For years, there’s been a constant battle between travelling and your education. You’ve probably been in many arguments with friends or family who try to convince you that you should do one of these options. Typically, when you finish school, you’re left with the option of going to university. Or you can take a year out and go travelling. Some people think this is a bad choice as you can get out of the studying zone and never return. As a result, you may hinder your career prospects.
On the other hand, if you don’t travel when you have the chance, you’ll never get to visit loads of great countries. Is it worth sacrificing an education to travel the world? Some say it is, some say it isn’t.
Well, this no longer needs to be a choice! A lot of things have become clear in the last twelve months, one of which is that education and travel can live side-by-side. How is this possible? Well, allow me to explain:
Online education is more accessible than ever before
Previously, if you wanted to go to university, you’d have to physically go there. As far as online courses went, there was a small variety. Now, the number of online courses has increased dramatically. You even have places like Deakin University Online offering Master’s Degrees that are fully available online. Ironically, this has stemmed from the coronavirus outbreak that closed schools across the world. It meant that lecturers and teachers had to find new ways of teaching students. Thus, the idea of virtual lectures came around.
Even as some institutions have opened up, many lectures are still holding talks over Zoom. It’s seen as a more convenient way of doing things, and the videos are saved for later use. So, if you miss a lecture, you haven’t the full recording to catch up on. This means that you can travel the world while still being in university at the same time. All you have to do is find a course that’s 100% online and doesn’t require your physical presence.
From here, you can arrange your travel itinerary around your study schedule. Spend time in your hotel making lecture notes, write your assignments on the beach, etc. If you have a laptop and an internet connection, you can stay in touch with your education. Who knows, the added freedom of being on holiday could help you be more productive?! The bottom line is that you can still pursue an education while travelling at the same time.
Travelling opens up career opportunities
Another argument is that travelling opens up multiple career opportunities for you. You might spend some time in one country and get offered a job. This happens when people do volunteer work or get a part-time job to fund their travels. You demonstrate your abilities to an employer, and they like what they see. As a result, you have an offer for a full-time job with excellent benefits.
If you’d gone to university, you would’ve missed out on this opportunity. Specifically, it shows that travelling doesn’t always hinder your career. You don’t have to worry about missing out on things if you go abroad for a year or two. If anything, it can land you with more experience than if you stayed at home and went to a university.
Consequently, you can argue that travelling is an educational experience. You learn new skills, find new passions, and become a more cultured individual. So, while you’re not learning in a traditional sense, you’re definitely gaining new knowledge. Therefore, you should stop viewing travel as the opposite of education. It’s something that can exist alongside it and provide you with a different view of life, as well as some new job opportunities.
To summarise, there’s no need to make a choice between education and some travel experience. They aren’t as separate as people think. It’s well worth considering the first point if you want a uni education, but also want to go on a gap year. With online courses, education has never been more accessible. You can literally learn on the go, which is something you couldn’t do before. It’s also worth pointing out that a university education isn’t the only approach you can take. Think about other online courses that provide you with worthwhile qualifications. You can do these while travelling, ensuring you have a productive trip.
Overall, don’t worry if people make you feel bad about travelling instead of going to school. As you’ve seen, it no longer needs to be a difficult choice.