People used to think of gap years as an excuse for a 12-month party somewhere on the other side of the world where their parents weren't watching. In many cases, not so long ago, that was true - but these days with the job market being the way it is, more and more people are thinking of their gap year as an investment in their future rather than a reason to fill themselves up with the local firewater. But it's not just school leavers and students who can take a gap year: it's quite possible for people approaching retirement age to wake up one morning and decide to take a year to and see the world while they can. But even though it's a tempting thought to just grab your passport and hop onto the first flight out of the country, a gap year needs a bit of preparation first.
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 on an expedition, or looking for various apprenticeship positions, jobs & offers: visit notgoingtouni.co.uk. Find details of how to plan a gap year. Also find information on distance learning.
