Travelling vs grad scheme after uni

Hey guys i’ll be starting my final year in september and ive always wanted to go travelling for a longer period and it’s a passion of mine. Originally my plan was to go travelling after i graduate (next summer) to SEA and Australia, however i was wondering how it works with grad schemes, are companies offering grad schemes often lenient and allow you to defer your start dates? or is this a case where I apply a year later and if i do then do companies look at me differently ? I understand the job market is lethal at the moment so what are my chances. For context im an engineering and have industry experience, ideally id like to go travelling for about 6 months.