Of course you can travel at any age, to wherever you want, for whatever reason, but like most things in life, timing is everything, and if you want to find the ideal time to head off and travel the world, then yours 20s is perhaps the best bracket.

Why?

Well, generally speaking, in your 20s you have less responsibilities. Of course this isn’t the case for everyone, as everyone’s lives run at a different pace, but on the whole, your 20s are about experiences, learning, making mistakes, learning from said mistakes, and on the whole just being a little selfish because, well, because you can basically.

There’s nothing wrong with this, in fact it’s to be encouraged!

Seeing the world whilst you have no ties is the best way to truly drag every last drop out of the experience, because believe me, travel gets harder as you have more bills to pay, more responsibilities, and more people to please. If you get the opportunity to be truly selfish and to throw caution to the wind whilst seeing some amazing things and enjoying amazing experiences, then go for it!

Another reason? Well, you never know who you might meet. You could meet a new lifelong friend, you could meet someone who encourages you to act out a long-forgotten dream, or you could even meet the love of your life, and travelling at this carefree stage of your life allows you to act out on any of the opportunities or situations which arise as part of meeting these people and experiencing these changes in your life. Your 20s are about trying things out; yes, some of the time those things won’t work out, but so what, you did it, you learnt, and you won’t regret not trying it. However, what if those things do work out? Your life could alter and change for the better.

Now, it’s worth pointing out that all of these things could happen if you went travelling in your 30s, 40s, or even your 50s, but the fact remains that when you are in the midst of your 20s, your youth, you will have a sense of adventure and a sense of nothing being impossible, because you don’t have those ties, and you don’t have those responsibilities that come as you get a bit older. Travelling in a carefree manner simply gets harder the older you get; that’s not to say it’s impossible, but you could argue that it is a little less enjoyable because of that little voice at the back of your head.

So, if you’re sat there wondering what to do with your life, and you have a growing travel itch that you’re desperate to scratch – go for it now. There are countless opportunities available to you in this age bracket, and plenty of companies online who will be able to help you with gap year and career break adventures; take advantage of their experience and use it to your benefit.