Gap year

Oh nooooo! Don't do it!!!! You'll get robbed, killed, eaten, raped, arrested, kidnapped and have to eat foreign food. Maybe not even in that order. Better to stay at home, save your money, focus on getting a nice safe job and forgetting the outside world exists.

Now that we've got that out of the way ....

After university, you will have a ton of debt and be under pressure to find a job in a hurry. Need to get your feet on the career ladder. But you will (possibly) be more mature and able to take care of yourself. Maybe you'll be more "rounded" and ready to appreciate whatever sights and experiences the places you visit will have to offer you.

If you go travelling before university, you will do a lot of growing up before you resume studying. Some people say this makes you a better student, and more employable afterwards. You should also consider that the world has been pushing you to specialise and choose your path, whether they phrase it as "following your passion" or "finding a good career", for the last 10-12 years. And you're making decisions that have massive impact on the future direction of your life, without any real-life experience to help guide those decisions. Do you think it might be helpful for you to have a taste of what's out there before investing a lot of time and money to study the field you have chosen? Is it possible you may want to change your mind when you come back?

(Or is it possible you will fall in love with a Thai ladyboy, join a revolution, get sidetracked by opportunities in Guatemala, or any one of a hundred other distractions, and not come home?)

Thanks for the response :)
Do you think it will be a problem though while i travel ( thought about going to europe first ) if i wont be not 18 yet ? i have a late birthday and only turn 18 in November

personaly since outside world will still be there but education opportunity is not myself not having the luxury of getting a chance at uni education would opt for the chance to attend uni, that's after 50yrs travelling off and on between work ( but I had in demand work skill ) with uni under your belt many oversease jobs pop up in teaching English etc but uni is key.

not being 18 could be a bit of an issue in some places. Big question is of course - where will the money come from?

plenty of chances for long holidays throughout your life. If your uni degree will be something in science or maths, a year mucking about on beaches will leave you very rusty. If it is an undemanding subject, it matters less.

I already have a summer job lined up to raise enough for a 1 or 2 month trip around september - october so that wont be an issue. what issues could i have if im not 18 yet and since i was thinking about studying physics how could the gap year affect my studies ? can prevent getting rusty and still take the gap year ?

I want to thank you chris ( i felt like my first thank you wasn't enough ) your response has given me much to think about and you make many good points , and although i have been having alot of doubts over my future for the past couple of weeks i am certain that i will travel and most likely before university ( even though i am not 100% sure abou the second part ) thank you and may you roam the thorntree forums for years to come giving needed advice to beginners like me :)

A few countries (eg Bulgaria) don't let their own citizens leave without parental permission, if they're under 18. As a foreigner passing through, I doubt anyone is going to care. There are no other real restrictions that I'm aware of, other than the obvious ones concerning alcohol and tobacco.

Stay away from booze and tobacco, son! It's bad for you. That's just my advice, you can make your own decisions!

Hey I'm thinking about the same thing! I won't be 18 until next December but most people I've asked said it should be fine, most hostels let you stay if you have like a parental consent letter or something. Where are you thinking about going??

since i don't have enough money for a long term thing plus i already live in Greece i was thinking Portugal and Spain , then to Slovenia and maybe Croatia and Bosnia and maybe also Italy. The Netherlands would also be nice to visit , although thats just generally speaking i still don't know what the hell i am going to do xD maybe i decide to go somewhere else too if i find the money. It all really depends on whether i will be 18 yet and on my budget