Gap year ideas

Once you have decided to take a gap year, the next important step is to come up with some suitable gap year ideas in order to start planning the itinerary for your big trip. The great thing about coming up with gap year ideas is that, within reason, it's possible to do virtually anything on a gap year. Our ‘Gap year ideas' page aims to get you started on brain-storming your own personal dream gap year itinerary.

If you are constantly saying 'I'm bored' or 'I need to chill out' then you should consider taking a gap year and this 'Gap Year Ideas' page is the best place to strat planning your gap year travel.

Gap year ideas - Where to go?
There aren't many parts of the world you can't visit these days, so the only problem with thinking up gap year ideas for where to go is deciding which places you'll have to leave out! If your gap year ideas get out of control, and you find yourself wanting to see loads of different areas, the best solution is to buy a round the world plane ticket. Round the world plane tickets enable you to visit numerous countries as you circle the globe and are incredibly good value, (for more detailed gap year ideas for round the world itineraries, check out our ‘Round the world' programmes for more gap year ideas).

The kind of gap year ideas you come up with for where to go will depend on the type of person you are. If you would rather travel around an English-speaking country, where there's a particularly good backpacker social scene, then somewhere like Australia is an ideal option. If, on the other hand, your gap year ideas involve visiting somewhere a little more adventurous and off the beaten track then places like Mongolia, China and Bolivia - to give just a few examples - are better options. The key with narrowing down your gap year ideas for where to go is research. Real Gap has gap year ideas for over 30 countries spanning the globe so it is worth a look around the site to inspire your own gap year ideas.

When considering gap year ideas for where to go it's also important to bear in mind the varying costs of living between different countries. For example you'll get through money far less quickly in most countries in Asia than you would in countries like the USA, Australia and New Zealand. If your budget is limited then getting hold of a working holiday visa for one of the countries you're visiting, is a good way to make your money last longer.

Gap year ideas - what to do?
The type of gap year ideas you come up with for what to do on your year out will also depend on your personality. Some travellers would spend all day, every day lying on a beach if they could - while others need more things to do and see in order to keep them happy. If you fit in to the ‘laze on a beach' category then, frankly, you're spoilt for choice. Gap year ideas you could consider if you want excellent beaches include Australia, New Zealand, India, Thailand, Malaysia, the Dominican Republic, Brazil and South Africa. All of the above places aren't exactly short of things to see and do away from the beach either!  

If you're the type of person who needs to be ‘doing something' and are struggling to come up with gap year ideas then one possibility to consider is working as a volunteer. A diverse range of projects all over the world rely on volunteers to help them carry out vital work caring for the environment, wildlife and impoverished communities. If you don't fancy doing some volunteer work, and are struggling to come up with other constructive gap year ideas, then another option is to learn a language while you're away. For example you could attend a language school in Japan or China, study Spanish in Latin America or learn Portuguese in Brazil.

A high percentage of travellers on a gap year decide to do some paid work on their gap year, and it's an excellent way of boosting your funds and experiencing local culture while you're away. The most popular option for employment abroad is Australia, and Real Gap can guarantee you a job Down Under if you travel there on one of our programmes. However, other gap year ideas to consider for paid employment abroad are Canada, China. Japan, New Zealand and the USA.

If you would like advice on any of your gap year ideas call our team of travel advisors.


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