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A new study by an independent cruise comparison website has revealed that 19% of 17-21 year olds want to ‘work on a cruise line’ for a gap year, a quarter of which state it is because it would be an ‘exciting experience.’ A further 31% of these would prefer to travel around ‘South East Asia’ during their gap year.
In a bid to discover more about how young people across Britain would like to potentially spend a gap year, a recently launched cruise comparison website conducted a study to investigate the matter further.
The research, conducted by CruiseCompare.co.uk, polled 1,294 people aged 17-21 to find out what percentage planned to take a gap year at some point and how they’d like to spend it. The study found that a fifth, 19%, of the respondents would like to take time out to ‘work on a cruise liner.’
Respondents to the study were initially asked if they were intending to take a significant amount of time out at some point to travel and experience different parts of the world, otherwise known as a gap year. More than two thirds of those who took part, 68%, answered ‘yes.’
The study found that the most desirable way to spend a gap year amongst the respondents who wanted to take one was travelling around ‘South East Asia,’ with 31% agreeing. Second to South East Asia, with 24% of the respondents agreeing, was taking part in a ‘road trip around the United States.’ A further fifth of those wishing to take a gap year would like to spend it ‘working on a cruise liner’.
Of the respondents who admitted that working on a cruise liner would be their ideal gap year, 26% stated that it was because it would be an ‘exciting experience,’ whilst a tenth, 12%, explained that the ‘earning potential’ was their reason for wanting to work on a cruise liner in their gap year.
Furthermore, more than two fifths, 42%, of the respondent agreed that their gap year should be an opportunity to ‘experience different cultures’ with a further 39% stating that they intend to ‘earn money’ when on their gap year. Only 9% stated that it should be a time to ‘relax and unwind’.
Danielle Fear, managing director of CruiseCompare.co.uk, had the following to say: “Many people see a gap year as a once in a lifetime experience and a real chance to experience new countries, cultures and ways of life. Working on a cruise liner would certainly offer the opportunity to visit different countries and some cruises travel the globe for several months at a time; giving passengers and staff a great deal of time to soak up each location that the liner visits.”
She continued, “Travelling around the USA or South East Asia is a very popular choice amongst those who take time out of education to travel, however a cruise allows people to experience several different locations, but with the added security of knowing where you are going to lay your head at night.
“The main priority of travelling is that people are safe and enjoy themselves. It really is a great experience and the locations chosen should be a personal choice.”
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
