A European Tradition Lands on American Soil
By Julie Grady

The first time I heard about the “Gap Year” was from a roving British bloke in Venice, Italy. He was there experiencing the GY first-hand. Gap Year? I was young. I was American. I was clueless.

With some explanation, he graciously clued me in on the European tradition. Many European teens, fresh out of high school, just pack up and hit the globe for a year before attending university. Traveling – not tourism – was the latest trend in youth predilection.

Four years later, this tradition has hit America, leaving ancient notions of taking a year off before – or in the middle of – hitting the books just that: a thing of the past. The all-too-often parental image of wayward, aimless, unsuccessful teens drifting about the universe before committing to their studies is – thankfully – dimming. More and more young adults are taking a break and shipping out to explore what this world has to offer. And, thanks to popular demand, the website bebo.com, in conjunction with Big Brother, has fueled the traveling buzz through its reality series The Gap Year.

With daily uploads of new video, the series follows six Anglophones for six months during their journeys. From Halloween in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand and training with the Royal Airforce in Cyprus to helihiking in Queensland, New Zealand, the viewers experience all the excitement, joy, and heartbreak of traveling abroad.

“It took two days to find. It’s worth it,” Cara, one of the travelers, is caught saying on tape about her quest to find a Grecian lagoon. More often than not, traveling can be a humbling experience where even the simplest task seems impossible – especially if you’re caught in a country where folks who speak English…or French, or Italian, or Spanish, for that matter…can be hard to come by. Going back to your bunk defeated and alienated can happen on occasion, but finding ways to communicate through cultural barriers produces a high more addictive than anything self-induced.

“I felt like a million bucks. It was me in my own little world…I’m in a beautiful country, a beautiful island. I just feel very refreshed…It’s like it’s a dream. I just need to wake up,” continued Cara ~ after she’d found the lagoon. Conquering a culture, mastering a language, finding travelers’ gems off the beaten path, or even ordering food in a foreign tongue completely different from your own can inspire confidence the likes of which the world has never seen ~ more so than the game winning-goal, more than getting an A on your last exam, and exponentially more than becoming homecoming royalty.

The rollercoaster highs and lows of traveling the world on your own aren’t unlike those of the so-called real world. However, the major differential factor would be the classic fish-out-of-water feeling ~ voluntarily plucking yourself from everything familiar only to land in the center of the unknown has a tendency to heighten your emotions.

Fear, love, elation, anger, loneliness, awe, frustration, empathy, admiration: it’s all there, waiting for you on Bebo in The Gap Year. And, better yet, it’s all here, on this planet. It’s just one plane ticket away.

Visit www.gapyear.com if you’re interested in pursuing a Gap Year adventure of your own: the site is chock full of information and answers to just about any questions you might have on Around the World Flights, Books, Travel Guides, Bus, Plane, Train & Cars, Country Starter Packs, Hostels & Accommodations, ID & Discount Cards, Travel Insurance, Visas, Jobs, Languages, Ski, Snow & Chalet Work, Sport & Extreme Activities, Study, Summer Camps, Volunteer & Eco Travel, Care Work / Childcare, Community Projects, Expeditions, Teaching & TEFL, and much more.

Also check out www.bebo.com/thegapyear.

Photo: Koh Phi Phi, Thailand