Gap Travel Tours
A "gap year" is a period of time that people take off from their normal studies or job. The phrase was originally coined for students who took a year off between high school graduation and entering college, between college years of study, or between college graduation and entering the workforce. Today, however, a gap year refers to people of all ages who are undergoing a life transition, taking a sabbatical from work or their normal day-to-day lives. Although the gap period doesn't have to be exactly one year, this is generally the period of time referred to. A gap year is used most frequently to travel, learn something new, volunteer, or just do something different with your life that you don't normally do.
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Benefits and Tips for Gap-Year Travel
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Far from being seen as a negative, gap years are increasingly looked upon favorably by colleges and employers. The world seems to grow smaller and more interconnected each day, and the experience gleaned through international travel--especially for long periods of time when you can actually become immersed in a culture and perhaps even learn a new language and new skills--is valuable in life.
In a USA Today article, G. Jeffrey MacDonald explains the benefits. "Counselors are coming to bless the gap-year option, and colleges increasingly are offering a deferred enrollment option as more and more "gappers" arrive on campus with enhanced focus, motivation and maturity---all of which bodes well for their undergraduate years in college."
Some colleges will even pay students to defer enrollment with gap-year learning and community service. A recent article in the Christian Science Monitor reports that more than 80 colleges and universities offer matching grants for students who earn tuition assistance through AmeriCorps.
Princeton University offers a formal program they are calling a "bridge year" for students to do service work abroad before starting college. Participants do nine months of work all over the world, while the university covers most expenses. Princeton's Center for Interim Programs offers a wealth of excellent advice for those planning a gap year, including these tips: Gain acceptance and admission into a college first; research programs thoroughly and have a detailed plan; know your needs for keeping in touch with family and friends--and making new friends.
Types of Gap-Year Travel
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The options are limitless when considering the different types of gap travel that are available. Here are a few options to think about:
Travel to See the World
One of the most original, and enduring, forms of gap-year travel consists of travel for travel's sake--an around-the-world trip meant to explore and learn about places all over the planet.
Travel to Learn a New Skill
Educational programs combined with travel can often teach so much more than you can learn sitting in a classroom. Experiential learning provides a hands-on way to develop new skills such as language, technical skills, music and arts. Study programs and course offerings exist in virtually every place in the world on thousands of different topics.
Travel to Teach Others
Many gap-year programs exist for the "gapper" to be the teacher. One of the most popular, with thousands of openings worldwide, is teaching English in other countries. However, anyone with a specific skill set could be in demand to teach their knowledge to others--be it computer programming, arts or construction.
Travel to Do Community Service
Volunteering remains one of the most popular avenues for gap years. In fact, one of the things that might spring to mind when you think of such experiences is the Peace Corps, started in the 1960s specifically for the purpose of sending young people all over the world for one to three years to work in developing countries performing much-needed tasks. You might preserve sea turtles in South America, work in a Cambodian orphanage, or dig wells and lay clean water pipeline in Africa.
GapYear.com
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So, how and where do you start when planning a gap year? There are many excellent resources out there--one of the best is a website called GapYear.com. GapYear offers hundreds of tours to choose from, doing all sorts of activities from teaching rural preschoolers or building a school, to whale shark or rain forest conservation. You can search by country, type of work or activity and jobs. GapYear also offers message boards for gappers to share ideas and resources and a "Travel Mate" section that is sort of like matchmaking for gappers.
City Year
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The motto of this initiative started in Boston is "Give a year, change the world." City Year unites young people of all backgrounds age 17 to 24 for a year of full-time community service, leadership development and civic engagement--giving them skills and opportunities to change the world. As tutors, mentors and role models, City Year participants make a difference in the lives of children and transform schools and neighborhoods in 20 U.S. locations and one in Johannesburg, South Africa.
It's not just about selfless service, though. City Year Youth Service Corps members receive plenty of benefits in return: the chance to develop civic leadership skills they can use in jobs and college, as well as new skills and lifelong friendships. "Serving in schools gave me the opportunity to give the future's most important resource--children--a voice, whether through helping them create a book, discussing social justice issues or developing a community newspaper," says City Year Corps member Nisha Abraham.
Gap Adventures
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Gap Adventures offers tours for those seeking a gap year, but it's different in a couple of ways. Unlike GapYear.com, which functions as an aggregator of tours offered by many different companies, Gap Adventures offers its own tours, organized and run by them. They also have a focus on authentic, sustainable travel--increasingly important to all types of travelers today.
Gap Adventures offers more than 1,000 small group experiences, safaris and expeditions on all seven continents to more than 100,000 travelers a year. The company's worldwide adventures focus on cultural interaction, wildlife encounters and active travel--and their tours last for as little as six days. Here are a few tours they offer:
Amazon to the Andes: A compact 12-day trip that combines two radically different regions of Peru. This tour provides a taste of the beauty and extreme contrasts this stunning country has to offer.
Grand Voyage to Antarctica: This 24-day trip allows extended time in the seldom visited Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island and in the mystical continent of Antarctica. Spend a full day at a King penguin rookery and slowly explore the untouched coastlines of these remote Southern Hemisphere islands. Make your way south to the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula, home to some of the planet's most impressive wildlife and dramatic landscapes.
Cambodia and Laos Mekong Adventure: With the mighty Mekong mapping much of the route, explore the incredible historical, architectural, sacred and scenic highlights of Cambodia and Laos. This is a world of busy markets and stunning textiles, tranquil temples and awesome Khmer ruins. Try to spot rare river dolphins and relax in riverside cafes to watch magnificent sunsets.
Indochina Encompassed: Discover the heart and soul and the diverse delights of Indochina--from the whirlwind of activity that is Bangkok to the gentle culture and smiling people of Laos. Take in the magnificent scenery of Halong Bay by boat, watch the sun setting over the mighty Mekong River and shop along the lovely boulevards of Hanoi.
Conclusion
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It's obvious that gap-year travel reaps significant benefits. What's also interesting is the way that such an experience can form the path for the rest of your life--and perhaps even set you on a new course that you may have never expected.
In a recent survey of 300 Americans who took such "gap years," 60 percent said it affected their choice of academic major or career. "The Gap Year Advantage," a book co-authored by Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson, outlines the many ways in which such experiences are enriching. "They have been able to learn more about themselves, and, at an age when many still call them kids, they have given back to the world in ways many adults could not even imagine," they write.
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- Photo Credit I-to-i.com/Creative Commons
Comments
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sandytexan
Nov 23, 2009
This is an excellent opportunity for people of all ages to not only see the world & experience new cultures & gain knowledge; but to possibly have an impact while doing so & hopefully make a lasting contribution to our world.
