Take the “burnout” with a grain of salt. I think what actually happens is many people graduate, work a menial, entry-level job for a couple years and start wond

Take the “burnout” with a grain of salt. I think what actually happens is many people graduate, work a menial, entry-level job for a couple years and start wondering is this really it? 40 more years of this? As for financing, I backpacked Europe in my 20’s and it was pretty straightforward. After graduating, most people I knew lived in super nice, downtown apartment paying 2-3X what I was paying in a less lively area with a couple roommates. You do that for a couple years and you’ve got plenty of cash - not to mention I spent less money traveling abroad than I did just existing in the US. Taking that extended time off was one of the best decisions I ever made. You talk to any European and they’re shocked that Americans never take more than 2 weeks of vacation. It’s a shame more people don’t get to experience it.