Once you have fought off the doom-mongers who maintain that flitting off to a distant corner of the world on a gap year is irresponsible in these recessionary times, turn your attention to deciding where to go, what to do and who to go with (if anyone). The range of choices can be overwhelming – studying lemurs in Madagascar, backpacking around Indonesia, teaching English to Ecuadorian children, picking fruit in New Zealand to fund some adventure travel, working a season in a French ski resort, learning Spanish in Argentina, and so on.
The best advice is to do lots of research – starting, dare I say, with my book Your Gap Year. Let the ideas swill around in your imagination and see what floats up.
The next step is to do some hard-headed planning. The first question is always: how can I afford a gap year? Most gappers spend at least half the year working and saving hard, knowing that their reward will be a full moon party, a watersport instructor’s course on the Mediterranean, a bungee-jump in New Zealand or any of a thousand adventures.
Remember that you have only to take a firm decision for a crazy idea to become a reality. Once you have announced your travel plans to parents and friends and there is no going back, don’t worry about the odd moments of blind panic at the prospect of leaving ‘it’ all behind. These are guaranteed to evaporate within 48 hours of disembarking at your destination.
Whatever you decide, here are some handy practical tips to help your gap year go smoothly:
• Look at the advice concerning personal safety given by the Foreign Office (www.fco.gov.uk). On arrival in countries where embassy officials may need to track you down in the event of an emergency, register your details and itinerary on the FCO’s LOCATE service (www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/staying-safe/Locate).
• Shop around for travel insurance and make sure you are covered for everything you intend to do e.g. working and sports. Expect to pay roughly £25 per month for basic cover and £30-£40 for more extensive cover for a policy that covers the whole world.
• Keep a record of travel document details, like passport number, insurance policy, driving licence, travellers’ cheque serial numbers, tickets, emergency number for cancelling credit cards, etc. Scan and email this information to yourself so that you can access it at any stage from an internet café.
• Have several ways of accessing money rather than relying on one bank card that can be lost, stolen or damaged.
• Carry valuable items (like passport, essential medicines and, of course, money) on your person rather than relegating them to a piece of luggage which might be lost or stolen.
• Only pack items you are prepared to lose. Flashy clothes and electronic equipment may attract the attention of pickpockets.
• Learn a few key words and phrases in the local language, so as not to seem arrogant in assuming everyone communicates in English.
• Be aware of the laws, customs and dress code for the country. Guidebooks should provide all this information.
• Online banking is a great way to manage your finances while you are away. But many internet cafés are slow and access may not always be easy so don’t leave important transactions until the last minute.
• If you are volunteering through an organisation, ask for the contact details of some recent volunteers on your project. They should be able to give you advice about the project.
• If you are staying in one country for several weeks, consider getting a cheap local mobile phone or a local SIM card for your UK mobile. Local texts and calls will be cheaper and incoming calls from abroad are free, which avoids the massive charges when using your UK mobile.
• Most importantly, have a ball! Pay attention to your instincts and aim to achieve that perfect balance between travelling safely and enjoying yourself. If you are over-cautious you might miss out on something amazing, but at the same time you want to avoid unnecessary risks.
Browse all books by Susan Griffith. Author: Susan Griffith Date: 06/04/2010