Where to go before adulting hits: a comprehensive guide

Travelling before adulting isn’t just an indulgence of wanderlust — it’s a primer for the adult you’re about to become. Every shared meal, cultural experience, and unexpected moment of wonder teaches flexibility and perspective in ways that no classroom ever could. That’s why travel before settling down isn’t just recommended — it’s essential. Whether it’s trekking through East Africa, hopping between Tokyo and Kyoto, or diving into a Southeast Asia loop, G Adventures’ 18-to-Thirtysomethings tours are designed to give you meaningful, life-shaping experiences while keeping the logistics covered.

Why you should travel before adulting

The deadlines, bills, and "can you work late tonight?" emails may be coming, but they’re not here yet. Travel before adulting isn’t just about ticking destinations off a list — it’s about shaping the adult you’ll become. This is your window. Because when you step off a plane after a journey abroad, you’re subtly but permanently changed — more empathetic, curious, confident, and ready to navigate the challenges of adult life with a little more fearlessness. That’s the magic of travel before settling down: you return not only with memories and photos, but also with a stronger, more self-aware version of yourself.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign, this is it. Browse the 18-to-Thirtysomethings trips, pick one that scares you just a little, and book it. Because the older you get, the more you’ll wish you’d said yes while you still could. You’re not just chasing bucket-list adventures — you’re investing in the adult you’re becoming.

Once "real life" comes knocking, it’s harder to say yes to spontaneous plans, budget-friendly hostels, and 14-hour train rides you’ll be laughing about in years to come. Travel before adulting means:

– Spontaneity: You can book a trip because you feel like it, not because you have a vacation request approved six months in advance.
– Self-discovery: Nothing teaches you more about who you are than figuring out the Bangkok metro system during rush hour.
– Cultural immersion: Eat the food. Learn the dance. Say yes to the random wedding invite from your host family’s cousin.
– Core memories: The stuff you’ll talk about for decades. Yes, decades: the tuk-tuk rides, the late-night ramen, the day you finally surfed a wave.

If you’re still a student or in the early years of your career, this is the prime time for pre-career travel ideas: low on commitments, high on flexibility, and rich with stories waiting to happen.

18-to-Thirtysomethings trips

G Adventures offers different travel styles, but if you’re in your late teens, 20s, or 30s, the 18-to-Thirtysomethings trips are made for you. Think high-energy itineraries, local experiences you can afford, and people who also think sleeping in means starting the day at 9:00am instead of lounging around aimlessly until noon. We’re talking about more than 200 trips around the globe, from Southeast Asia street food safaris to epic overland drives through Africa, built for young adults who want to cram their passport with stamps and their feeds with photos before life fills up with meetings, mortgages, and inevitable Monday mornings.

Why this travel style fits travelling before adulting

– Social connections that turn into group chats you’ll actually want to keep alive.
– Authentic experiences such as cooking with locals, catching night trains, and dancing in spots you can’t find on Google Maps.
– Sustainability with purpose, such as the Trees for Days program that plants a tree for every day you travel.

These tours aren’t "sit in a bus and stare out the window" trips — they’re "let’s eat dinner on a rooftop, take a night ferry, and hike tomorrow" adventures designed to inspire and excite.

Top trips for your pre-adulting list

These are the kind of "did that actually happen?" moments that define travel for young adults. If you’re wondering where to go before adulting, these short bursts give you big experiences without needing a gap year.

Best tours for adventure travel

When you’ve got the energy and curiosity to go anywhere, why not push it a little? These adventure travel tours give you experiences you can’t replicate scrolling through Instagram.

Hiking with shepherds in the Balkans

Learn about rural life in Albania, stay in small villages, and eat food that didn’t come from a restaurant menu.

Experience it for yourself on: Tirana to Santorini: The Albanian Riviera & Iconic Greek Islands

Korean culture and soul tour

In South Korea, sleep in a traditional hanok house, learn to make kimchi, and belt out K-pop bangers in a Seoul karaoke room.

Experience it for yourself on: Uncover Korea: K Pop & Hanok Villages

Wildlife trek in East Africa

Spot elephants, lions, and giraffes on safari, understand local cultures, and camp under the stars while swapping stories around a fire.

Experience it for yourself on: Ultimate Africa: Safari Drives & the Savannah

Big thrills and cultural dives

Not every trip has to be months long. Sometimes you just need a hit of adventure between semesters or before starting a new job. These best trips to take in your 20s are perfect when you’re short on time but big on ambition.

Tokyo to Kyoto by rail

See the best of Japan by bullet train. Slurp noodles in Tokyo, see Mt Fuji from your train window, and walk through the red gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto.

Experience it for yourself on: Japan: Tokyo Nights & Kyoto Temples

Paris to Rome highlights

Spend your mornings in museums in France, afternoons at cafés, and evenings with gelato in hand in Italy.

Experience it for yourself on: Paris to Rome: Picnics & Pizza

Costa Rica adventure week

Zip line, surf, and soak in volcanic hot springs — yes, all in one week in Costa Rica.

Experience it for yourself on: Costa Rica: Ocean Waves & Sunsets

Epic, life-changing journeys

If you have the time, go all in. These bucket-list trips before adulting aren’t about squeezing in experiences — they’re about stretching them out until they become part of you. The best part? You don’t need a six-figure salary to make them happen, just the willingness to go now.

Discover Southeast Asia

Take an epic journey through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos, enjoying seasides, street food, temples, and friendships forged over iced coffee at 6.00am.

Experience it for yourself on: Southeast Asia Discovery: Seasides and Street Food

Overlanding through East Africa

From Kenya to Uganda and Tanzania, this is bucket-list travel at its best, with Serengeti and safari drives you’ll never forget.

Experience it for yourself on: East Africa Overland: Serengeti & Safari Drives

See Europe through its cafés and capital cities

Spend almost a month on an epic Paris-to-Paris romp and check an entire continent off your must-do list in one fell swoop.

Experience it for yourself on: European Trail: Capitals & Cafés

Keeping it real and responsible

Every G Adventures trip comes with a side of positive impact. We partner with Planeterra’s G for Good projects to make sure your money benefits the communities you visit — think Indigenous homestays, women-run businesses, and local food cooperatives. Because climate-conscious travellers care about their footprint, the Trees for Days program plants a tree for every day you’re on tour. While you’re ticking off your bucket-list travel, you’re also giving back. That’s the kind of balance that fits perfectly into travel before adulting, because the choices you make now shape the world you’ll "adult" in later.

Planning your pre-adulting adventure

Whether you want quick thrills or deep-dive explorations, there’s something for every budget, schedule, and comfort zone. Here’s how to make it happen without overcomplicating things.

– Match your travel style. Are you in for night markets and nightclubs, or temples and sunrise hikes? G Adventures' tours let you pick.
– Budget smart. These itineraries are affordable and flexible. You can still keep your "ramen noodle" student budget intact while exploring the other side of the world. – It's solo but social. Solo travel in your 20s doesn’t mean you’ll get lonely. You’ll be with other travellers your age who get it, plus a local CEO (Chief Experience Officer) to guide the way.
– Plan enough, but not too much. Lock in your trip, buy travel insurance, and pack the essentials. The rest? Figure it out on the road.