When I look back on my 20s, I can proudly say that I did a good job with exploring the world as much as I could. I did a semester in Orlando Florida, worked as an au pair in Australia, worked in London for a year and even travelled to India for 3 weeks with 29 other travel writers. That being said, now that I’m in my 30s there are certain trips (or ways of travelling) that I wouldn’t do again. Even though I wouldn’t sleep in a hostel or take a 8 hour overnight coach, I’m still glad I experienced it at the time as it made for some good stories! If you’re here looking for some inspiration for your next holiday, here are 8 types of trips you should experience in your 20s.
I also want to say that even though these trips are all suggested for your 20s, they are types of trips you should keep up even in your 30s and 40s.
1. A Solo Trip
As daunting as it might seem, going somewhere on your own can feel quite liberating. Not only can you explore a place on your own schedule and don’t have to make compromises, but the planning process will be a lot smoother as you won’t be waiting on payments from friends/family or have to miss out on activities you want to do. If you’ve never travelled solo before, I recommend starting small and flying somewhere like Rome or Madrid and see how you get on.
2. Cruise
You’re probably thinking, isn’t this a trip I should save for when I’m retired or have kids? I thought the same, having only been on one cruise when I was 16. Then a couple of years ago I went on one with my family and found it such a fun experience as an adult. The cocktails are great, there’s adults-only game shows on and lots of entertainment on during the night and day. More so, Virgin Voyages offer adults-only cruises and are also tailored to young adults. They host a lot of themed parties and also give you access to all of their restaurants in your cruise fare. A great choice if you’re a foodie! If you're not sure which cruise is for you, check out my beginners guide to picking a cruise line.
3. Girls trip
This is one that most of you might have already crossed off your list, but if you have friends who also enjoy seeing the world, make it a point to plan things together. When people get in relationships the default for many is to take every trip with their significant other, but it’s important to still keep up those trips with your friends! The memories you make will last a lifetime, and you’ll find yourself laughing at things that happened on your trip 10 years later. Having said that, getting the trip to leave the group chat is sometimes the hardest part!
4. Family trip
As we get older a lot of us tend to prefer travelling with our partner or friends, but try not to forget about your family either. As an example, every year my mum, sister and I make a point to take a long weekend trip somewhere. Usually to explore one of Europe’s Christmas markets. If you no longer live with your parents or don’t see your siblings very often, this can be a great way to reconnect and make memories together.
5. Backpacking
Now with this, you can go as hardcore as you want with it. Some people choose to interrail through Europe with a 60L backpack and book their hostels along the way, but I was way too Type A for that and always planned my itineraries and booked things in advance. The great thing about staying in hostels in your 20s, is that they’re a great way to meet people and they usually host tons of events. Bar crawls, pool parties and also excursions. If sharing a room with strangers isn’t for you, don’t fret as many hostels offer private rooms too.
6. Volunteering
If you want to do something rewarding whilst also exploring a new country, there are plenty of opportunities you can find online for volunteering abroad. Often referred to as a homestay, you can live with a local family and won’t have to pay for food and lodging in exchange for some volunteer work. This could be anything from helping at a school in Cambodia, teaching English in Vietnam or helping at an eco farm in Colombia. A popular site to find opportunities like this is Workaway.
7. Study abroad
If you’re currently enrolled in university, then definitely try and find out if your university offers a student exchange programme. When I studied at Bournemouth University, there was an opportunity to do a semester abroad at the University of Central Florida and I enjoyed every minute of it. I made such great friends and it was also interesting to get a taste of how different ‘college’ life was there. What’s best is that there usually aren’t any extra fees to pay, as you will pay your university tuition fee back home as normal.
8. Living abroad
If you can afford to and don’t have any baggage stopping you, I highly recommend living abroad even if it’s just for 3-6 months. Not only will you grow as a person and expose yourself to different ways of living and thinking, but you’ll get a big sense of freedom. We are such a small community in Gibraltar which is great but also there is a bigger world to see out there. I did a working-holiday year in Australia and I loved it, had it not been for Covid and the visa length I
could have easily stayed a couple more years. That being said, coming back to Gibraltar I realised that in comparison to all these countries, we have it easy here and a good work/life balance. We sometimes take it for granted how easy it is to grab a drink with a friend after work, or how we can get to a beach in 20 minutes.
I hope this article has inspired you to travel more, whatever your age is!
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