Now you have decided to spend a whole year abroad you should consider to take advantage of your gap year travel and learn a language.

Although you can think English let you to communicate to almost everyone in the world that is not true but a misconception, about a billion humans are Chinese speaking natives and most of them don’t speak a word of English and over 500 millions speak Spanish as mother language and at the US much more people is becoming Spanish speaker, more than 50 million people nowadays.
Moreover, speaking a foreign language is always a well considered task at any future jobs applications and it will offer you the chance to communicate with much more people all over the world and it will show you that the world is everything but America.

If you finally decide to do it, you could choose among hundreds of schools all over the world that offer language immersion programs even gap year jobs included so you can make money to pay for the course and you don’t need to spend all your saving during this period abroad. Still are you shortage of money? You can find multiples scholarships and grants offered by institutions, companies and even government agencies to help you get the money to learn a foreign language abroad.

So you know, now you have no excuse to learn a language during your gap year abroad

When choosing your gap year program the usual suspects of Australia, New Zealand and the US always pop up. However these can prove costly from two points of view. Firstly they may lie a long and expensive flight away. Secondly you will find that your living expenses are far from cheap. For instance when I was backpacking on a budget and I arrived in Los Angeles, I found that the only thing I could afford to eat unless I wanted to cut my trip short was McDonalds…far from ideal in my opinion though you may beg to differ.

If you are planning on finding a gap year job then you are less likely to have financial problems, though finding work abroad can be hard. Therefore in this article I will propose cheaper, alternative countries to travel, which may even offer you more in terms of experience. For instance in every country there will be the ´must do` gap year activities. In New Zealand it is common to take part in extreme sports such as skydiving, bungee jumping or white water rafting. I can’t deny that these are fantastic activities that many will believe should be experienced during ones life, however too many the $300 spent skydiving may be put to better use spending an extra 3 weeks somewhere in Asia.

Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and even the slightly more westernised Thailand are great destinations. The flight won’t be cheap; though once you’re out there you can easily live on a budget of $5 a day. However in Australia, New Zealand or the US it’s going to cost you at least $20 just to find a bed. Therefore if you are on a student gap year and aren’t looking at gap year jobs to do whilst you travel, this may be worth bearing in mind. In Siem Reap, Cambodia you have the chance to visit Angkor Wat. One of the most stunning and well preserved temples the world has to offer. Meanwhile in Vietnam there are all sorts of things to see in regards to the Vietnam war. A boat trip through the eerie Halong Bay is also a must see. These activities are cheap in contrast with those you will find in western countries and are highly recommended.

If you are living in Europe and planning a trip it’s easy to think of exotic locations in Asia and South America. However a Europe gap year may prove more exciting and financially viable than one may have thought originally. With Europe being so compact yet containing so many different countries it makes for interesting travelling. Eastern Europe has beautiful scenery and many things to see while at the same time being cheaper to travel than northern Europe. With a good train system around Europe and several long distance tickets available from country to country this is a great and cheap way to see travel.

Another way people are able to travel cheaply is by spending your gap year teaching. Many companies offer you the chance to teach languages in most of the world. It is likely you would have to pay for your flight but once your there many companies will offer you free accommodation as well as perhaps helping you with other expenses.. Similarly spending your gap year volunteering can prove a cheaper and very rewarding experience.

So my advice would be to travel somewhere near to where you are based or go to countries where your money will be worth more. Then save your dreams of New York or Sydney for a time when you have enough money saved to not have to be counting your pennies every time you crave a beer!

For more information on gap years check out www.gapyearprograms.net

I wondered what gap year jobs are available for everyone. You will be surprised with the variety of work available for every interest and individual. There are available gap year employment opportunities in Canada, New Zealand, Europe, South Africa, United Kingdom and USA. Teaching, nursing, graduate jobs, summer and winter jobs are available. Voluntary work is also a common adventure for most gappers.

With Canada’s attractions, working here is a chance to get know and explore many places and tourist destinations. Places of interest for tourist are: Alaska Highway, Annapolis Valley & French Shore, Banff Town, Bracebridge, Cornwall and Fogo Island and Change Island to name a few. Summer is the best time to go to Canada though it has been a tourist favorite all year round with varieties of things to do every season. Job industry or part time job is common in certain parts of the nation. Summer starts late of May and early of September in Southern part of the country and in the northern part the summer season starts in late June and ends in September. Employment during this season is also high especially for sports instructors.

New Zealand offers another great work opportunities destination during gap year which is due to many factors. One perhaps the beauty of the middle earth in the famous movie Lord of Rings draws so many tourist and gapers each year. Second, is the opportunity to find work like a teaching job or perhaps a seasonal job during summer? Every gap year work in this country is a chance to go whale watching, being on the land where Frodo lived; TESL jobs are very common in New Zealand; conversation projects to save the earth are also available. Adventure, community development and study abroad gap year are all available.

Europe as a destination for a gap year is so wide. It is better to choose one country among all those wonderful country to visit. Spain, France, Italy, Rome, Denmark, and Sweden are a few of the top destinations.

There are so many things that you can do in your gap year and to what gap year activities are you going to embark on. There are plenty of activities and destinations that you can choose from and here is some overview of them; you can find these activities in South America, there are numerous places where you can spend your gap year. You can choose some of the activities that you can do in South America, such as teaching English, volunteer in the habitat and wildlife conservation, reserve and marine conservation, scuba diving and many more.

If your destination is in South America, you will find organizations which caters from those who would want to volunteer and also those who are looking forward to do something in their gap years. There are numerous organizations in South America which have projects that teach English in some rural and urban schools. Most of the in South America has these organizations, you can volunteer in your gap year to teach in Chile, Colombia and so on. You can also do some habitat and wildlife conservation in some of the countries such as the Amazon Forest in Brazil or in Costa Rica’s rainforest and many more. In the habitat and wildlife conservation in the Amazon, you will be able to help in the community projects in supporting the wildlife research and conservation. And also you get to be involved with other community projects such as exploring Ecuador and other rainforest and so on. And also the same as in Costa Rica’s rainforest, and also you will be able to see their vast jungles, volcanoes and the diversity of its wildlife; you will be able to help in the conservation of the environment. Venezuela, Mexico and some countries in Central America, have also gap year programs that involves in marine conservation and many others.