When senior Roman Preu was imagining traveling the world after graduating, it was something he didn’t think that he could actually accomplish. But one day when Preu and his best friend senior Will Turner were together, Turner’s dad brought up the idea of a gap year.
Maybe traveling was more than a dream.
Next year, these best friends will be taking a gap year to travel the globe before returning home for college.
They don't have a real itinerary, they’re instead planning on going to different cities spontaneously, according to Turner. They plan to visit Austria, Germany, England, Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Croatia, Greece and Japan. Preu is most excited to explore nature — whale watching in Iceland or climbing Mount Olympus in Greece — while Turner is looking forward to the nightlife in Tokyo.
“We're planning on staying at least 12 months in Europe,” Turner said. “We're going to be in one of those countries for more than a month if we enjoy it a lot. I think we’ll probably add a country on [the trip] from the people we meet.”
They plan to stay in Airbnb's for around one month in each country because it's the most financially efficient option for their travel plans.
Both Preu and Turner can see themselves living outside of the United States in the future if their plan goes successfully and they connect with a certain country.
“I think that the main thing is that if our work does well I like to joke with my mom and say, 'I'm thinking of staying there for the rest of my life,'” Turner said.
Turner has been out of the country once, but for Preu it’ll be his first time. He hopes that by taking this gap year he’ll be able to experience more culture outside of Kansas.
“I've never experienced any other culture except for what’s in the United States and that's not a way for you to live your life." Preu said. "You need to go and experience new things and new people and different kinds of people to understand that you're not the only type of person in this world.”
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