To describe the gap year as simply a year that a high school graduates takes off to goof around before going on to higher education is a complete misconception. It’s far more than that, even if it does usually give the young person a mental break before their next stage in life. It often involves either traveling or gaining either paid or unpaid work experience, meaning the grad is acquiring new skills, as well as knowledge of a whole different kind.

Why would a student want to take a year or two and interrupt the progress of their education? One of the reasons is that from this point on, they’ll be expected to act as adults in the world, so it’s a good thing if they have a chance to mature. But during this gap year they may also have the chance to learn about other cultures and other viewpoints, which can only benefit them as they return to school.

So prevalent has this practice become that entire organizations have sprung up to help facilitate choices that will most benefit him or her. Everyone from travel agencies to governments seem to have set up similar opportunities. Some countries have arranged exchange programs, and while these may not always have been designed explicitly for gap year work or travel, many who take this year off take advantage of these programs. Australia has the most extensive arrangements, having created working holiday exchanges with countries like Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Norway, Taiwan, and many others. This year can be a youth travel experience that shapes what the young person does for the rest of their life.

Not every culture encourages students to take gap years. Denmark, for example, actively discourages the phenomenon, feeling that their society and economy require students to get into the work force more quickly. So the country pushes them toward continuing with their educational pursuits instead. Nor is the practice very common in the United States, although it is increasing slowly.

But the gap year can be invaluable for both those who participate and even for the colleges and universities they attend when they get back home. Young people with some extra maturity make more responsible students, and often have a better idea of the direction they are taking with their lives. They’ve often spent a year doing something quite good for the world, and their lives in the future can only be the richer for having taken this extra time.