Many parents either think of - or remember - gap years as being an excuse to party for twelve months somewhere on the other side of the world, well out of sight of their parents. Times, though, have changed because these days people are considering a gap year as an investment in their future as something to make their CV much more interesting than those of other people applying for the same job ... or as a chance to gain some experience of working within their chosen field before going back home and starting the hunt for a job. But then again, many people who've been working for years decide to take a year off and see the world while they can. It might be tempting to pack a back, grab your passport and jump onto the first flight out of the airport nearest to you, but before you start off on your gap year, you need to do a bit of preparation.
And the more preparation you can do, the better: for a start, you'd need to list the visa and vaccination requirements for all of the countries you're even thinking of visiting. If you can, it's worth talking to people who've already been there, because guidebooks and websites might give you an idea of your destination but they definitely won't give you the whole picture. Plus, of course, there's always the small matter of what you're going to do once you arrive.
Planning a gap year is always fun, but to make a really good job of it you could do worse than to take advantage of the services offered by any of the companies that specialise in organising gap year travel and work assignments. So no matter what you've been doing up to now, you may well find yourself doing something completely different during your gap year, like teaching English in South America or building a classroom in Africa. It's an experience, but there's also the added advantage of funding your travels because gap years are definitely not cheap so the more money you can make - however you make it - the better.
After all, you could always entertain your dinner party companions with stories about how you were broke and starving in a country you'd never even heard of previously, somewhere on the other side of the world and it would make for an interesting evening. On the other hand, it's not that much fun at the time, so however much money you take with you, and however much money you earn while you're away, you'll need to set yourself a realistic budget - and stick to it.
But there's one very important question you have to ask yourself before you even start thinking about planning a gap year: Do you have an open enough mind to cope with complete culture shock? A gap year is not a two-week package holiday charter flight, with a nice, safe hotel and a guaranteed flight back at the end of that fortnight. Could you, for example, cope with the idea of being in a country where nobody speaks English and having to find a doctor - before you become even more ill than you are already? If just the idea of that makes you nervous, then you have to consider how you would deal with that situation in real life.
And the more preparation you can do, the better: for a start, you'd need to list the visa and vaccination requirements for all of the countries you're even thinking of visiting. If you can, it's worth talking to people who've already been there, because guidebooks and websites might give you an idea of your destination but they definitely won't give you the whole picture. Plus, of course, there's always the small matter of what you're going to do once you arrive.
Planning a gap year is always fun, but to make a really good job of it you could do worse than to take advantage of the services offered by any of the companies that specialise in organising gap year travel and work assignments. So no matter what you've been doing up to now, you may well find yourself doing something completely different during your gap year, like teaching English in South America or building a classroom in Africa. It's an experience, but there's also the added advantage of funding your travels because gap years are definitely not cheap so the more money you can make - however you make it - the better.
After all, you could always entertain your dinner party companions with stories about how you were broke and starving in a country you'd never even heard of previously, somewhere on the other side of the world and it would make for an interesting evening. On the other hand, it's not that much fun at the time, so however much money you take with you, and however much money you earn while you're away, you'll need to set yourself a realistic budget - and stick to it.
But there's one very important question you have to ask yourself before you even start thinking about planning a gap year: Do you have an open enough mind to cope with complete culture shock? A gap year is not a two-week package holiday charter flight, with a nice, safe hotel and a guaranteed flight back at the end of that fortnight. Could you, for example, cope with the idea of being in a country where nobody speaks English and having to find a doctor - before you become even more ill than you are already? If just the idea of that makes you nervous, then you have to consider how you would deal with that situation in real life.
About the Author:
Thought about going travelling, or looking for various apprenticeship positions, jobs & offers: visit notgoingtouni.co.uk. Find details of how to get work experience. Also find information on what to do before university.
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