When you go through high school and you’re about to go to college, the temptation to chuck it all in and run around the world for a while is real. When life is stressful, the same temptation is there. And do you know what? You should go ahead and do it. Whether you want to experience new pastures or you want to see some of the seven wonders of the world, taking a year out just to go a little nuts and find your wings can be the most therapeutic thing that you can do for yourself.

There’s nothing wrong with taking a year out, either. You could find that long distance moving ends up in your future as a result of your exploration year, which means that it could be the best thing that you ever do for that reason alone. Taking a gap year out of life can be a huge challenge, but it’s one that you really should embrace. Here’s why!

Learning a Language

You may be able to pick up a whole new language when you’re going abroad. You make an investment in your own education when you learn a new language, and it’s an exciting thing to do with your time. You canlearn one or two languages and learn to talk like a local!

A New Environment

Is there anything more exciting than the rewarding experience of being in a new place? You will learn how to adapt to new environments and explore new places. The unfamiliar can come to be the new familiar no matter where you are in the world, and this will change your life.

You’ll Learn About Yourself

Being abroad in a new place can encourage you to get to know yourself a little more than you do now. You’ll learn what you can take and what you can’t stomach, and you’ll learn how to become far more self-reliant.

You Can Volunteer

If you’re going abroad, you might enter one or two volunteer programs, and it’s these that can teach you how to recognize your privilege and make the most of the time you spend with those less fortunate than you.

You Can Embrace a Second Home

Even if you don’t move abroad or you don’t buy a home abroad, you can embrace a second home in life in a new country. It’s the place you head to as soon as you can and it’s a place with which you become more familiar. You can build far more relationships and make new friends in this new location, and it’s somewhere you know you can go back to whenever you want.

You will never regret it. Taking a year out to enjoy yourself and travel is going to be a life changer for you, and you will never regret the time you spend on yourself. If you end up going through a few rough patches, it’ll be this experience that teaches you how to deal with any situation and stressor in life.