Our travel experts help 1000s of travellers every year to discuss their plans for a variety of backpacking adventures during their gap year.
Some are looking for a one-way ticket to a quiet island, some are looking for the ultimate round the world ticket that splices wild parties with the deeps of the jungles.
Make the Most of Your Gap Year
Coming up, are six ideas for your gap year that are designed to help you plan one of the most monumental years~ in your life.
Designed to blow open the ideas bank, and get the juices flowing for planning your Gap Year, this sextet of thought provoking points has the power to lead you towards some seriously empowering experiences.
Let us know what grabbed your attention in the comments below.
1. Tour the World
If you’ve got an entire year, so what’s the rush?
Make the most of the travel experience by flitting between the road, rails and boat. You’ll find some of the planet’s most rewarding travel experiences are the journey themselves. If it’s a steady roll between subtle cultures, hit the south east Asia backpacker trail or grab a great value rail pass for a selection.
For a string of stand-out stops, journey Down Under on one of the hop-on hop-off services, or build in some time behind the wheel, by hiring a campervan in Australia or New Zealand.
Whichever options you plump for, you’ll be fuelling your adventure with a full tank of freedom.
2. Learn a Language
“Don’t cry for me Argentinaaaaa, the truth is… I never understood a word you said.” It’s never a bad idea to learn the basics before you go, which is easier done with a nice long run up to your departure date. But here’s a killer tip for those of you looking to the future: learn a language abroad.
It’s a great investment, and given the right environment it can be more fun than many people realise. We offer some great language courses, which put you right in the heart of local communities where the learning experience flows through the markets and side streets.
Make your gap year count, by learning a language en route!
Here are some popular options:
• Study French in France
• Study Spanish in Spain
• Study Spanish in Argentina
• Study Japanese in Japan
• Study Portuguese in Portugal
3. Working Holidays
Have you considered using your gap year as a way to build you CV into a streamlined, career magnet? Most UK gap year travellers will be eligible for a working holiday visa in Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. That’s a whole load of opportunity, in some of the world’s most forward-thinking countries.
Some websites specialise in setting up travellers with the most suitable working holiday options available to today’s gap year travellers. With so many amazing opportunities on offer, we highly recommend spending some time considering your options for building in a working holiday as part of your gap year.
These companies can help you to arrange to work abroad:
• Gap Year Jobs
• Seasonal Jobs
• Work Abroad with Go Find Programs
4. Do it Down Under
New Zealand and Australia are to gap years what Glastonbury and the Isle of Wight festivals are to the festival circuit. In some corners they’re bigger, brighter, and better than anywhere you’ve ever been. In others, they’re intimate, and assuring. As two of the world’s most popular backpacking destinations, it’s little surprise that they rank high on the hit list of gap year travellers.
The most popular ways to spend a gap year in New Zealand or Australia are unsurprisingly some of the most fun: hook up with a group tour and you’ll enter into a world of lively, action-packed days. Grab a flexible bus pass in New Zealand, or one of Australia’s great value rail passes, or pick up the keys to your own campervan, fill it with friends, and crank up the tunes for a circuit of unforgettable moments.
5. Volunteer
An alternative to going on a Working Holiday, is to choose to take an active part in one of the many fantastic volunteer projects around the world.
You could choose to help teach kids in rural Asia, or get hands on with conservation projects on beautiful islands, or answer the call of the wild, with one of the many wildlife experiences on offer in far away places.
Volunteering is one of the most positive things you can do while you’re on the road, and whether you’re getting involved as part of your career or not, it will certainly add a fresh dimension to your gap year and reap priceless rewards.
These companies can help you to arrange placements:
• Volunteer Abroad with One World 365
• Gap Year Volunteer Programs
We also wrote this guide with lots of super tips for volunteering abroad – check it out!
6. Get TEFL Certified
Take a TEFL course and get a worldwide recognised qualification to work as an English teacher around the globe. This is one of the easiest and best ways to live overseas, get paid and enjoy cultural integration into a different country/culture. Jobs can be found in exotic places like Thailand, Japan, Korea, Spain, Mexico and Dubai. We recommend a website like Book My TEFL Course to get started.
And one for luck…
… and make it count!
As we just finished on, this is real once-in-a-lifetime stuff, so take the chance to fill your journey with once in a lifetime experiences.
While it’s perfectly acceptable to simply rock up and get a feel for the lie of the land, it’s a much smarter approach to do a little research beforehand and get the low-down on the experiences that suit you the most!
Discover some of our opportunities around the world or for more tips check out these travel blogs for lots of destination ideas: Inspire Your Trip and Gabi Travels.
What have you got planned for your gap year? We have travel experts, who are filled with plenty more ideas, just like these, to make the most of your gap year and set you up with a lifetime of memories. What are you waiting for? Get in touch today!
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