Get a Taste for Living Abroad with a Grey Gap Year!

Gap years are considered a luxury for mainly middle class 18 – 21 year olds who take some time out before going to university or starting a career – however, as we, the slightly older generation know, you never appreciate anything at that age!  So why should a gap year be the exclusive bag of youngsters who won’t appreciate the freedom from life’s cares and won’t appreciate getting to see much more of the world?

According to research by the Halifax, there’s a new generation of Britons actively thinking about taking time out from their everyday lives to explore the world and live abroad for a year or more.  The media are dubbing this demographic the “grey gappers” – so we thought we’d write a guide for getting a taste for living abroad with a grey gap year for anyone seriously interested in taking some time out and exploring new horizons.

The research by the Halifax suggests that up to 49% of 55 to 64 year olds in the UK would love to leave their current life behind for up to a year, so here’s how to get the very most out of a grey gap year, living, exploring and loving life abroad.  You can use is as a forerunner for moving abroad permanently in retirement for example, or perhaps you’ll find that you love life in a given nation so much that you move to live and work there permanently sooner rather than later.

Get Your Finances in Order Before You Go

A gap year for a student can cost upwards of £4,000 according to recent surveys, and because as we all know most students are happy enough living in crumby digs, lets assume that the average grey gapper is going to spend a little more than that when it comes to accommodation and perhaps even modes of transportation. 

So you’re going to need to think about how you will fund your time away.  In the first instance you may well be taking unpaid leave from your work to have time away for travel – in this economic climate some might say you’re mad for considering taking time away from your place of employment, others would point out that a) your boss is going to love not having to pay for you for a year, b) you’re going to come back with an awful lot more to offer the company in terms of your experiences and probably new enthusiasm for life and c), from your own personal perspective you will have gained massive insight into whether living abroad now or in retirement is something you will want to do. 

Therefore this type of insight and experience is invaluable and priceless.  But, how to fund your time away?  Well, the most obvious solution might be to dip into savings, and whilst this can buy you your initial tickets out of the UK, what about renting out your British home to at least cover outstanding bills you may have when you’re away, and it may even provide enough income for you to live on when travelling?

Other options include taking an unsecured loan, living on credit cards, re-mortgaging or working your way round the world on your time off.  Whichever option you decide upon, get your money matters all square and sorted well in advance of your departure date.

Stay Safe Abroad

Getting your essential insurances in place before you go will be another dull but worthwhile task to complete before you go.  So, think about getting a combined travel and health insurance policy that is wholly suitable and scalable for what you have in mind. 

Most travel insurance policies restrict you on the amount of time you can be away from home, and most international health insurance policies only insure you from a static address abroad.  So, have a look at expatriate policies from the likes of BUPA and AXA PPP and other leading names in the private health insurance industry to see whether there is a product perfectly suitable for you.  Think also about getting your life insurance in order – just in case!  And also, if you do rent out your home you’ll need to change your building and contents insurance accordingly – and let your mortgage company know if you have one too.

Use Your Time Abroad Wisely

You may be thinking about taking time out just to travel and visit lots of new and exciting destinations – or you might want to use your time away from home to see whether an international and expatriate lifestyle is right for you.  If you’re thinking of making a permanent move abroad at some point in the future, there’s no better way to decide whether such a move is right for you than by living a real life in a given location for an extended period of time.  By ‘living a real life’ we mean getting to know the realities of a destination rather than just holidaying somewhere and doing the tourist thing. 

There’s a lot more to a country than that which you see from a beachfront hotel – so if you are thinking of making a more permanent move overseas in the future, rent a place and get into the local way of life.  See what a location is like out of season, get to know the local people, their language, way of life and culture.  Determine whether you could settle in and make yourself at home abroad.

Make Sure You Do it All!

Even if you decide that all you really want to do is travel and explore for a year or so, and that a permanent life abroad is not for you, ensure that you see the most of the world that you can in the time that you allow yourself.  There are a myriad of travel sites on the Internet that give you top tips from others who are on their adventures abroad, but also think about using expatriate websites to find out what a country is like from those who live in it but have an international or foreign perspective - as you will have.  Expats are really useful friends to have abroad as they can guide you to the things that you may well fully appreciate as a foreigner in a foreign land.

And Finally…

Blooming well go for it.  There is so much of this world to see and explore and experience – so what if you missed out on travelling the world when you were a student, it is never too late.  And you never know, you may well find a new home, a better home abroad.