23M from Australia feeling stuck — travel or start uni ASAP?

Hey all, I’m 23M from Australia and honestly feeling pretty lost right now.

I’ve been working a labour job for a while and I’m getting really burnt out. It’s physically demanding, repetitive, and feels like a dead end with no real long-term future. Lately I’ve gotten so sick of it that I rushed a uni application in the last couple of weeks because I felt like I needed to do something and stop wasting time.

The degree I’m looking at is a Bachelor of Education. I like the idea of becoming a teacher and eventually teaching overseas, which is a big goal of mine because I’d love a career that also lets me live abroad and experience different countries.

At the same time, I have a strong urge to just go travel first and see the world while I can.

I’ve saved around 40k AUD, have low expenses, no relationship, no kids, and basically no major commitments. So realistically this is probably the easiest time in my life to do it.

The places I’m most interested in are Southeast Asia and other cheaper countries where my money can go further. I’d love to solo travel, experience new cultures, get out of my comfort zone, and maybe gain some perspective before locking myself into years of study.

But I’m conflicted.

Part of me feels like I should travel now, reset mentally, and start uni next year with a clearer head and fresh start.

The other part of me feels behind in life already. I’m 23 and feel like I should start uni ASAP and stop delaying my future. I know 23 isn’t technically old, but it feels like I’m already late compared to people who started younger.

I also worry I’ll get lonely travelling solo since I’m not the most outgoing person, and I wonder if I’m idealising travel as some magic fix.

I’m also naturally super frugal/cheap, so even though I have savings, I hate spending money and second guess everything.

So I guess my questions are:

* If you were in my shoes, would you travel first or start uni now ASAP?
* Is 23 actually late to start uni/career changes?
* Did solo travel help any of you get clarity on what you wanted from life?

Would appreciate any advice from people who’ve been in a similar situation.