Frequently many students that finish high school take a gap year travel after senior year and before starting college but you don’t need to be a teenager to enjoy a gap year program and make profit of it for your personal of professional life.

Tradition dates back centuries when ancient Hebrews takes a whole year rest every seven years. Truly they did it as an agricultural practice allowed to leave the land without working for replenishment (fallow) after 6 consecutive years of harvest. Nowadays people don’t take this rest for agricultural reasons but to disconnect from routine and take a breath. As well as you are a teacher looking to acquire new knowledge so you can teach better or you are a doctor wanting to cooperate in a far place, sure you will enjoy your gap year projects and learn a lot.

Actually if you are a grown-up your expectations are quite different from high school students. Adults look for professional improvement, travel around the world or give a twist to their lives.

Thinking about travel during that time many people choose to make their dreams trip but in this case you shouldn’t forget to hire a good gap year travel insurance that cover any unexpected event as illnesses, lost or stolen documents or early returns for any reason.

Make sure that if you go trough the Internet you could find many information to plan your year and you are not the only adult thinking about taking a rest so if you are really convinced, make it real!

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

Did you ever consider a gap year in Europe? With all the small countries, easy passage between the countries and cultural differences for each country, Europe is the ideal place to see as much as possible in a short time.

You can discover the capital of love in France, take a look at the rich history of Italy and enjoy the sol y playa in Spain for starter. But there is much more. Have you ever considered of discovering the nice country of Portugal or going to the small villages in the Alps.

Europe not a popular gap year destination but I do think it is worth considering. In the north, you can find the most beautiful nature you will see in your life. Scandinavia is filled with pretty things. The only problem here is that it is the most expensive part of Europe. In central Europe, you will find these nice little villages with very kind people. A big advantage is that almost everyone in the north and central parts of Europe speaks English. Finally in the south, you will get to enjoy the nightlife, sun, beaches and relaxing way they live.

This part of the world gives you a taste of everything within a relatively small area. So please reconsider going on a gap year to Europe.

Many students want to have a break alter they finish High School. I know there is a lot of criticism regarding the subject and many parents don’t think that their children should “waste their time” while going on a Gap Year. But there are a couple of important things that students can learn while going on gap year projects.

First of all students mature while being away from their family and having to cope with everything on their own. They get trusted with new stuff and learn to make decisions. Furthermore you meet a lot of new people, learn to communicate with strangers and the self-confidence of a student grows while taking a gap year travel.

Moreover studies have shown that students who went on a gap year are more likely to graduate and they are more excited about learning. When your life only exists of studying, you will get bored. Taking a gap year can be good for students to clear their minds, make up what they want to study and are ready to throw themselves into their studies.

So if I were you, I would think about doing this adventure. A gap year program can really change your life in a positive way…

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

You are planning on going on a Gap Year and you are in the search of as much information as possible around the subject. You want to hear about real stories from people who went on a gap year program and interact with them. Maybe the following Facebook pages can help you finding what you need.

The first one is called Gap Year and is Facebook page with a lot of fans. Their is a lot of interaction on the site and it provides some useful information.

Furthermore, you have the page called gapyearprograms.net. There are some nice pictures on the page and some good stories being shared.

On another page, also called Gap Year, you can find many pictures from Gap Years in Uganda or Costa Rica for instance; it’s a nice way of tasting of the life changing experience.

One of the great joys of life is to see oneself developing as a mature person. Coping with challenges, taking responsibilities, gaining the confidence from others and creating self esteem are part of the development to become complete. It’s a life-long and rewarding process of evolution.

Being a young person and seeing oneself becoming an army officer probably requires a real vocation. The energy and the potential lay in every young person to become what he or she wants to be. Relatives should make plans towards developing this vocation, support and encouragement.

A gap year is a thrilling experience if it’s spent out of the everyday life environment. It is often the first occasion to face the real world and face oneself. It’s a spark that can trigger passion and dedication towards a career. A year in a military camp sounds different than an average gap year travel across the world or taking leisure time. But it can be much more rewarding to the one feeling this vocation towards the army. It could be a once in a life-time experience for them. So there should be no question.

Despite passion and vocation, one should not forget the realities of life and society. For example, it takes some level of education before leaving school, and no insufficient culture puts a young person at risk for the future. A gap year should not last more than 12 months and should be an encouragement to endeavor successfully towards the end of school.

This story is about a friend of mine called Christopher Dingley. After graduating High School, Chris and a couple of his friends wanted to do a Gap Year Travel and so they went to some great places around the world for 5 months and did great gap year activities. On their trip, they saw amazing things and met people they will never forget…

The friends started off by visiting and travel Thailand; this is one of the most beautiful cheap places in the world. You can see a lot without spending too much money. The nightlife is also very good in Thailand. But in order to do more cultural stuff, Chris and his friends went to travel Cambodia and visit Vietnam where they saw great statues and buildings and relived the war in Vietnam by wandering through the tunnels, seeing the horrible traps from the Vietnamese people and even shooting with guns.

Afterwards, the gap year trip continued towards Singapore, Australia and especially New Zealand where they did amazing stuff. Chris told me that New Zealand was one of his best experiences and everyone has to go there if you have the opportunity. The only negative part, he said, is that it’s very expensive because you want to do as much as possible: walking in glaciers, visiting crocodile farms, going on boat trips, skydiving over the best place in the world to do so, and this is just a little summary of all the great opportunities of the South Pacific island.

At the Fiji Island, Chris and his friends experienced the slow, relaxing way of life at one of the most magical beaches in the world. They travelled extremely beautiful islands for three weeks and prepared themselves for more mainstream stuff. Because afterwards, they visited Hollywood and other attractions in Los Angeles, went to travel Mexico and they finished their perfect trip in a perfect way by going to Las Vegas and live the Las Vegas life for one night.

Talking about a good way to experience a gap year program, I think Chris and his friends topped it all

The last couple of years, young people who are planning a gap year, are more and more interested in volunteering overseas, but why?

Well Lattitude Global Volunteer conducted a survey and asked over 2000 people aged 15 to 24 years old why they consider volunteering overseas during a gap year. According to the study, many of those young people think that volunteering is the best way to experience a different culture combined with learning new skills.

The company provides volunteering opportunities in 20 different countries from Australia to Canada and Malawi. The volunteers become completely integrated in a culture by living and working with them and becoming an important part of that community.

Other popular reasons to volunteer are that 14% thinks that volunteering during a gap year is a good work experience, another 14% wanted to give something back. Furthermore, 11% wanted to become more independent during the gap year, 10% wanted to improve their CV, 9% wanted to learn something about themselves and 8% thought of the gap year as a way to help them decide upon decisions they had to make concerning their career.

Would you consider to work abroad and what are your reasons? Please let me know.

Europe the best choice to get a lot of…

Europe is sometimes referred to as the old continent and as such, it has a lot of stories to tell. A walk in antic avenues in Rome Italy, a read in a 15th century library in Salamanca Spain, a drink in a tavern from the times of the great discovery in Lisbon Portugal… There are many ways to experience the tremendous amount of history that casually springs out with no warning.

The capitals in Europe can be a good choice to settle for a year. They host a lot of visitors and there will always be a place for you. But if anonymous and dense urban environment puts you off you can try discovering a province city.

Student towns like Edinburgh in Scotland, Montpellier in France or Cork in Ireland, are a safe bet: always happening with events, lively places and activities, all easy to find and reach in a human-size agglomeration.

Language is not a problem. Making friends is immediate, just like finding the appropriate job, the right accommodation and the happening places, since these universities host thousands of students. Also, the province shows more of the essence of the country, and is often cheaper.

Outdoor activities are easier to organize according to your personality.

The right logistics are in place in Europe to fully enjoy it. Air
connections between all the capitals are not more than 2hours, a network of good and cheap youth hostels, a summer cross-border rail path… Discovering the variety of countries and capital is a must and it’s easy. Check out the cost of living before departure though, prices vary a lot between countries.

Top 3 for the party : Barcelona, Edinburgh, Prague
Top 3 for the culture : Rome, Paris, Berlin
Top 3 for the beauty: Florence, Seville, Venice
Top 3 for the international vibe: London, Rotterdam, Dublin