Will rising costs see less students taking gap years?

It’s not a cheap undertaking, is a gap year, costs can range from £3,000-£4,000 that’s before taking into consideration extra activities where you visit and if you don’t work whilst travelling. This coupled with rising tuition fees in the UK seems to be leaving students unable to afford to take a gap year either before they start university or after.

A recent study has revealed that 37% of 18-24 year olds wanted to take a gap year, but couldn’t afford to, whilst 20% were planning on deferring a gap year until they were older and in a better financial position. The research, undertaken by My Voucher Codes also found that most students were planning on taking their gap year after they had been to university rather than before, hoping their finances were better after their 3 years at university. However that may be wishful thinking as debts from university can quickly mount up. However some state that if you have a gap year on your CV where you undertake charity work, or other jobs whilst traveling and broadening your horizons can be favourable for potential employers, compared to those who haven’t.

But what knock on effect could we see from this? Many people in places such as Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India thrive on tourism and a lot of tourism from these regions come from people taking gap years, eager to learn about new cultures and help out people in these areas. If we see a drop in the number of students visiting whether to work, trek or just explore these areas it will have a knock on effect with the locals who need the money they bring in and we could also see a drop in what can be provided for tourists.

Certainly waiting until your older and in a better financial position could be a good idea, however the older you get the more responsibilities you may find you have, from job to family, a mortgage and even pets. The lack of responsibility when young is what makes taking a gap year easier, but just the costs seem to be prohibitive now.