Okay, first of all, I'm not 25 but 21 is a bit of a tight deadline. For some, like me, these are easily achievable when you’re young however for a lot of people these are large far-off milestones. 25 years old is by no means the end of being able to achieve incredible things but for the millennial generation, it seems to be somewhat of a cutoff point at which we must all recklessly abandon childhood and surrender to a life of consumer driven adulthood… just kidding of course. My point being that our millennial generation seems to be most adventure driven, and free to adventure, pre-25.
In essence of that hindered but adventurous spirit hiding inside everyone, this is a short list of things to aim for before you hit that theoretical milestone.
Solo Travel
Airbnb backed research recently found that millennials, in the UK, rank travel over buying a car, buying a home and paying off debt as a financial priority. This is the embodiment of a booming fascination of travel, one that I strongly believe should be enjoyed not only with your significant other but also with friends and family. However spending solo time aimlessly wandering a city, for no other reason than intrigue, changes you. I’m not preaching ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ here but travelling solo encourages self-belief, self-confidence, empowerment and facilitates your ability to make friends and build an international network of people. Everyone has their own style of travel, and solo may not be for all but venturing somewhere without your social comforts encourages you to be you.
For those not so up for solo travel but looking for new friends and an adventure look at Contiki, or wait for no.3!
Live Abroad
This certainly isn’t for everyone, and often comes at the expense of parents. It isn’t something that everyone achieves before their 25 but living abroad teaches you to adapt, assimilate, appreciate other cultures and traditions. You learn faster, make friends and gain unrivalled experiences. Ultimately, being uncomfortable in a new country gives rise to an ecstatic rollercoaster ride that can't be compared.
If you can’t just drop everything and move abroad for a few months, instead search for university abroad, au pair roles, tour guide jobs, seasonal roles in hospitality or roles volunteering abroad.
Volunteer
Volunteering, whether that’s at home or abroad is a massive learning curve. Prime example? I left for
Archelon 2016 thinking I was a great team player and very quickly I learned that I wasn’t. I was a ‘boss’ (or just bossy) and quite resistant to authority, but I definitely learnt to work in a team. Although begrudgingly at first, I learnt to love and enjoy it. I spent my summer making lifelong friends, learning and assimilating into a different culture, learning a lot about myself and finally becoming me. I left on my own, in search of a solo adventure and instead returned feeling more surrounded by friendship, love and companionship than I ever had before. Maybe I was lucky, but volunteering definitely facilitates great journeys both physical and personal.
If you’re in search of volunteering opportunities Google ICS, GVI or look directly at charitable or environmental conservation organisations.
Be Broke Abroad
Granted, this was an accident or rather my mistake. I forgot my pin code and had only 15euro for 10 days in a Greek holiday town. However, this experience regardless of how stressed I actually was taught me to live frugally, showed me the friends I had made for life and lit a fire underneath my feet that made me resourceful, intuitive and smarter. It’s not something I'd ‘recommend’ per say, but it’s definitely something I wouldn’t fear. If you’re lucky to have friends and family like mine that is willing to help in states of emergency (or stupidity) then you’ll be OK. Certainly, don’t rely on this safety net but don’t let it discourage you from travelling!
Learn Another Language
Is an ongoing pursuit of mine, I’ve started and abandoned my fair share of languages more so because I get pre-occupied with life, bored or just overwhelmed. I have always felt a natural aptitude with language and really enjoy learning them. It’s something that has it’s professional benefits but also social benefits, if it’s a country you love or aspire to live in 100% learn a bit, if not the whole, language. If it’s just a hobby to fill spare time then good! Multilingualism has so many benefits and is nothing but an asset. It’s just a race of time in the next four years, for me, to become fluent in another language!
For casual learning look at apps such as Duolingo, cheap phrase books, or weekly evening classes. For more serious pursuits take advantage of free extracurricular courses offered, at your University/College, or paid/accredited courses offered at local language schools.
I hope this inspired you to set some goals, aim for some bigger achievements or helped you make your own list of ‘To do before I’m ….’!