A gap year sounds almost too good to be true to most of us. It’s a year spent between high school and college traveling the world and soul searching. Learning a new language or new slang. Falling in love with an exotic locale (and maybe a few new strangers you meet along the way). And the most important part: bragging to all your friends about it.

Being immersed in a strange new place, even if it’s as close as Alaska summer jobs is exciting, but don’t book that plane ticket and pack your suitcase just yet. How do you get a work Visa if you need one? Where do you live? What will you eat? Most important, who’s paying for it? If not planned just right, a gap year can be detrimental to your career and the rest of your working life. Here are some benefits and drawbacks to make sure your year of exploration goes smoothly.

Benefits

A gap year (a year-long break between high school and University) has been popular in Australia and the U.K. for decades. Americans are just now starting to dip their toes in the uncertain waters – Harvard and Princeton both recently started encouraging these years. Princeton even went so far as to implement a ‘bridge year’ which allows you to work in the public sector abroad for a year before entering as a freshman. A year spent traveling and working odd jobs leads to you being more ready to face academic pressures later on. It’s all about getting on the fast-track to maturity before entering the collegiate world. A well-timed break also allows students who didn’t get into their dream school another crack at the admissions process. Plus, you get to see the world while everyone else is hitting the books and taking finals.

Drawbacks

A gap year does have a few drawbacks. You’ll be away from family – so far away in fact, that you might not be able to call them every time you need something. And you thought living in those dorm rooms was going to be hard! Don’t go for the year abroad if you catch homesickness easily. It’s also super expensive. Your parents, even if they’re insanely wealthy probably don’t want to pay for it because they were raised to believe that you have to go right from school to more school or to work. Expect to kick in some cash whether it’s for your airfare or living expenses. There goes all that graduation money.

Final Thoughts

If you have the money, the time, and the resources do it! When you get older and have a longer list of responsibilities, a gap year is nearly impossible.