The key to a successful gap year is to research and plan the time in as much detail as possible.  This is the message that comes through loud and clear from Gap Years – The Essential Guide by Emma Jayne Jones.

Gap Years - The Essential Guide by Emma Jayne Jones

Emma Jayne writes from experience.  She has visited over forty countries and has tried her hand at volunteering in South America, working on a cruise ship, driving across the USA and hitchhiking in Morocco.  On each occasion she has returned safe and sound, which she no doubt attributes to the time she devoted to researching and planning each adventure.

The book starts soundly by considering the Practicalities, which asks basic questions to set the potential gap year traveller thinking along the right lines.  Questions such as: Are you ready?  How do you plan an itinerary?  Who will you travel with?  What should you pack?  For each question there is a paragraph of sound common sense advice that will be particularly valuable to the first time traveller.

Useful chapters on specific activities such as volunteering, studying and working abroad are followed by chapters on the key areas of Health & Safety and Money.  Seasoned travellers will have their own views on essentials in these areas and might have found room to mention dressing to blend with surroundings, not just identifying but booking your first night’s accommodation in advance and being very careful with alcohol.  Emma Jayne then devotes a chapter to each continent and wisely keeps them short acknowledging that the traveller has the choice of a multitude of travel guides.

Re-adjusting to life back home after an extended period away is not easy yet it is an area often overlooked in gap year guide books.  Emma Jayne covers the topic in some detail.  In doing so she acknowledges that a gap year can throw up life changing experiences.  It takes time to consider these experiences and to be in a position to act on them to advantage when arriving at university, writing a CV or preparing for a job interview.  It rounds the book off nicely and should help ensure that readers gain maximum benefit from their gap year.

Gap Years – The Essential Guide lives up to its title.  Anybody planning a gap year or advising people on gap years would benefit from reading this book.  Space should be made for it in every sixth form and careers library.  It is a valuable research and planning resource but a more detailed regional or country travel guide will probably win the competition for space in the backpack.

Gap Years – The Essential Guide (ISBN 978-1-86144-079-2) costs £8.99 and can be bought directly from Forward Press Ltd by phoning 01733 898103, emailing sales@n2kbooks.com, or through our website www.need2knowbooks.co.uk.  It can also be bought through Amazon or all good bookshops.

Research and Planning. The secret to a successful gap year is to research and plan in as much detail as possible even when starting the process late. There is a whole year to fill and it is important that this time is not wasted. A gap year should be a “year out” not a “year off”! It is best not to rush the selection of a suitable and worthwhile project and it takes time to raise the necessary finance. So the first few months, say between now and the New Year can be used to retake exams, reapply for university, plan the program for next year and earn or raise the necessary funds.

What activities are available and where?

The range of activities available is considerable. The main groups are courses, i.e. learning a new skill or improving an existing one, adventurous activities and expeditions, voluntary work and work experience. Some of these activities can be done in UK but most gap year students are keen to go abroad. Having an element of structure in the program is important. It shows planning and commitment that is acknowledged by universities and helps develop the soft skills that impress employers.

A gap year program is unique to the individual participant so it is important that they should lead on the research. It is best to shop around and take time to talk to gap year organizations, family and friends, use the internet and networking sites in order to get a real feel for the organizations and the placements they offer. However the final decision should be an informed decision shared with parents and this means that parents should take an active, albeit discreet interest in this research offering support and asking pertinent questions when appropriate. For their part gap year organisations welcome contact with parents as they appreciate their importance in the decision making process.

Money

Costs. The cost of gap year programs varies considerably, hence the need to shop around before drawing up a comparative list that takes account of all costs associated with a number of placements. Finally work out the cost per week. Some of the longer placements then look significantly more attractive. Once you are there, living overseas is often so much cheaper than UK.

Fundraising. Raising the money to fund a gap year program is considered an important part of the challenge. It requires planning, budgeting, entrepreneurial, and negotiating skills combined with initiative, determination and perseverance (all skills much sought after by employers). While gap year organizations will provide advice, parents may still think this beyond their offspring but hundreds of thousands have been shown it can be done. Give them support and encouragement and let them surprise you. The more money they raise, the greater their confidence and their commitment to the project.

Overseas. When researching finance do consider how best to safeguard cash while overseas. Most people now seem to travel with both debit and credit cards and have access to an online account so that they can move money around as required. Travel cards are useful but can be expensive. Inevitably some cards will be lost and arrange a replacement can be difficult. Parents need to be able to help and this is best done by the child authorising their parents to access their accounts on their behalf while overseas. This will save time, money (moneygrams and money transfers are expensive) and a great deal of anguish and frustration.

Communication

A gap year offers each individual an opportunity to start making the step from dependence to independence with a program and at a pace of their own choosing. It is a time when parents must begin to come to terms with allowing these young adults to make their own decisions and live by the consequences. However there is still a key supporting role to play. As far as communication goes, parents should come to an agreement that they will rely on the gap year traveler to keep in touch. The main form of routine communication is likely to be via e-mail, though it may be through blogs or postings on networking sites. A mobile phone is more or less essential nowadays but costly. The main use for this phone will be to keep in touch with fellow gappers they meet on their travels, so the early purchase of a local SIM card will keep costs down. It may also mean a change in number allowing the gapper to decide who he really wants to hear from while overseas. Homesickness may be an issue for those that are away from home for the first time. Parents need to be reassuring, supportive but strong. It will pass and within a few days they will have found their feet, made friends and be fully engaged in their projects.

Safety

Gap Year Organizations. One of the major advantages of starting a gap year abroad with a reputable gap year organization is that it will have conducted a full risk assessment when planning a particular project, expedition or placement. Safety is taken very seriously but no gap year placement can be entirely risk free. On the rare occasions when things do go wrong a reputable gap year organizations will be there to provide the necessary support.

Independent travel. However nearly all gap year placements involve a period of down time when participants are free to leave their projects and explore. Many will also go on to travel independently on completion of their placement. The basic research for these opportunities is best done before in the planning phase. The gap year organization will provide useful information on the country but this should be supplemented by studying the excellent up to date information provided by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and studying at least one of the major travel guides. The more the traveler is aware of the potential risks the more likely they are to recognize a situation as it develops and act appropriately.

Insurance and Health. For peace of mind do make sure that you take the travel insurance policy covers all the activities that might present themselves.  Allow plenty of time before departure for any innoculations to become effective and make sure that the traveler is dentally fit.

Benefits

Risk needs to be balanced by considering the benefits of taking a structured gap year. Students who have taken a gap year arrive at university refreshed, focussed and are more likely to complete their chosen subject. Some may take time to get back into academic mindset but being more socially mature the quickly adapt to the wider benefits of university life. Employers find that those that have taken a structured gap year are able to demonstrate that they have the skills they seek. In a recent paper on Higher Education, Marjorie Scardino, chief executive of Pearson plc, stated she was looking for people with communication skills, the courage to challenge and take risks including project experience and overcoming failure, the ability to follow through from ideas to plans and onto implementation and finally having languages and being at home in diverse cultures. All these attributes can be acquired and developed on a gap year.

Those returning from a structured gap year are invariably more appreciative of home life, more globally aware and worldly wise, more independent and full of justified self-confidence.  They will certainly be better prepared to tackle university and future employment.  Some may find it a life-changing experience, which will present parents with a new and hopefully exciting challenge.

The WHO’s advice is that national borders should remain open throughout the duration of the pandemic and so far countries are abiding by this advice and there are no specific restrictions on travel as a result of swine flu.  But your gap year plans might well be affected should you contract swine flu.

There is a helpful page on swine flu in the Planning section of this website.  In simple terms if you go down with swine flu more than ten days before you are due to depart then you should have recovered in time to travel.  If you contract the virus close to your date of departure then you
should delay your travel.  This is where your travel insurance comes in. You should inform your insurance company, who will require you to obtain a certificate from your doctor stating that you are unfit to travel because you have an Influenza Like Illness (ILI).  The insurance company should then cover any additional charges that may arise as you reschedule your flights etc.

If you suddenly go down with flu on your way to the departure airport then the airline could stop you flying but only after you have been assessed by a doctor.  If you are found to have an ILI then you will be issued with a certificate which your insurance company will require.  It may be that your flu symptoms emerge while you are in the air.  Some countries are checking all passengers for high temperature on arrival and if you have such a temperature you may be taken into quarantine.  If you are being met by your gap year organisation then they should be able to help you contact your insurance company who will advise you on medical treatment.  Your insurance company will also need to know if you contact an ILI while on you gap year placement.

The message is to take out travel insurance at the same time as you book the first element of your gap year program. Check the small print to ensure that you will be covered should you go down with swine flu at a time when it will either affect your travel plans or your placement.  If it is not clear, ask.

Insurance is always important but swine flu adds an extra element of unpredictability that could mean unnecessary additional expense to your gap year plans if you do not have the right cover.

The scope is broad as there are so many aspects involved in researching, planning, implementing and reviewing a gap year program.  The range of activities offered seems to expand year on year while local, national and international events and the whims of travellers sees destinations rise and
fall in popularity.

The revamp of Year Out Group’s website has provided the opportunity to introduce this blog. Hopefully there will be sufficient issues to inspire some helpful posts on a regular basis.