If you can, and it's what you love, then do it. What's the rush to grow up, you can always go back to school, and taking some time off to figure out what it is you want to do isn't necessarily a bad thing. And don't listen to anyone who tells you you NEED to go to college or that it's a guaranteed job. Sure if you wanna be a doctor or work in an office for the rest of your life crunching numbers, but who wants to do that anyway. Some of the wealthiest, happiest, and most successful people I know either never went to, never finished, or never really needed to go to college. They were instead, creative, and ambitious and that led them to success. On top of that, some of the best paying jobs (in America at least) are in the trades (skilled labor) you get better benefits, and better vacation, and you can actually see what you've done at the end of the day (it's not for everyone) if you go to college you're probably gonna have a good time. Party a lot, lose a lot of your ambition, and get out of shape, and by the time you leave, your dream of backpacking may no longer be a reality, so I say do it while you're young live your own life, and don't be in a rush to grow up. You'll always figure it out. (plus I assume you're canadian so you don't have to worry about getting healthcare some day. so go for it.)