Chloe Davies left London for a career break of travel, culture, and adventure. Her return exposed a brutal job market, soaring rents, and the growing struggle facing young people trying to rebuild their lives.
When she left her comfortable life in London with her partner, Chloe Davies expected a temporary break from her career and the daily rat race.
What began as a dream adventure through Asia and Australia soon became a test of resilience, and a stark lesson in how difficult coming home can be.
“I thought we would travel, experience different cultures, and then come back and continue where I left off,” Chloe says. “Or at least something close to that. I was wrong.”
Their journey took them first to Thailand, with its tropical beaches and bustling street markets, then on to Vietnam, weaving through riverside towns and lively cities, before ending in Australia, soaking up beach parties.
For months, the trio lived on a tight budget, fully embracing the backpacker lifestyle and stretching every pound as far as it would go.
But as their bank balances edged closer to zero, the dream began to fade. Returning to London felt like the most sensible choice. Two months before flying back to the UK, Chloe began applying for jobs, confident her background in recruitment would make finding work easy.
Instead, she was met with a tough job market. “It was shocking how many applications I sent out and never heard anything back,” she says.
Chloe’s experience reflects a wider struggle facing young people across the UK. According to the Office for National Statistics, in early 2025, around 923,000 people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training, equivalent to roughly one in eight young people struggling to secure work.
“It was shocking how many applications I sent out and never heard anything back.”
Chloe Davies
Her story also highlights how common travel and working abroad have become for young adults.
Taking a gap year or extended period of travel is no longer for those straight out of uni.
Estimates from Teaching Abroad Direct suggest that between 183,000 and 232,000 people aged 18 to 24 take a gap year each year, with around 16 per cent working or volunteering abroad during that time.
“People assume you just travel, party, and take photos,” Chloe says. “But so many of us work while we are away to fund it, or to gain experience in different cultures and jobs.”
It is not just the gap year generation thinking globally. According to the British Council, nearly three-quarters of people aged 18 to 30 say they would consider living and working overseas at some point, driven by a mix of opportunity, curiosity, and the rising cost of living at home.
Still, the reality of returning to London was a hard pill to swallow. Housing costs remained high, competition for flats intense, and even roles that once felt like stepping stones now seemed out of reach.
“We were paying about ten pounds a night for a room shared between three of us in some countries, and London was asking for triple that for just one person”.
With options running thin, Chloe widened her job search internationally. A six-month contract in New Zealand came up unexpectedly and felt like the perfect solution.
“It meant we did not have to come straight home,” she says. “I would be working, but we could still discover a new country and continue the adventure”.
Now back in London again, Chloe continues to apply for roles and search for somewhere to live. However, despite the setbacks, she has no regrets.
“I will never regret the journey,” she says. “I loved that once in a lifetime experience. I just did not realise how hard coming home would be”.
For many young people today, travel and working abroad are part of discovering who they are and what they want from life.
For Chloe, the journey left her with unforgettable memories and a perspective that no job title could offer. But the transition back to the UK, with its high rents and competitive job market, has been a reminder that chasing a dream does not always come with an easy landing.
All images courtesy of Chloe Davies.