Would taking a year off and traveling instead of heading straight to college after high school effect my chances of getting into college?
No, not really.
Even in the United States, taking a gap year isn't entirely unusual.
Some universities even offer deferred admissions for precisely the same reason.
If you had a good GPA in high school and did well enough on the SAT or ACT to get into the college of your choice, then I imagine not much would change after traveling for a year. Plenty of people wind up taking a wee break, whether it's to work, relax, or evaluate their priorities and life course.
Why don't you ask the college?
>>1231598
OP here, thanks, I did some research and you were right
>>1231594
No. I took three years off to travel and got into school just fine at 21. They don't give a shit as long as you haven't been sitting around doing nothing. If you're really worried (or applying to a competitive school) it might help to ace a few classes at a community college after you're done traveling to show that you're still "in the swing of things" so to speak. But if you're only going for a year I wouldn't be concerned; gap years are extremely common nowadays.
That being said, you will hear all sorts of crap from retarded people about what admissions want to see. Get used to it because you will hear it when interviewing for jobs too and 99% of the time people are full of shit.
>>1231594
No but using effect instead of affect on a college application essay might.