Vagabond generation (4)

Back to reality

Fan recorded his 380-day gap year with writing and photos on his Sina Weibo page. Thanks to his almost 3,000 followers and local media coverage, Fan has secured a book deal to document his life-changing experience. When he finishes the book (he estimates it will take three more months), he said he will finally get serious about looking for a job in his home province.

Despite the exciting opportunities now being afforded him, Fan can't help but compare himself to his peers who didn't take a year off since gap years are not yet the norm in China. Fan sounded envious while talking about his classmates' achievements over the past year. Some had started their jobs with a monthly salary of 2,000 yuan, but were now able to make 5,000 yuan. "I have to start everything anew," he acknowledged.

Sun, who regularly receives a large number of requests from young people inquiring about gap years, shares similar views with Fan. As thrilling as his experiences were, he still needed to find a way to get back to a normal life.

After the gap year, Sun was lost and uncertain about his future faced the dilemma of kicking off another vagrant journey or moving to Japan to be with the girlfriend he met during his travels. Harnessing the do-anything spirit of his journey, he took the plunge and moved to Japan, and has since become a freelance writer and photographer.

"A gap year is a process of examining, understanding and finding yourself, and improving your skills to help with your career," he said.

No one-size-fits-all gap year

Sun's book helped launch a whole new segment of travel writing, with fresh titles from new gappers hitting the shelves regularly, including one in March called Gap Year, a Girl on the Road, already a bestseller.

Despite the fact that his own writing career was born from this trend, Sun disagrees with the notion that a year living as a vagabond should be prescribed to everyone.

"Some media reports are unreasonable, saying everyone needs a gap year, which isn't true," said Sun, who is currently writing and traveling in Indonesia. His second book, Life after the Gap Year, will hit shelves, in Chinese only, on July 1.

"Not everyone needs it and it doesn't mean your life isn't complete if you don't go through a gap year," said Sun.

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