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**GAP YEARS **


 * When your life flashes before your eyes… **
 * make sure you’ve got plenty to watch!﻿ **
 * PROJECTS OUTLINES IN PRESENTATION **

Language Courses – www.languagesabroad.co.uk Go to wide range of countries and live there to learn the language

Language and cookery/wine courses combined – [|www.languagesabroad.co.uk/food_cookery/index]

Brazil Youth Outreach – www.realgap.co.uk/Brazil%20Youth%20Outreach Help underprivileged kids in Rio’s famously needy favelas.

Teaching Abroad – http://www.teaching-abroad.co.uk/projects/teaching.php Teach English or Maths, Sports, Music or Drama in Argentina, Bolivia, Cambodia, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Peru, Romania, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Senegal, Swaziland or Thailand

Medicine – http://www.teaching-abroad.co.uk/projects/medicine.php Go to Argentina, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Peru or Sri Lanka to work and help in hospitals or clinics with traditional medicine, physiotherapy, nursing, midwifery or dentistry?

Journalism – www.teaching-abroad.co.uk/projects/journalism/senegal.php Why not get involved in journalism; writing, newspaper editing and printing, or even radio and television broadcasting? Go to Bolivia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Mexico, Mongolia, Romania, Senegal or Sri Lanka.

Romanian Orphanage – www.teaching-abroad.co.uk/projects/care/romania.php

Habitat for Humanity – www.habitat.org Habitat has built more than 225,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1 million people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter. It operates in over 90 countries worldwide. Why not volunteer?

Help AIDS victims – Hundreds of opportunities. Surf the web to find out how.

Child Protection home in Nepal – [|www.gapyear.com/placements/gyc1452_community_work_at_child_protection_homes_in_nepal.html] Based in the capital Kathmandu, you could work at one of the many children’s homes, which care for orphans and children who would otherwise live in jail with a convicted parent.

Conservation Projects – [|www.coralcay.org] Marine Expeditions surveying coral reefs in remote tropical locations of Tobago or the Philippines or Tropical Rainforest Expeditions deep into the jungles of Philippines or Papua New Guinea

A ski season – www.findaskiresortjob.com

Overlanding! – [|www.oasisoverland.co.uk] 1) Central to Southern Africa – [] 2) All West coast and East coast Africa, 40 weeks! - [] 3) Morocco to Beijing, The Silk Road - []

Backpacking! • RTW tickets (check out statravel.com Most large flight companies have RTW packages) • Inter-railing through Europe • In Africa, Central & Southern America, Asia & Africa you can budget on much less than in Europe, North America & Australasia • Stay in hostel dorms • Cook your own meals in hostel kitchens • Travel at night (overnight buses and trains – accommodation and travel: 2 birds, 1 stone) • Get a travel discount ID card - [] • Book buses in advance • For food, travel & accommodation I advise you budget $30 US a day in developing countries. • Entertainment obviously costs more! • Pack light, you have to carry it!. Half fill your bag – you will buy stuff on the way. • Money (mix of cash, cards & Travel Cheques) • Passport & necessary visas (check in advance). Use a hidden money belt. Be safe. • Medicines? Sun cream, bug spray etc • The LPG (or Rough Guide/Footprint Guide etc). LPG ‘Shoestring’ guides very good for cheap travel. • Camera with large memory! You’ll take FAR too many photos. I guarantee. • Books to swap in hostels, cafes and with other travellers. • Emergency phone numbers and photocopies of important documents • I have a complete list, compiled through experience. Ask me for a copy.
 * INDEPENDENT TRAVELLING **

InterRailing What is InterRailing? It is a network connecting all train travel use in 30 European countries. Great cheap way to travel. Buy a ticket and travel through Europe watching the world speed by.

As of March 2009 InterRail train passes operate in all of the following countries…
 * Austria || Germany || Portugal ||
 * Belgium || Great Britain || Republic Ireland ||
 * Bosnia-Herzegovina || Greece || Romania ||
 * Bulgaria || Hungary || Serbia ||
 * Croatia || Italy || Slovakia ||
 * Czech Rep || Luxembourg || Slovenia ||
 * Denmark || Montenegro || Spain ||
 * Finland || Netherlands || Sweden ||
 * France || Norway || Switzerland ||
 * FYR Macedonia || Poland || Turkey ||

For tips & advice on InterRailing go to [|www.thesite.org/travelandfreetime/travel/interrailing/howitworks]

Visas You must make sure that you plan in advance and make sure you have the necessary visas. One of the worst things that can happen is you are turned away at the airport as you do not have the required paperwork! You will feel like a fool (justifiably). Check the excellent website listed below for visa needs.

Good news for travel in Europe. If you do not posses an EU passport, get a Schengen Visa as it entitles you to enter 15 countries. The Schengen Treaty countries consist of:

Budget Flights Always check to see if a country/continent you visit has a budget airline. In Europe there are Easy Jet; Ryan Air; Go.com; Transavia; and others. In Asia there is Air Asia; Jet Star; Tiger Airways In Australia there is Virgin Blue. There are many worldwide, too many to list here. Check out [|www.budgetairlineguide.com]
 * Austria || France || Norway ||
 * Germany || Greece || Portugal ||
 * Belgium || Iceland || Sweden ||
 * Denmark || Italy || Spain ||
 * Finland || Luxembourg || The Netherlands ||

Hostels Staying in hostels is a great way to meet people, especially other young travellers and it is normally the cheapest accommodation around. Join ‘Hostelling International’: This is the brand name of more than 90 Youth Hostel Associations in over 80 countries, operating 4,000+ hostels. Join this company, for a nominal fee, and you get certain privileges and can stay in all of these hostels. [|www.hihostels.com] Similar to this are [|www.hostelsweb.com] and [|www.hostels.com] and [|www.europeanhostels.com]

Campsites Why not take a tent and go camping? Check the weather/season first, but this is a beautiful way to explore your host country. Cheap too. The following website lists and details quality campsites all over Europe.[| www.eurocampings.co.uk/en/europe/]

Forums Pick the brains of other seasoned travellers and use internet forums to get tips on venues, The Lonely Planet Thorntree Discussion boards are EXCELLENT resources and I suggest you see what others have to say about your intended destination, and then add your own thoughts. [|www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree]

Back-packing/Interrailing/Travelling of a limited budget You will most likely have a limited budget on your travels, so pay attention and think carefully about this advice: · Have 2 bank accounts, only one with an ATM card. Transfer money in online when you need it. · Travelers checks; not as good exchange rate, but much safer · Credit cards (emergency use only!)

If you are on a limited budget, it is a good idea to take 2 minutes out to do your daily budget update. You do not want to have to cut your 4 month trip short as you ran out of money after only 8 weeks! The following template is a good idea…


 * Date || Money spent || Total || 30$ +/- || +/- running total ||
 * 12 Oct || 33 || 33 || 3+ || 3+ ||
 * 13 Oct || 21 || 54 || -9 || -6 ||
 * 14 Oct || 55 (fancy meal) || 109 || +25 || +19 ||
 * 15 Oct || etc ||  ||   ||   ||

· Before you set out on your journey, if you are back-packing/inter-railing, list your TOP 10 destinations. Make sure you get to see them. You do not want to have passed within close reach of a ‘must see sight’ only to realise you have missed it! Lists like this are a good thing. · Use maps. These are not just tools for Geography teachers and nerds, they are a key ingredient to any travelling diet. · Open a Skype account and travel with a cheap headphone/speaker set. Take this with you to internet cafes and then speak to your family for very little money.
 * OTHER RANDOM TIPS **

Yes, Gap Years are beneficial and are seen by many universities and employers to be a productive investment in your time. However, you must use your time wisely. It is no good just travelling for a year as you are not absorbing many of the skills that employers look for (team work, giving back, maturity etc). I wholeheartedly suggest a mixture of volunteer work and travel. That way you get the best of both worlds. USEFUL WEBSITES • [|www.realgap.co.uk] o Great website. Lots of great stuff here: Volunteering Abroad; Paid Work Abroad; Teaching; Sports Travel; Adventure Travel, Round the World; operate in 49 countries. • [|www.findagap.com] o Another great resource, lots of options. USA perspective. • [|www.gapyear.com] o Great on back-packing, inter-railing & planning your trip. Also good on Eco-Travel. • [|www.gap-year.com] o More of the above. Gap year ideas etc • [|www.gapadvice.org/] o Independent advice on gap years. Can help with travel info, research and advice. Recommended. • [|www.projecttrust.org.uk] o 40 yrs experience taking students on volunteer gap years. Give training. Need an EU passport. • [|www.lattitude.org.uk] o 35 years experience, finding volunteer placements for 18-25 yr olds. Great company. Recom. • [|www.gapyearjobs.co.uk] o Specialists in finding jobs for gap year students. Large range of jobs available, esp in UK. • [|www.statravel.com] o World’s largest student travel organization: cheap flights, hotels, rail passes, insurance more. • [|www.interrailnet.com] o Details of one country passes, multi passes & complete pass. Country guides & example trips. • [] o Very useful website that details, for every world nationality, whether or not you need a visa. • [|www.fco.gov.uk/travel] o Governmental advice on where is & is not safe. A good guide, but errs on the side of caution.
 * THE BOTTOM LINE **

Happy travels! If you have any questions, please either see me at school or email me at anthony.reich@dulwich-shanghai.cn
 * "But why think about that when all the golden land's ahead of you and all kinds of unforeseen events wait lurking to surprise you and make you glad you're alive to see?" ** Jack Kerouac