Gap Year & Volunteer Travel Guide
If you've recently been thinking about taking a Gap Year then the only advice most people will give you is … DO IT!! It will be memorable, exciting, challenging and life changing and, it's open to anybody, of any age.
Embark on a massive overland tour across Africa or a five thousand mile epic across the South American continent. Hike through Nepal, Inter-Rail through Europe or snorkel your way around the islands of South East Asia, the choice of destinations, jobs and adventures is enough to get your boots walking out the door all by themselves!
Whether you choose to embark on a Gap Year in the year before you start at University or as a career break later on in life it will open your life to some amazing experiences and reset your compass!
The first thing to do is choose the areas that you want to visit whilst travelling. You could pick a continent and decide to explore that in full. Or go the whole hog and choose a 'Round the World' experience which will see you journeying across continents using flights to hop from country to country. The 'Round the World' experience is cost effective, flexible and gives you the chance to sample a wider range of cultures and environments.
You might want to consider interspersing your holiday time with a bit of paid or voluntary work. Or alternatively you could travel and train to become an Instructor in your chosen sport.
Regardless of when you choose to embark on a Gap Year it will undoubtedly become one of the best years of your life … The only downside is … You might not want to come home!
Embark on a massive overland tour across Africa or a five thousand mile epic across the South American continent. Hike through Nepal, Inter-Rail through Europe or snorkel your way around the islands of South East Asia, the choice of destinations, jobs and adventures is enough to get your boots walking out the door all by themselves!
Whether you choose to embark on a Gap Year in the year before you start at University or as a career break later on in life it will open your life to some amazing experiences and reset your compass!
The first thing to do is choose the areas that you want to visit whilst travelling. You could pick a continent and decide to explore that in full. Or go the whole hog and choose a 'Round the World' experience which will see you journeying across continents using flights to hop from country to country. The 'Round the World' experience is cost effective, flexible and gives you the chance to sample a wider range of cultures and environments.
You might want to consider interspersing your holiday time with a bit of paid or voluntary work. Or alternatively you could travel and train to become an Instructor in your chosen sport.
Regardless of when you choose to embark on a Gap Year it will undoubtedly become one of the best years of your life … The only downside is … You might not want to come home!
Tailor-Made
The point of a tailor made trip is to design your own global adventure. You make the decision on which destinations to visit, then your international route is mapped out and the time frames set to that. The locations you pick can be anywhere in the world!!
Once landed you can travel independently or organise to meet up with adventure tour operators. These tour operators don't organise your 'run of the mill' type excursions, the trips they offer are better described as expeditions! On these trips you travel in small groups, with like minded people and have the choice to travel for weeks or months depending on the type of expedition.
Tailor Made trips are the most individual and popular way to arrange a year out adventure. They give you the chance to indulge in activities, extreme sports, education, work or just plain uninterrupted holiday time!
Volunteer Programmes
Volunteer work abroad comes in many exciting forms, in lots of amazing fields. You can choose to spend three days, three months or your whole trip doing voluntary work in exciting locations around the world.
Marine conservation in Central America or South East Asia will see you observing and conserving marine animals. In the Caribbean you can help manage and preserve precious coral reefs and in South Africa you could monitor Great White Sharks.
On land you can volunteer to help preserve endangered wildlife and their habitat in the jungles of Borneo, the wilds of Kenya or the Amazon Rainforest, to mention just a few.
Volunteering in orphanages and children's homes, across the world, or helping to change the lives of street children in Latin America are also rewarding and valuable ways to volunteer your time.
Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) is a qualification that you can gain before you depart from home and then use all over the world. You get the chance to brush up your own foreign language skills whilst educating people in the developing world.
Working Abroad
Working abroad is a great way of earning some extra money to fund your adventure further. Not only this, but you'll also get the opportunity to experience a community in a different way.
One of the most popular options for employment abroad is to work a Ski season as a chalet attendant or Ski/Snowboard Instructor. You ski, you teach, you have fun, and all in amazing snow locations across the world - France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, the USA, Canada and New Zealand are top of the list for this type of working holiday.
Working visas are available for a number of English speaking countries around the world. A visa gives you the freedom to travel around that country and explore the various work options. Most commonly, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada are great places to work, meet new friends and earn some extra money.
Asia does not perhaps come in to your mind when you think about paid Gap Year work but it is a good option. From the high tech cities of Japan to the quiet backwaters of rural China, getting paid work in Asia allows you to really get involved with a new and exciting culture whilst earning yourself some money to keep you traveling for as long as possible!
