Some young people look forward to a year of travelling, a 'gap year', before they begin work or university and see it as a chance to broaden their horizons. For others this is an expensive waste of time.

It is often argued that a gap year allows students to go travelling without restriction before entering the workforce or university to pursue a large amount of higher education, whereas others say that this travelling is costly and time-consuming. This essay will first closely examine both viewpoints before concluding that I agree with the former. […]