Planning a gap year

Saving money

Here are some top tips to save money on your year off

• Buy essentials such as visas for onward travel when you arrive, along with malaria pills which are cheaper abroad.
• Use public transport and share lifts

• Stay in dorms in hostels or cheap beach huts

• Try jobs such as bar work, waiting or fruit picking, or even teach English as a foreign language.

Transport times and prices

Seat61.com

Safety

Ultimategapyear.co.uk – run courses with safety advice for young travellers

General advice for gap years

gap.org.uk

gapguru.com

gapyear.com

gapyearjob.co.uk

gapyeardirectory.co.uk

Keeping it green

With greater awareness of the damage done by cheap flights, anyone planning a gap year travelling abroad will want to think hard before setting off about how to limit the damage from their flights. Possibilities are staying near home rather than trying to travel round the world, and paying to offset the carbon from travel. You may also want to get involved in a worthwhile project helping local people as a volunteer.