Jump to content

Menu

Traveling after college graduation and before working/adulting commences: then v now


Hoggirl
 Share

Recommended Posts

Have your kids done (or do they plan/hope to do) extensive travel in between college graduation and commencing work?

 

I was off about a month in between college graduation and beginning work. I took a week-long trip to Florida during that time. That was it for travel. The rest of the time was spent at home with my parents getting things together for the move to my first apartment.

 

It seems that many graduating college students (ds included) want to do extended, foreign travel before commencing their jobs. Will yours? If so, where do they plan to go and how will it be funded?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it's like study abroad. Some students have access to larger amounts of money for travel than others. I would think most college students do not have money for extended travel unless they are highly motivated and know how to travel very frugally.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a friend who traveled extensively between college and her Sept start date at her first job.  Her parents had told her that once she graduated from college she was welcome to live in their home for 6 months during her adult life.  That could be all at once or broken up over a period of time.  So, if she needed a place to stay for 3 months while a house was being built, for example, that would be 3 of the 6 months.  She didn't want to use any of her 6 months up right out of college.  She realized that she could backpack across Europe for less money that it would be to rent an apartment for 3 months before her job started.  

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Extensive abroad not Canada, no..hard to get last minute cheap flights and most of the friends aren't wealthy so the cost of a passport plus flight was too much. They are taking a couple of weeks to do national parks before starting jobs. Many do not have jobs, and are using the time to find internships while working. Mostly funded themselves. The wealthy friends already have traveled extensively abroad...that is their life.

Edited by Heigh Ho
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the timing of traveling between graduation and working is great, however, many don't have the finances to do so. I would not spend money that you don't have and if there is any college debt, I'd consider you not to have the money to travel.

 

A decent break at home with family and maybe a little travel is nice before starting the next phase of life.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My ds did, but he was married and had had a job during college too.  He graduated, they both quit their jobs, and they took a repositioning cruise from Columbia to Portugal, which took about two weeks.  From there, they flew to the Azores Islands, where they stayed another two weeks.

 

Then back to reality to move to a bigger city and find better jobs.

 

Their trip was quite inexpensive.  A repositioning cruise is when they take a cruise ship back to its main destination without all of the stops.  I think per person, theirs was about $350, if I remember correctly!  That was for almost two weeks, meals included.  On the Azores, they stayed in an inexpensive airbnb.  For airfare, they had built up points.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

DS21 is saving as much money as he can from his internship this summer. He hopes to use some of it to travel around Central America for at least a couple of weeks between graduation and starting a full time job.

Yes, my ds is doing the same. His goal is to be able to max out his Roth this year and next and have money to do a friend group trip. It's still a long ways out and some other things have to fall into place for all that to happen financially for him. And, they aren't always the best planners (lol) so we'll see. They travel cheaply once they get where they're going, so I would think the getting there part would be what will be pricey. Interesting about the repositioning cruises!

 

I do think the later start dates for jobs are different than my era. There also seems to be much more flexibility with that. It was pretty standard for my friends who had jobs to start the Monday after Independence Day. Ds had a friend who graduated in 2016, and I don't think he started his job until mid-October. It makes logistical sense. The ability to travel uninterrupted for two-three months once truly launched would seemingly (and, honestly, hopefully) be rare.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, my ds is doing the same. His goal is to be able to max out his Roth this year and next and have money to do a friend group trip. It's still a long ways out and some other things have to fall into place for all that to happen financially for him. And, they aren't always the best planners (lol) so we'll see. They travel cheaply once they get where they're going, so I would think the getting there part would be what will be pricey. Interesting about the repositioning cruises!

 

I do think the later start dates for jobs are different than my era. There also seems to be much more flexibility with that. It was pretty standard for my friends who had jobs to start the Monday after Independence Day. Ds had a friend who graduated in 2016, and I don't think he started his job until mid-October. It makes logistical sense. The ability to travel uninterrupted for two-three months once truly launched would seemingly (and, honestly, hopefully) be rare.

 

When DS did study abroad last summer he spent most of his weekends traveling around Europe, often by himself. He's an extrovert, so I think all of us were surprised to find that he really enjoyed traveling alone. Thus his plan to go it alone to Central America. My mommy worry meter doesn't like it, but . . . he's an adult and it's his money. He used his own money on his weekend trips around Europe, too. And became quite the expert at finding cheap flights and hostels. ;)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My daughter will probably not have much time to do anything.

 

Graduation, take NCLEX (nursing licensing exam), and move cross country.

 

She's already traveled a ton (and been to Europe & Asia) so I don't think she'll feel like she's missing out. Plus all of her friends are nurses or going to medical school so no one will be available for a trip most likely.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 years ago I traveled to Europe cheaply and many of my friends did the same. We stayed in cheap hostels or purposely took overnight trains so we didn't have to pay to stay anywhere. I don't know if travel can be done as equivalently cheap today. I don't view such travel as a big luxury for a spoiled kid.

1.Travel is a good thing and can help a person understand the world in a way that watching the tv news or searching the internet cannot. 

2. The break between college and full time employment is often the last time in a person's life they have time to devote to an extended trip without any responsibilities (spouse, children, job). 

If the chance is available to one of my dc I'd absolutely encourage it. I'm not sure I'd be able to help them. My dd is researching teaching English jobs to travel after college. 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went to France to teach English after university, and ended up traveling across many parts of Europe and the Middle East during school holidays (including both summers). I lived at home during university, and had some funds saved up from summer and part-time jobs to supplement my income from teaching. 

 

Dh spent a few months working for an NGO in Costa Rica, then almost a year traveling around Central and South America. 

 

Ds22 seriously considered taking a year off after graduation to travel and work abroad. Several of his close friends have gone ahead with it, but Ds ended up beginning graduate school right away. Last summer, he spent about 7 weeks traveling in Southeast Asia. My FIL gave him some money toward the trip, and he drained his savings account to cover the rest of the costs. He had already been awarded a decent graduate scholarship and had a research assistantship lined up, so it wasn't completely reckless. When he finishes graduate school he wants to work somewhere interesting, but I don't think he has any intention of delaying work to travel. 

 

Ds18 hopes to travel and work in Australia for a year after graduation, but that's a long way off. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ds did a quarter abroad. He traveled a lot on weekends. Truly amazing how cheap airfare is within Europe! Stayed in hostels. I think he and his crew would like to go to Asia. We aren't contributing financial resources for this - it's all on him. But, I was thinking a new piece of carry on luggage might make a nice graduation gift. I'd let him select what he wants. Or maybe give him a new piece to have AFTER he returns. To replace the one that gets all beat up on the trip!

Edited by Hoggirl
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My brother went abroad for two months after college. He had almost no money, so he lived on air his senior year (literally, he ate one meal per day for several weeks before graduation after the dorms stopped serving food......) My parents gave him the plane tickets as a graduation present, and he hosteled around Europe and had a great time for next to nothing. (He skipped the museums except for the free ones and focused mostly on hiking. He bought a Eurail pass that provided transportation, and he lived on cheese and baguettes!) It can be done, but it requires plane tickets and a lot of self-discipline.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ds just left for two weeks of backpacking through Italy. He graduated this year but has worked throughout college to afford this trip. He is coming back to a job (not his dream job but a job). He did move back home but is paying rent. We will discuss how long he stays after he gets back. I think this trip is really good for him. We can't really help out other than letting him stay here for a while. My one regret is not traveling when I was young. We have 2 more in college this year and twins heading off next August. I hope they can all go somewhere before they get bogged down.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Have your kids done (or do they plan/hope to do) extensive travel in between college graduation and commencing work?...

It seems that many graduating college students (ds included) want to do extended, foreign travel before commencing their jobs. Will yours? If so, where do they plan to go and how will it be funded?

 

 

I wrote this reply back when this was a new thread, but it was a night that the board went down. When it didn't post, I copied it and planned to post it the next day. Next day...next month, oh well.

 

My recent college grad is spending the summer travelling to 10+ countries on three continents, plus some time in Central America. She is paying for most of it herself; but one trip was partially paid for by grandparents as a graduation gift and one was a extended family trip that was paid for by family. (She missed a similar trip a few years ago while she was interning. This trip was planned knowing it may be the last trip she takes with the extended family.)

 

She paid for the trips with money she saved during three years of interning. She had an on-campus research job that she used for spending money, so summer money was put into her IRA and saved for travelling, she spent some of it while studying abroad junior year. (Her scholarship covered tuition/housing/board; I covered the plane ticket; and she covered the extra traveling.) While studying aboard, she decided to go to graduate school abroad. Then she received a job offer at the end of her internship that required she start in 2017. So, she requested a fall start date and is travelling between graduation and starting her career.

 

 

 

Yes, my ds is doing the same. His goal is to be able to max out his Roth this year and next and have money to do a friend group trip. It's still a long ways out and some other things have to fall into place for all that to happen financially for him. And, they aren't always the best planners (lol) so we'll see. They travel cheaply once they get where they're going, so I would think the getting there part would be what will be pricey. Interesting about the repositioning cruises!"

 

I do think the later start dates for jobs are different than my era. There also seems to be much more flexibility with that. It was pretty standard for my friends who had jobs to start the Monday after Independence Day. Ds had a friend who graduated in 2016, and I don't think he started his job until mid-October. It makes logistical sense. The ability to travel uninterrupted for two-three months once truly launched would seemingly (and, honestly, hopefully) be rare.

 

 

I think I started my job around the time your friends did, but I did travel a bit before starting. I went to Alaska with my parents and I went with my soon-to-be husband to visit his parents/hometown. I think there was another trip, but I don't remember where. I did not look for a job until after graduation, but it somehow all worked out.

 

My traveller's opinion was this would be the only time she had both time and money to travel. To keep her trip affordable, she stayed in hostels, travelled by train, bought her food in local groceries, etc.

 

 

 

When DS did study abroad last summer he spent most of his weekends traveling around Europe, often by himself. He's an extrovert, so I think all of us were surprised to find that he really enjoyed traveling alone. Thus his plan to go it alone to Central America. My mommy worry meter doesn't like it, but . . . he's an adult and it's his money. He used his own money on his weekend trips around Europe, too. And became quite the expert at finding cheap flights and hostels. ;)

I was talking about this at a party this weekend, and a woman, whose children are younger, asked, "And you are allowing her to go by herself?" I had to remind the woman that my daughter was an adult, spending her own money. I said it wasn't my place to allow the trip. (I am glad for cellphones. It helped keep the worry away, because she texted most days and called a few times a week using Skype.)

 

I do think traveling teaches some skills that cannot be learned otherwise. I am glad that she has this opportunity.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In DD's field, it's very common to do unpaid field internships where they provide housing and food and you assist in research for a field season. She knows several people who have done so as their college graduation present (you have to pay your own airfare). It's considered a good thing, and is something that most grad programs will happily let you defer a semester or year to do (and if you utterly hate it, it's a good reason to NOT get a PhD in Herpetology!). Which is why DD has moved to Spanish, after years of Latin. She knows of four standing projects in South America that she'd love to do.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

:eek:

 

Damn, don't knock yourselves out, mom and dad.

I don't really see the problem. Why would a grown adult with a college degree need to live at her parents' home for more than six months? Why should her parents feel like they need to house her? Barring something unforeseen like health issues, I would expect most college-educated adults to be living on their own.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't really see the problem. Why would a grown adult with a college degree need to live at her parents' home for more than six months? Why should her parents feel like they need to house her? Barring something unforeseen like health issues, I would expect most college-educated adults to be living on their own.

 

Why should a grown adult with a college degree need to at home for more than six months? Because six months is not a whole lot of time to save money for launching into the world, even assuming you immediately have a full-time job. Not all people are lucky enough to graduate with a firm job offer in hand. 

 

All apartments around here require first month, last month, and damage deposit. That's a nice chunk of change to come up when working an entry-level job. Even roommates don't make housing immediately affordable in every city.

 

Many students go through college without a car, so that would have to be a priority after graduation, and the monthly note will bite into savings ability. The vast majority of American cities lack public transportation, and many jobs specifically require owning a car (that question has been on every job application I filled out after graduation, and it is often specifically mentioned in the job posting). 

 

I graduated during the oil bust, in oil country. I worked, worked, worked, but did not make enough money to go out on my own for much longer than six months. Jobs were scarce, wages were low, and there was no money to move elsewhere. I would have been pretty desperate and panicky with that deadline looming over me, I have no idea what I would have done. Well, I would have gone to other family, lol, but not everyone is that lucky. 

 

Why should her parents feel like they need to house her? I guess I don't feel like I need to house my kids after graduation, but I am happy to do so, just like I would be happy to do so for any member of my family. 

 

When I moved back to our home city before dh was able to, my sister let me stay in her house for more than six months so we didn't have to pay for two apartments. When dh's brother retires, he may move down here, and we will happily let him stay with us for longer than six months. 

 

I would expect most adults, college-educated or not, to be living on their own EVENTUALLY. I think that "six months and you're out" just isn't a very pleasant thing to say, and adds unneeded stress and anxiety for the graduate. I also wonder why they felt the need to express that so clearly and strongly to their kids? Most families have kids who go out on their own when they are able, without the parents making firm deadlines upfront. Yes, if a grown person is taking advantage, give them a deadline at that point. Otherwise, it doesn't occur to most parents to have an official policy, lol. 

 

As a side note, staying at home for even a few extra months is a powerful savings tool. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a friend who traveled extensively between college and her Sept start date at her first job.  Her parents had told her that once she graduated from college she was welcome to live in their home for 6 months during her adult life.  That could be all at once or broken up over a period of time.  So, if she needed a place to stay for 3 months while a house was being built, for example, that would be 3 of the 6 months.  She didn't want to use any of her 6 months up right out of college.  She realized that she could backpack across Europe for less money that it would be to rent an apartment for 3 months before her job started.  

 

Brilliant, but wouldn't solve the problem for recent graduates who don't have upfront money.  

 

I'd be really tempted to tell them, "Mom, Dad, I know you may need some help as you get older, and I wanted you to know that you will always be welcome to stay with me. For six months." 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...