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Gap Year – What’s it all About?
A gap year is most often used to describe a break between High School and tertiary education, a refreshing break away from stress and pressure, learning a bit more about who you are and where you want to be. But it’s not just for the young and hip - more and more people are taking a mid-career gap year, or even a pre-retirement taste of freedom! Got young kids? No worries, bring them along - they’ll love it!
Traditional “gapper”
You’re probably aged 17-19 and travel with money you have saved from a job after school and/or with the assistance of your parents, yeah, bleed them while you can!
This is a great chance to break your mother's apron strings for the first time or to take advantage of the break in your studies between school and higher education; you can come back to that any old time.
It’s your gap year!
Spend time in New Zealand from anywhere between one month and a year. If you are 18 or over then apply for a Working Holiday Visa.
Student “gapper”
Study break, or OE, call it what you will. You have been studying too long and hard. You deserve a break. You are most likely aged 20-26, have recently finished, or are part-way through your tertiary studies and are again travelling with your own money saved from a job and/or with your parents’ assistance. This is a great time of life to travel - it’s so easy to do. You have no real long-term commitments such as children or a mortgage, so come to New Zealand now!
Besides, taking a gap year is seen by employers as a huge advantage and is almost becoming a must on your C.V. Lets face it, it's an important part of your education.
Also in this group are those of you who have worked for several years in a job, or job training such as an apprenticeship. You too can take a year out; you have to owe it to yourself. Those of you who are smart, will get two. One for Aussie and one for New Zealand. Go for a couple of years, what the hell. Once you start travelling as a backpacker you will find it hard to stop - two years will fly by.
Help yourself to a working holiday visa as well. These are definitely for your age bracket. Just make sure you get the New Zealand Working Holiday Visa before you leave home.
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Mid-career break
You might be aged 26 and over. You are generally in trade or a professional, who after studying for a number of years and then working for a number of years, is financially secure and in a role that is in demand back in your home country. Now that you are all set, you are finding that it’s not all that's it made out to be ("is that all there is?"). You’re thinking back about the things you missed out on in your all too recent youth and that the two weeks’ package holiday is just not making you fizz anymore. Take a year or so off to experience the world. Rent the house, sell the car and that's enough to get you to New Zealand. The job can wait, or another will come along when you get back anyway. If you own your business then let the second-in-charge take over for a while; they would love the responsibility. If you don’t do it now, you might never do it. Life is short - do it!
Those of you who are older than 26 and under 30 you can also get a working holiday visa so use this if you are a little short of making the house payments. If you’re over 30, it may still be possible to get a seasonal work visa , but make sure you do this before you leave home. Seasonal work visas are primarily for people coming to New Zealand to work, but they allow time to holiday as well! Check out the New Zealand seasonal work register for available jobs.
Don't let the fact that you have children put you off either. Many, many people bring their young ones along for a Kiwi adventure! New Zealand is well set up for travellers with young children and your family will love you for it.
Late career / retirement
You are at a life stage where you can afford to take some time out. You may even be retired. You are financially independent and perhaps wanting to recapture your youth, or live out your lifetime dreams of travel. You have seen your children (or even grandchildren) head off and travel the world with a backpack - so can you, and rightly so! If you can do without life's luxuries to make those dollars go further, you are in the right mindset.
Most backpacker accommodation in New Zealand affords all life’s essential comforts. There’s no need to be uncomfortable; you can nearly always have a private room or unit; just remember to book ahead. Come backpacking - you’ll be joining one of the fastest-growing groups of people adopting the backpacker travel mentality and they are having huge amounts of fun. Remember age is not a barrier - you don't need to have a backpack to be a backpacker!
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