How to plan an adult gap year
As the SAR is long known to have a stressed out population, there is an easy antidote for busy, overworked Hong Kongers: adult, midlife gap years. Typically associated with the brink of adulthood, gap years bring to mind 18+ year olds taking several months to travel, volunteer, or relax before pursuing higher education or entering the workplace. But adults can also break the mold by taking a career break at 30 (or any age, really).
Whether you’re stuck in a rut and want a fresh start or are suffering from cabin fever due to the COVID-19 pandemic and like the sound of time off once travel restrictions ease, adult gap years give you the opportunity to reflect on the important things in life. If this precious time away from the 9 to 5 hustle is what you’re after, carry on reading this Pacific Prime Hong Kong article to discover how to plan a career break.
1. Consider why you want a an adult gap year and what you’d like to do during this time
When it comes to a gap year in your 30s or a gap year in your 40s, the details of why, what, when, where, and how vary widely. So make sure you’re clear on the reason why YOU want a gap year and what kind of things you hope to achieve. Perhaps you want to travel full-time. Or you’d like a break to volunteer, learn a new language, write a book, or even just engage in your hobbies. What about the chance to do some freelance work or kick-start a business?
Tip: Make sure you consider pandemic-related restrictions when looking into travel and/or your chosen activity or postpone your plans for when the pandemic subsides.
2. Speak to your employer about taking a career break/adult gap year of some sort
Some adult gap years are in the form of company-approved sabbaticals. If you love your job and/or would like the stability of keeping your job after your gap year, speak to your employer about this. Many employers are open to sabbaticals (as hiring and training someone all over again can be a time-consuming and expensive process) and know how to manage employee breaks.
On the other hand, some adult gap years involve abandoning everything and hitting the road. If time off to reevaluate your life and decide how you want to change it is what you’re after, then perhaps taking the plunge and spending the year without being tied to anything (like your old job) might be the better way to go. Just make sure you’re in a financial position to be able to take this risk.
Tip: If the latter option is what you end up doing, you can also speak to recruiters and other industry contacts before you head out. Keep your CV updated and add new skills along the way.
3. If your adult gap year is about travel, research your destinations in advance
Traveling is one of the most popular gap year activities, but will require a fair bit of planning and organization – especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Are you going to travel full-time or have a base and make trips from there? Will you go to multiple countries or stay in one or a few countries for an extended period of time? Note that quarantine requirements might make staying in one place for longer periods of time a more practical option.
You also need to look into:
- How much is the cost of getting there (visas, flights, etc.) and the cost of living in that location (food, transport, etc.)?
- What activities (or lack of) will you plan to do in each location?
- Where will you stay?
- Is it safe?
- And other factors.
What’s more, you’ll need to tie loose ends at home before you head out:
- If you own a place, do you need to rent it out?
- Where will you store your items?
- How will you organize to receive mail?
- Are there any other commitments you have?
- And more.
Although research and planning is important, make sure you’re also open to whatever opportunities come your way. Remember not to stress about everything you planned to do during your career breaks/gap years and make it all about completing the items on your “to-do list”. This is because the purpose of career breaks/gap years is overall wellbeing, which means your focus should be on your mental and physical health.
4. Figure out how much $$$ you have to spend and create a budget
Speaking of advanced planning, an important consideration is financial. Estimate how much money you’ll need for your adult gap years and how you’ll aim to lower your expenses (if at all). For example, you could look into work-travel programs such as the Hong Kong/Australia Working Holiday Scheme or even ask your friends/connections to host you for short periods of time.
The Hong Kong/Australia Working Holiday Scheme
Fancy going to the land down under? If you’re aged 30 or below, you can earn your way whilst traveling. Under the Hong Kong/Australia Working Holiday Scheme, there is no quota for Hong Kong youths traveling to Australia. That said, the Australian Consulate General requires applicants to provide financial proof of AUD $5,000 for maintenance during their stay in the country.
Either way, you’ll need to sit down and do some budgeting. You can set aside money for major expenses (flights, visas, etc.) and also come up with a maximum spend limit per day. It’s also a good idea to set aside money for an emergency fund as you never know when you might need it. Whether it’s a medical emergency or something entirely unexpected, the last thing you want to do is to scramble for cash and stress yourself out.
5. Secure a travel or short-term health insurance before you head out
As a traveler, you’re often unfamiliar with the country (perhaps even facing a language barrier) and lack a support system there. What’s more, chances are that any subsidized access to the public healthcare sector won’t be an option for you either. That’s why travel or short-term health insurance is recommended for travelers. In the event of a medical emergency, you’ll be able to access high-quality medical care without needing to pay out of pocket.
Tip: Make sure your health insurance plan covers medical evacuations, especially if you’re going somewhere remote, as these can be extremely costly.
For a suitable health insurance plan, get in touch with Pacific Prime Hong Kong today
Whether you’re looking to take an adult gap year or not, you can get in touch with Pacific Prime Hong Kong for all things health insurance. As a global health insurance brokerage, we have over two decades of experience working with the best insurance companies to offer a selection of vetted short-term health insurance, international health insurance, and other health insurance plans.
Our mission is to help people from all walks of life (especially expats and globetrotters) secure the most suitable health insurance plan for their needs and budget, along with providing award-winning customer service throughout their insurance journey. These services include administration assistance, insurer liaison, hospital recommendation, claims and renewal support, and more.
Get in touch with us today for unbiased insurance advice, a tailored plan comparison, and a no-obligation quote!
With over 5 years of experience in the field, Suphanida spends the majority of her day synthesizing complex pieces of insurance-related information and translating this into easy-to-understand, engaging, and effective content across a variety of media such as articles, infographics, whitepapers, videos, and more.
Suphanida is also responsible for planning and publishing three whitepapers released annually by Pacific Prime: The State of Health Insurance Report, The Cost of Health Insurance Report, and The Global Employee Benefits Trends Report. Additionally, she handles the LinkedIn profiles of Pacific Prime’s Founder and CEO, as well as Global HR Lead.
Suphanida’s strengths lie in her strong research and analytical skills, which she has gained from her BA in Politics from the University of Warwick and Erasmus Mundus Joint MA in Journalism from Aarhus University and City, University of London.
Being of Thai-Indian origin and having lived, studied, and worked in Thailand, the UK, and Denmark, Suphanida also has a unique, multicultural perspective that helps her understand the struggles of expats and globetrotters.
Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to new places and immersing herself in different cultures.
- An Overview of Mental Health Resources in Hong Kong - June 11, 2023
- Hong Kong Budget 2023: Eligible residents to receive HKD$ 5,000 to boost spending - February 27, 2023
- Inpatient vs. outpatient insurance: What does it cover and what is the difference? - February 20, 2023
Top 100 Hong Kong Blogs Winner
Comments
Comments are disabled for this post