As third year flies past at record speed, and thus the big step into the real world creeps closer, there have naturally been a lot of conversations of post-graduation intentions. Whilst many have plans of further education, graduate schemes, or mapping out the beginning of their career, it’s not uncommon to hear plans of a year out for travels. In this category I include myself, yet when I told this cracking plan to my parents I was met with a less than impressed response. When I say less than impressed, I refer to some gentle suggestions about graduate schemes from my Mum and a full on rant from my Dad culminating in “Why do young people think it’s their right to go travelling?”

I wanted to reply with a well formed argument, ready to make my case and thus pack my backpack to Peru with my head held high. Instead I wavered and didn’t really have a response. Which made me think, maybe he has a point. It doesn’t mean I want to take a year out any less, but the phenomenon of the Gap Yah has somewhat increased the feeling that all of us were born to travel and everyone should have a profile picture of themselves riding an elephant at some point in their lives. Should we not, as many of our parents did, work hard to make our degree count and maybe at the very least acknowledge that we have a huge debt sitting under our noses?

Yes, we probably should. I’m not quite pretentious enough to claim that it’s some sort of right, but I think if you’re willing to work to earn the money to travel, then why not. The career you embark on upon leaving University is quite possibly going to be something you are going to pursue for the rest of your life, and so this weird period of limbo between ‘student’ and ‘career’ may well be the best chance we get to do something as time and money consuming. Furthermore, from the careers events I have attended, there seems to be a general consensus that an employer isn’t going to turn you away just because you didn’t apply the second you left the exam hall.

The tendency to travel has become a stereotype of the student, who let’s face it is most likely middle class and has only experienced self-discovery through ‘finding themselves’ checking in at Phonm Penh on Facebook. But it is a formative experience none the less, and whilst it may not be a right, by the time we leave University we should be able to make our own decisions, and if that means prolonging the student loan repayment for another year then so be it.