I would go to England and help out more at my church!

Posted by Amy Ward | October 14, 2009 1:37 PM

For my off year, I would be creative in two ways:

1. photography - I would travel near and far and take millions of photos

2. writing - maybe I would finally write that novel I have been thinking about for years!

:)

PS I am in love with the cover of this book! So cute and funny and eye-catching!

Posted by Tiff | October 14, 2009 1:37 PM

I've actually been contemplating taking an off year. At my current rate, it's possible that I could finish high school a year early. I would absolutely love to travel abroad. I've never been out of the US, other than the place I was born and Mexico. If I didn't get to do that, I'd at least like to travel around the US. Route 66 has always appealed to me. :)

But if I do end up taking a year, I will most likely be working in order to save up some money for college.

Posted by Melanie | October 14, 2009 1:38 PM

I put this book on my "must read" list after I read about it in I Heart Daily.

I didn't want to go to college right out of high school, so I took some time off. I ended up working an internship at a local PBS station--40 hours a week, for four months, without pay.

It ended up being an amazing experience!

Posted by Andrea | October 14, 2009 1:49 PM

I'd travel. Japan, Australia, and England are my top three destinations. I'm seriously thinking about doing that once I graduate college...

Posted by Ink | October 14, 2009 1:50 PM

Hurray, Claire! I must read it! My off year: Go to Italy, learn Italian, meet an Italian, stomp some grapes, maybe write a novel, and take ballet. (Random, but it's my off year!)

Posted by Erin M. | October 14, 2009 1:58 PM

Ooh,such a cute cover!
sooo cute! I know i shouln't, but i tend to lean towards the "cuter" covers... haha
uh and me?
i guess i'd start checking of my list of "100 things to do before i die".
ya know the one everyone make when they are like seven?
yeah that one... :)
and i have pretty cool goals on that wrinkled up old list too.

Posted by hannah s. | October 14, 2009 2:05 PM

Traveling to other countries, for sure. :)

Posted by Miss Erin | October 14, 2009 3:07 PM

I would love to be able to travel. I'm doing my masters now, and I had a year off between undergrad and this program, but I didn't have the money to travel to Europe. I guess I'm also a homebody, and I didn't have anyone to go with me, so that was another discouraging factor.

If I had another opportunity to take time off I would try and actually write my novel that I've been tinkering with for a while.

Posted by Ashley | October 14, 2009 3:11 PM

I remember thinking when I started My Off Year I was going to travel and have all these adventures. I never did. Now my off year has turned into almost four off years. I think my off year(s) was about learning who I was or who I wanted to be and finally I am becoming that person and this year has definately been a greater year than those other ones.

Posted by Shalan | October 14, 2009 3:43 PM

If I could afford it, travel. Or I would totally go onto a free Canadian program where you get to travel around Canada for free by doing community service!

Posted by Diana Dang | October 14, 2009 3:47 PM

Go somewhere and just completely start new. A foreign country, probably Luxembourg or Brazil would be best, and then I'd just spend a year learning the culture, the language, and seeing how they live! (And probably writing about it.)
Or maybe going and living on an Indian reservation for a year! I'm Cherokee, so maybe go and learn about my roots. :)

Posted by Stephanie W | October 14, 2009 4:19 PM

I'd spend time writing in Italy.

Posted by JenP | October 14, 2009 4:20 PM

I took an off year! I did some fun things -- traveled to Brazil, France, and England -- but mainly I just worked. It was wonderful though. I got a chance to experience all sorts of jobs. I was a waitress, a personal assistant, a math tutor, and even a baseball umpire. It gave me some great experiences :)

Posted by Meg S | October 14, 2009 4:26 PM

wow I am in my off year right now (and, how weird, wearing the same kind of slippers as the girl on the book cover..and..they are standing on a little pink rug in my room..hmm.. anyway:
I'm in an off year now, and I am working on a manuscript and at the same time trying to figure out what I want to do after the off year..

Posted by Marjolein | October 14, 2009 5:05 PM

I would read, and read and read some more. I would like to write during this time period, I would not like to work however, so I'd have to find someone to support me.

Posted by BrittLit | October 14, 2009 5:09 PM

I would sleep my butt off, pick up a new language, go sight-seeing (traveling), and read ;P

Posted by Yan | October 14, 2009 5:16 PM

I love the cover!!! As for a year off, I'd travel to other countries!!! :)

Posted by bunnyb | October 14, 2009 5:46 PM

With my year off, I'd love to study abroad in Spain and work on replenishing my savings account :)

Posted by Samantha Pfisterer | October 14, 2009 5:53 PM

If I had a year off I would have loved to travel around the world, do lots of photography and sketching, experience many different cultures, and spend all of my plane rides, train rides, bus rides, and every spare moment in between writing. Unfortunately, the reality is that I would still be living with my mom, still be working at DQ, and I'd probably still be writing, but I wouldn't have all the inspiration that I have now.

Posted by Frostie | October 14, 2009 6:03 PM

My off year would be simple, lounge around and work.

Posted by Katrina | October 14, 2009 6:10 PM

I would definitely travel, possible to Africa(:

Great contest, this book looks really good!

Posted by Kelsey | October 14, 2009 6:27 PM

If i had an off year i'd definitely use it to travel, I hardly have time since i work all the time. But I'd take six months to travel europe, then head back to australia and start wrestling training! Then back to my job at the bookstore!

Posted by Jenners | October 14, 2009 7:40 PM

The obvious? Travel.

Not so obvious: I would love to just go do something that I enjoy, like work backstage at a theater, or something fun and random. I would want to just explore the possibilities there are out there.

Posted by Lea | October 14, 2009 7:46 PM

This looks cute!
booksobsession(at)gmail(dot)com

Well if I had an off-year I'd love to just travel and go on vacation - kinda take the stress off my shoulders and finally relax with some good books with me! Sigh... *drifts off into a daydream*

Posted by Ashley | October 14, 2009 8:39 PM

If I had a year off I'd write. I'm always trying to...but work and grad school and, ugh, everything gets in the way. I'd love to have a year dedicated to that. Heck, i'd love to have a month!

Posted by Lauren | October 14, 2009 10:09 PM

If I had an off year I would try to work my way around the world. It might mean apple picking or painting houses, but I'd try. :)

Posted by Cari | October 14, 2009 10:37 PM

Uh-oh, there's another Tiff on this site now...

If I had a gap year, I would have tried to do two things:

1) Get an internship at a fashion magazine
2) Tried out for a bunch of community theatre productions

I guess I would have waited tables on the side, as well. =)

Posted by tiffing | October 14, 2009 11:02 PM

Oh, this book sounds so good!

I would nab my boyfriend and we would take roadtrips around the country, seeing all the wacky things in my Roadside Americana book :)

Giant Peanut? Carhenge? World's Largest Sock Drawer?

Yessssss!

Posted by pepsivanilla | October 15, 2009 12:02 AM

I would indulge myself and spend it on writing!

Posted by Llehn | October 15, 2009 12:09 AM

Heh, for my gap year I went to uni. :) I mean, it wasn't meant to be my gap year, but it ended up being my year-I-spent-lots-of-money-and-did-nothing, and after that I decided that having failed 5 out of 7 papers, maybe I should work for a while.

So I did, and then a few years later I went back to uni once I'd sorted myself out a bit more, and passed with flying colours. Graduated earlier this year. Yay! :)

I'm currently applying for my dream internship, but if I didn't get it and decided to take a real gap year, now - I'd fly off to the UK for a year, and just tour Europe and shop and maybe visit the States and MAN it would be great. Even if I get my dream job, at some stage I still want to try and get a similar job in the UK so I can spend a couple of years there. *wistful sigh*

Problem with New Zealand is, you're just stuck here away from everyone. Except the Pacific Islands, which are nice for holidays, or Australia; but I'd love to live somewhere more *central* to the world. (Not the States, cos the States seems pretty isolated as well, in its own way.) But anywhere in Europe.

*sigh*

Also, love the cover for this book. :) The book sounds great! But your question's made me all wistful and introspective now :P

Posted by Ruth | October 15, 2009 4:50 AM

I would love to take a gap year! I would travel anywhere - I haven't left the U.S. since I was 2. I really want to see the world while I can, and I think it would be a lot of fun!
Thanks, as always, for the give-away!

Posted by Sarah | October 15, 2009 7:51 PM

I would act. Go to any audition I could get and all that. Follow my dream for that one year to see if I could do it or not. :D

Posted by Cyndi H. | October 16, 2009 12:13 AM

I'll write from experience, haha, im on my gap year! And Im spending my life working, clubbing, earning more money.. spending it clubbing.. gaining experience in a school so I can do a teaching degree.. clubbing some more. ;) EARNINGMONEY.. THEN SPENDING IT! Haha :)
x

Posted by Victoria | October 16, 2009 12:28 PM

An off year? I would probably do some traveling and visit places I know about now!

kherbrand at comcast dot net

Posted by Kristi | October 19, 2009 2:41 PM