Gap Year Ideas: How To Spend Your Year Abroad

Before you head off to university or college, are you planning on taking a gap year? A year abroad can be an extremely rewarding and enriching experience as it could be your very first time living away from home or traveling with your friends. There are so many ways to spend your gap year that the choice can be quite overwhelming. To help you make up your mind, here are my top five gap year ideas.

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Volunteering With A Charity

If you want your year to have a purpose, consider signing up to volunteer for a charity. This usually involves working in a deprived town or city, usually in Africa or Asia. There are various ways a charity will use your support. You could work in one of their schools to educate children, or you could help out in the local community and work in local business. Volunteering with a charity will look very good on your resume and will also help you grow as a person.

Become A Ski Instructor

Do you enjoy winter holidays out on the slopes? Well, how about turning this hobby into a job for your gap year. Choose a Ski Instructor Course so you can become qualified to teach ski lessons. Then you can head off on your gap year! Working during your gap year will give you a steady source of income, so you will be able to afford lots of fun activities during your time away. Not only that but becoming an instructor is another fab way to enhance your resume!

Backpack Around Europe

Why just visit one country when you can travel around an entire continent? Europe is a brilliant place to travel around, as there are loads of countries that you can hop between. The hostels in most European countries are extremely cheap, so this is one gap year you can do even on a budget. And staying in hostels means you are bound to meet lots of other travelers on your trip! Think about booking an Interrail ticket. This gives you unlimited rail travel in many different countries.

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Head To Australia

Traveling around Australia is another popular option for those who just want to travel for their entire year. This huge country has so much to see; you will certainly be busy for the entire year! Many people choose to backpack around. Most of the cities are located on Australia’s coast, and have fantastic views of the ocean. Melbourne and Sydney are very popular with travelers. But don’t forget to pop over to Perth on the west coast to sample Australian life at its most relaxed.

Study A Language

This option is especially popular with those who are going on to study languages at college. Most European universities offer summer language schools for foreign students. So why not learn a new language while discovering a new country? If you do, you’ll find you get more out of your foreign adventure!

Once you’ve decided what you want to do, it’s time to get excited!