never left home with no idea when I would come back. In March, I booked a one way plane ticket to Copenhagen and packed up my backpack and took off with minimal plans, a tight budget, and no return flight home. I had plans to meet a friend in Copenhagen and then head to Cadiz, Spain to spend 3 weeks at a Spanish school. From there, I had pretty vague ideas about where I would end up. I found this a little bit stressful at first but as I got into it I realized there was no need to be as worried as I was. As soon as my plane landed in Copenhagen, I was ready to go wherever my feet (and FlixBus) would take me.
Semana Santa in Cadiz, Spain
Before continuing, I would like to restate that I did this on a pretty strict and pretty much self-funded budget. I spent a lot of my senior year of high school and the summer after graduation working 40+ hours a week between two jobs, as well as picking up odd jobs like dog sitting and babysitting on the side to make my gap year possible. Before departing for this trip, I had moments of weariness. Did I have enough money to actually do this? Would I be able to make it work on my budget? The answers were yes. In total I had around $6000 in savings when I left and ended up using a little over $5000 for the total 2 months of my trip. There were small sacrifices I had to make along the way such as choosing to take a $15 ten hour bus ride over a $40-$50 six hour train ride or spending less on food (by cooking at my hostel rather than eating out every meal) in order to purchase tickets to see things like The Alhambra in Granada or Belem Tower in Lisbon. In the end, it was always worth it. Maybe I was on a bus for ten hours, but hey I got to see the beauty of the Spanish countryside. Maybe I spent a little less on food some days by cooking rather than eating out, but I got to walk around sites filled with history and culture.
Alhambra in Granada, Spain
Moving on from budgets and finances and to the actual traveling part, it’s safe to say I was pretty nervous going into this trip. I had very minimal experience traveling alone, especially outside of the United States so the idea was pretty daunting at first. I wasn’t solo for my entire trip and met up with friends in a couple different places, but for the majority of the time I was on my own. My main concerns were having to navigate new cities and countries alone and being extremely lonely during the solo portions of my trip. Madrid was the first city I visited by myself and also where I realized there was no need to be as nervous as I was. I immediately made a new friend my first day there and was able to keep doing this for the rest of my trip. Not only did staying primarily in hostels help me to save money but it also allowed me to meet people in every city that I visited. I never felt truly alone because I was constantly meeting new people and spending time exploring new places and experiences with my newfound friends. I even met people that I’m still in contact with and plan to see again even after leaving them behind and returning home.
During my travels across Europe, I saw places I had previously only ever dreamed of visiting. I visited stellar museums in Copenhagen, bustling food markets in Spain, colorful tiled buildings in Portugal, castles in Budapest, and the clearest water I have ever seen in my life in Croatia. I spent a big portion of my trip (3 weeks) at a Spanish school in Cadiz, Spain. I spent each week going to classes in the morning and then exploring the smaller city during my afternoons. Not only was I able to learn and improve at Spanish, but the school also offered cultural activities where we were able to learn about the history and culture of the city and country we were in. I was able to learn and improve my Spanish skills while also getting to form a connection with the city I was in and the people around me. My time at the school prepared me to continue traveling around Spain afterwards as well. I left Cadiz with better (but still not perfect) Spanish and more knowledge about culture and customs in Spain. I found it easier to visit different cities like Granada and Barcelona because I felt as though I was more prepared to communicate and navigate the cities. The rest of my time in Spain was spent visiting centuries old landmarks, art museums such as the Picasso museum in Barcelona, and also eating amazing food. From Spain I headed to Portugal, a country somewhat similar but also totally different from Spain. I spent most of my time in Portugal exploring the most picturesque places such as the Algarve, Jardins do Palácio de Cristal in Porto, and the ancient architecture of Portugal's past.
Lisbon, Portugal
Originally I planned to only visit Copenhagen, Spain, and Portugal but as time went on I was ready to see something new. I found a cheap round trip flight to Budapest with a return flight from Dubrovnik and less then 48 hours after booking it, I was off to a completely different part of the continent. That spontaneous decision is probably one of the best I made during my entire trip. I got to see historical pieces of Budapest and learn more about Hungarian culture. From Budapest I headed to Zagreb, Croatia where everyone was welcoming and kind. During my first day I did a walking tour (one of my favorite activities in any city I visited) and got to learn about the history of Croatia, Yugoslavia, and some of the awesome things we have today that came out of Croatia (electric light bulbs for example!).
Split, Croatia
By the end of my trip, I felt as though I had left a small piece of my heart in every place I visited. After coming home, everyone asked me my favorite place I went to, my favorite things that I did, my favorite foods that I ate, etc. Those questions were extremely difficult to answer because everywhere I went had something different that I loved. Semana Santa celebrations in Cadiz, the Alhambra in Granada, Park Guell in Barcelona, Rua Augusta Arch in Lisbon, the Jewish quarter of Budapest, the old towns of Croatia, and so much more. It’s impossible to pick a favorite place or favorite thing out of all of these amazing experiences.
Fisherman’s Bastion Budapest. Hungary
In the end, I am extremely grateful I decided to take a gap year and for all the places it took me. I am grateful that all of my plans changed and I ended up in places I never planned to visit this year. I am grateful for all the people I met and the connections I created with people from all across the globe. And finally, I am so grateful that I was able to have the experience of traveling alone for the first time. It gave me a chance to spend more time with myself and really evaluate myself. Every person in life builds their personality from the people they spend the most time around and in a way, our personalities are all just little pieces of each other. Traveling by myself gave me the chance to discover more about who I am and what I want from life without the presence of close friends and family from home. While it’s fun to travel with friends and it’s fun to have people to share our experiences with, it’s also liberating to travel alone and amazing to see how you can develop from doing so.
Josie was the 2021 Recipient of the Free to Roam Adventures Gap Year Counseling Scholarship. For details, or to apply click here.
NEW Virtual and Domestic Gap Year Programs for 2020
2020 has been a record year for the gap year as more students than ever before weighed the option of a virtual freshmen year or limited on-campus interaction with a COVID-style gap year. I consulted with more families than ever before from March - September. While not everyone decided that a gap year was the right choice for them, every one of the gap year students I ended up working with has declared that a gap year was the right choice. This fall I have had students participate in virtual gap year programs, in-person structured domestic gap year programs, as well as, DIY or “recipe” gappers who worked on electoral campaigns, worked to earn money, took a class, or volunteered close to home.
Virtual Gap Programs
A virtual gap year program at first seemed antithetical to the entire notion of a gap year, which has traditionally focused on experiential learning. However, program providers have developed some rich and engaging virtual options. These new virtual gap year programs offer students the opportunity to: participate in cultural exchange, language learning, and volunteer placement(s) with US-based non-profit(s); take part in workshops focusing on discerning one’s own values, goal setting, & developing creativity & confidence; hear from inspirational global change-makers, develop leadership abilities through a facilitated course, and form friendships with gap year students from around the world.
Learning to build community is one of the key takeaways I hope for students in their gap year experience, and one many of us have been desperately craving since the pandemic began. I’ve been impressed and inspired by student’s abilities to connect with peers in meaningful ways through virtual programs. One of my clients has taken part in book clubs, volunteered as an English teacher (virtually), and organized a virtual Halloween party with her cohort of gap year peers.
Many virtual gap year options are part-time, so students can combine a virtual program with other experiences, such as part-time work, volunteering, or an internship. A virtual gap program offers both social connection with other gap year peers, as well as, necessary structure and support from program mentors. Students can build around the virtual gap program to fill the remainder of their gap time with in-person experiences that align with their overall gap year goals.
While a virtual gap year program might not be the right fit for every student, they are an affordable, flexible option for students seeking connection and support during their gap time.
Domestic Gap Programs
Traditionally I’ve had very few students interested in a domestic gap experience, (despite my repeating how many WONDERFUL places there are to explore right here in the United States). As we all know, 2020 is not a traditional year. In addition to new virtual gap options, I’ve also seen many trusted providers pivot their focus to offer more domestic options, or offer domestic programming for the first time. Several providers that previously served only high school or college students developed gap programs to meet the increased demand for in-person alternatives to virtual college classes. It has been a busy season learning about all of these new and exciting gap year options!
In-person domestic experiences range from: residence based programs where students live together in a small pod and learn about a specific theme through hands-on experiences (ie. sustainable agriculture in NC or climate justice in OR); programs that involve some wilderness exploration while also focusing on topics such as culture and society along the Southern border or sustainability in Colorado or Hawaii; programs that are primarily wilderness based and focus on developing technical skills, such as, rock climbing, skiing, or backcountry backpacking; as well as, programs that are more travel focused and wilderness-lite where groups explores a region of the U.S. on a road trip visiting National Parks, having adventures with peers while supported by program leaders and developing new skills such as SCUBA certification and campfire cooking.
Many of these new domestic gap options involve some degree of wilderness experience. Some students hesitate at first when presented with a program that involves camping. I encourage students who are interested in the varied themes of a wilderness-lite gap program and committed to having an in-person experience to give it a go. The majority of 18 year olds have not spent much, if any, time in the backcountry, and providers don’t expect students to be wilderness experts. An open mind, a willingness to try new things, and occasionally get out of your comfort zone are the key prerequisites. Both while leading gap year programs overseas, as well as, this semester with my consulting clients I have heard multiple accounts from students who had never camped before, but now, as a result of their gap experience, plan to seek out more camping and wilderness experiences in the future.
Students returning from domestic in-person programs this fall report similar impacts to what I usually hear from students who travel abroad. Students had incredible fun, were challenged, learned to improve their communication skills, increased their maturity & independence, and forged meaningful relationships with their group mates and program leaders. Students and program providers have already managed to turn a challenging year into a growth-filled adventure. I look forward to continuing to support students as we deal with the challenges and adventures early 2021 may bring.