<p>I have felt the way you are feeling throughout my ENTIRE college career, and looking back on it, I think it would have been a good idea to take a gap year. The good news is that you have a year to figure out what you are doing, but you need to take action now. Either apply to schools or carefully plan a gap year with lots of details. If you wait to make a decision, your decision will make itself, in my experience.</p>
<p>For ways to travel affordably/make money while traveling, check out- helpx.net and here is a link to a helpful article I found: <a href=“42 Ways You Can Make Money and Travel the World - Wandering Earl”>http://www.wanderingearl.com/42-ways-you-can-make-money-and-travel-the-world/</a></p>
<p>I think that you do seriously need to consider that what your parents want does matter. It isn’t true that you can’t go to school after taking a year or two off, you just need to be serious about making it happen and have a plan so that you and your parents feel secure in the fact that you will eventually get a degree. One year off may be easier for them to stomach than two.</p>
<p>If they are the people who will be paying for college, then you do need their approval with whatever you do! If they are paying for your education, then they are really giving you a huge gift and you need to respect their wishes. If you decide to take a gap year and you can’t convince them to accept it, then I say go for it, but don’t expect them to fund you or ever pay for school in the future, that’s not fair.</p>
<p>And as another poster mentioned, if you do end up going to a 4-year university, traveling will be possible through your school. I studied abroad for the same cost as my university at home (not counting the plane ticket). Studying abroad was literally the best part of my entire college experience, and it’s a cheap way to travel, so don’t discount that opportunity when making your decision!</p>
<p>And if you really want to experience another culture/country, have you considered applying to a European university? In some countries in Europe, university is free or very close to it.</p>