NEW YORK, June 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
A recent survey*
announced today from Booking.com, the global leader in connecting
travelers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay,
reveals a third of U.S. students, aged 16 to 18, are considering
taking a gap year in between high school and college, following in
the footsteps of one of the nation's most admired teenagers,
Malia Obama, who decided to take a
gap year before starting Harvard in
2017.
A growing trend among U.S. students is to take a year off to
travel after high school rather than waiting until they have
finished college. Over half of those surveyed (58%) know of at
least one person intending to take a gap year in the future.
Whether they had been accepted to college or not, nearly half of
those surveyed said the main reason they are considering a gap year
at this point in their lives is to figure out what they want to
study (46%) and to gain life experience (46%).
It seems girls are more likely to see a gap year as a great
opportunity to work and save money (62% vs. boys 55%) and 18 year
olds are most likely to take a gap year in order to gain life
experience (50%), but 45 percent also said that they would like a
gap year in order to figure out what they want to study in
college.
The students selected Europe as
the most popular choice of destination (57%) followed by the
USA (32%) and Asia (30%). If they were going to travel,
visiting cities is the first choice across all age groups and
genders (72%), followed by beaches (52%) and mountains (22%).
Overall, students feel that taking a gap year would give them
time to consider their career goals (68%) and develop professional
skills (56%), and almost a third (28%) consider taking a gap year
to gain real life experience. For many young people, gap years
allow headspace to gain real clarity on their future and the survey
shows that the majority of students have their resume at the front
of their mind when they make the decision to take a year out.
The trend for taking a gap year before college or university is
one that's been around for many years in European countries and is
so well engrained in society that it's considered an asset to
potential employers. Booking.com's recent research in the UK**,
where it questioned those responsible for hiring staff, revealed
that two-in-five (39%) think that life experience - such as a gap
year - sets applicants apart from their competitors. The most
appealing type of gap year for an applicant to have taken would be
professional or with relevant work experience, with 72 percent
agreeing. However, over one-in-three would still consider someone
who had travelled for pleasure during their gap year to be
appealing as a candidate. And interestingly, one-in-three
recruiters (32%) would choose an applicant with a relevant gap year
but fewer relevant qualifications over an applicant without a gap
year but with all the relevant qualifications.
Todd Dunlap, Managing Director,
Americas from Booking.com commented: "As our young people are
becoming more globally minded it's interesting to see how this
impacts their travel decisions. Whether they want to take time out
to consider their future, travel and see the world or take on
specific work experience, the research shows it is going to enhance
their career long term. There are so many unique opportunities
available all over the world, from structured gap year programs,
volunteering or simply traveling the world, all of which will
inevitably shape your personal growth and in turn enrich your
career path."
*Booking.com polled 250 male and female US students aged
16-18 in June 2016
**Booking.com polled 200 employment decision makers in
June 2016
About Booking.com:
Booking.com is the world leader in booking hotel and other
accommodations online. It guarantees the best prices for any type
of property - from small independents to five-star luxury. Guests
can access the Booking.com website anytime, anywhere from their
desktops, mobile phones and tablet devices, and they don't pay
booking fees - ever. The Booking.com website is available in 42
languages, offers over 955,000 hotels and accommodations including
more than 460,000 vacation rental properties and covers over 92,000
destinations in 224 countries and territories worldwide. It
features over 95M reviews written by guests after their stay, and
attracts online visitors from both leisure and business markets
around the globe. With over 19 years of experience and a team of
over 11,000 dedicated employees in 176 offices worldwide,
Booking.com operates its own in-house customer service team, which
is available 24/7 to assist guests in their native languages and
ensure an exceptional customer experience.
Established in 1996, Booking.com B.V. owns and operates
Booking.com™, and is part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN).
Follow us on Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest, like us on Facebook,
or learn more at http://www.booking.com.
Media Contact:
Keri Prestia
Harrison & Shriftman
kprestia@hs-pr.com
Joseph Moscone
Booking.com
joseph.moscone@booking.com
SOURCE Booking.com