What to Know About a Golden Gap Year — and How to Take One

Traveling for a year can help bring clarity to transitional life phases

an illustration of a woman with luggage standing in front of a cityscape

A golden gap year is when you dedicate time to your personal growth through travel at age 50 or older.

Derek Abella

Cheryl Maguire,

AARP

En español

Published August 15, 2024

When her marriage ended, Camille Rae, at 53, was searching for answers.

“Sometimes when you’re thrown into one of these storms in life, you’re just not quite sure which way to turn next,” she explains. While researching ways of coping with her new circumstances, she found a podcast about how to reboot your life — the concept is based on rebooting a computer. She liked the idea of starting over and decided to spend a year traveling.

Now 56, she says, “The physical distance gave me the perspective and the clarity that I needed. So that when I did come home, I really did feel like I had that reboot.”

Camille Rae sitting in a red car in Havana

Camille Rae traveled for a year after her divorce. Her excursion took her to Havana.

Courtesy Camille Rae

Rae is one of many people who embarked on a golden gap year. Like a traditional gap year taken by high school graduates before entering college, a golden gap year is when you dedicate time to your personal growth through travel at age 50 or older. Taking a golden gap year can be considered a luxury, as a survey of nearly 4,600 people ages 18 and up, conducted for Northwestern Mutual by the Harris Poll, found an average nest egg of $88,400. Yet, many Americans say they will need nearly $1.5 million to retire.

“The idea is to find a new spark in life, and it’s often a great thing to do during a transition,” says Doni Belau, 61, the founder of the travel company Girls’ Guide to the World. “There’s a clarity that comes to you when you go away,” she says.

aerial view of a beach in Algarve region of Portugal

Camille Rae also traveled to the Algarve region of Portugal during her golden gap year.

Courtesy Camille Rae

Aiden Freeborn, the senior editor of The Broke Backpacker, noticed the trend of taking a golden gap year while organizing group trips to Pakistan around 2019. “It was more common to find people who were [in their] 50s [and] in [their] 60s backpacking into places where we were,” he says.

This may be due to different factors. After the pandemic people realized the importance of traveling now instead of waiting, explains Sarah-Leigh Shenton, director of marketing at travel company Red Savannah. She adds that people tend to be more active later in life as well. Another factor in the move toward taking a golden gap year is due to the changes in how people retire. “Whatever your idea of an old-fashioned retirement is, it doesn’t sound fulfilling to most of us,” says Belau. She explains that instead of moving to a warmer climate to retire, many people are interested in traveling and having adventures.

An additional difference in retirement is the extended time frame. “People are gradually retiring now. They’re not just stopping at a certain day,” says Angela Rice, the cofounder of Boutique Travel Advisors. This change allows more opportunities for longer periods of travel and a chance to figure out how you want to retire during this transition phase. There are also more people retiring now, with about 4.1 million Americans expected to reach the traditional retirement age of 65 this year, according to the Alliance for Lifetime Income.

We spoke to travel experts who offered their advice on how to have a successful journey during your golden gap year.

1. Create a mission statement

Many people embark on a golden gap year of travel during a transitional period in their life in hopes of figuring out their next steps for retirement or from a change in relationship, such as divorce or death of a partner. One way to help achieve your goals during this time is to create a mission statement that defines your purpose and provides “a guiding light for the year,” Belau says.

2. Meet up with friends and family during your year of travel

If you haven’t seen some of your friends or family in a while, planning to meet up with them during your year of travel is a great way to reconnect. Research has shown that connecting with friends can help improve your quality of life, so incorporating them into your trip may enrich your journey. While planning her trip, Rae intentionally stopped along the way to see friends.

3. Consider downsizing before your trip

Downsizing to a smaller home and decluttering before your trip will mean that you will have less to worry about while you are away. “I literally got rid of everything. It was quite a liberating experience,” Freeborn says.

Understanding your travel personality, whether it’s adventurous or relaxing, is key to a successful golden gap year.

Getty Images

4. Understand your travel personality

Traveling usually involves getting out of your comfort zone. There are different types of travel to match your personality, such as adventure or wellness. Consider these options and your personality when planning your trip. If you are unsure about your travel personality, you can take an online test to figure it out.

Freeborn says a key personality trait when traveling for extended time periods is being open to trying new experiences. “If you’re someone who’s very closed off and into your routine and into your preconceived worldview then you’re probably not going to like [travel] that much,” he says. He adds that patience and a willingness to sometimes forgo comfort is also beneficial.

5. Budget for emergencies and serendipity

Before traveling, create a budget for the year. While doing so “you probably want to have a little extra money in your bank account in case you need to come home unexpectedly,” Rae says. Also, consider setting aside money for splurging on unexpected experiences. “If the budget is planned properly, it will cover the costs of the journey, but it will also allow for serendipity to kind of step in and present a few wonderful opportunities along the way,” Shenton says.

One way to save money through the travel year is on your accommodations. Freeborn explains that even though most people consider hostels to be for younger people, there are hostels that cater to people who are interested in sleeping instead of partying. He suggests searching hostel descriptions for words such as “quiet” or using travel websites that review hostels and explain their target demographics.

6. Research visas and travel or medical insurance

If you are traveling outside of your home country for an extended period, research necessary visas and fees for each country you plan to visit. Next year, Belau says, Europe is going to require U.S. citizens to get a travel authorization, or European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) access. You might need to apply for visas for some countries about 30 days before you travel there, she says.

You also want to have travel or medical insurance. Rae says that while she was in Vietnam, a woman fell and required surgery. “Make sure that you’re prepared in case something does happen,” she says.

Journaling helps you document your journey and share the memories with family and friends.

Getty Images

7. Document your journey through journaling

During your trip you can journal about your experiences. “It’s a really good historical record, as well as [a] personal record,” says Shenton. You can share your journal with your friends and family when you return from your trip and also refer to it for your memorable experiences.

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Cheryl Maguire is a freelance writer whose work has been published in The New York Times, National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Parents Magazine, Healthline and many other publications. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.