Planning – The Secret to a Great Gap YearCategory: Travel & Holidays
Article added by: Paul Collins
On the surface of it, ‘planning’ is such a dull word. It just doesn’t have the same romantic ring to it as ‘spontaneity’, does it? But planning – and lots of it – is precisely what you’ve got to do if you want to have a great gap year.
And actually, when you get down to it, planning a gap year isn’t so bad. Because in some ways the anticipation of something can be just as exciting as the event. All those options to consider, all those travel guides and maps to pour over, all those hopes and dreams…
Choosing Where to Go on Your Gap Year
This is the fun part. The part where you get to make travel fantasies become reality. You can go anywhere. Literally. So get down the library and dig out some travel guides; get on the internet and do your research; make sure you’re going to the right place for the right reasons.
The world’s a big place, though. And the biggest mistake that most people make when planning their gap year is to attempt to do too much. Spreading yourself too thinly across too large a geographical area is a classic gap year error. It’s far better to take it slow, and focus on one area – a continent, perhaps, or even a region within a continent – taking time to understand it.
Choosing What to Do on Your Gap Year
And if you thought that choosing where to go on your gap year was tough, deciding what to do can be even tougher. Perhaps the best option is to go for a mixed schedule or agenda. Backpacking around Italy? Why not mix in a bit of studying on your travels – or viaggi studio, as they say in Italian? Variety, after all, is the spice of life.
Travel Insurance for Your Gap Year
There’s no two ways about it, travel insurance is a must for any trip, whether it’s a couple of weeks on a German course in Berlin, or several months trekking through the wilds of Western China.
But choosing which option to go for is also undoubtedly one of the more boring aspects of planning for a gap year. The quickest and least painless way to go about it is to check out the range of options on a price comparison website, and see which one suits you best. Choose wisely and it could save you a bundle.
Jabs and Visas for Your Gap Year
If you want to become one of the many volunteers overseas in Costa Rica, say, you’d better make sure that your documentation is in order (or you might not get there at all), and you’ve got the right jabs (or you could find yourself getting very sick indeed).
It’s also important to make sure you attend to both well before you set off. Your doctor will be able to tell you what jabs and inoculations you need (but they won’t be able to administer it overnight), while the very last thing you want to be doing in the last few days before you set off is frantically waiting in line at the embassy.
Posted By: Paul Collins
Contact: e-mail
| About the Author: |
| Paul Collins is a travel writer who took a gap year (many years ago now!) and never looked back - having taken a series of 'working sabbaticals' since. He's spent six months traveling, working and doing a bit of studying on his travels – or viaggi studio, as he quickly learnt to say! |
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