I graduated from high school this past May and am not attending college this school year. I wanted to go to college and applied to and was accepted to several schools, but I ended up not being able to go. I do hope to go to college next fall. Now I basically have a year of free time and I don’t know what to do with it. I know that travel, volunteering, and work are common things for kids to do with their gap year. My problem is that I don’t have any money and I can’t drive. For the past four-ish months I’ve just been spending my time on the computer and reading. I’d like to do something with this year because I don’t think that colleges want someone who just took a year off to do nothing. I would appreciate any suggestions for things to do that are low cost. I’m especially interested in travel, so please comment if you know of any programs that are inexpensive or offer scholarships.
Hi! I’m in the same boat as you (applied/accepted but didn’t end up going and am taking a gap year instead). I’m lucky enough to have an aunt who lives in Europe so I’m staying/working there for a few months but after that I really want to get a job as an au pair - which is basically like being a nanny in a foreign country - you look after the kids and do housekeeping stuff and you get room/board in exchange and usually a small salary. The only thing is that you do have to pay for the plane ticket to get to wherever you’re going. I’ve looked for jobs on greataupair.com before and gotten some good responses.
Another thing I was considering doing is WWOOF where you live on an organic farm somewhere in the world and do chores in exchange for room/board. Again, you have to pay for your own travel expenses, but I was able to get a summer job which let me pay for a cheap plane ticket here, so it totally is possible.
Speaking of which, my summer job didn’t involve any travel but it was a great experience so if you’re stuck at home for the time being I’d totally recommend getting a job. Craigslist usually has some good options and you can also ask the stores around you if they’re hiring.
I really hope that helps! Let me know if you’d like to chat some more - I don’t know anyone else who’s in the same situation as me, and it might be nice to have a buddy to talk to about it 
If you can’t drive, the first thing foe you to do is learn how to.
Figure out if there is public transportation in your area and how it works (if not, perhaps try to mobilize about it).
You can enroll in community education classes (NOT for college credit!) like ASL, etc.
Look for a part time job.
Why couldn’t you go to college - money?