[Greasy Meatball]

I have been looking for months for something interesting and exciting to do on my gap year, but i can't find anything that i really want to do! Does anyone have any suggestions if you've already done a gap year or are planning to..

Thanks

[xxm]

If you can afford it, travel. I would love to see the world, let's face it you probably won't have the time you get in your gap year again, so make the most of it.

[Future Doc]

I believe it's pronounced "gap yah"

[pr0view]

Travel?

[Origami Bullets]

Well do you have any ideas of what you might want to do (even if slightly vague?) And you seem to have a long list of what you don't want to do - if you give us this then we can give you other ideas - otherwise, we're just going to end up repeating ourselves!

[michaelo]

hey dude, my name's michael, i have posted a couple of entries, take a look at 'Trek America in 2013', but are you in Year 13 atm and taking a gap year next year?

basically i want to go travelling in usa, and maybe a bit of canada. i don't know anyone in the same situation as me but i was wondering if you thinkinh about going travelling in the US? I was either thinking of just travelling around ( probably cheaper but may get less done) or going on one of these tours that is more expensive but has a clear itinerary. but don't really want to go on my own haha, and even if i go on a tour with loads of other people it would be nice to know some people so i don't end up with loads of random people that i really don't like.

Get back to me man! cheers

[Tomatochuckers]

(Original post by michaelo)
X

Whats up
I'm taking a gap yr next yr but I'm not going to America.
If I were you I would personally go by myself- I think you will feel more independent that way, and it will be more of a thrill being in a new country completely on your own.

I wouldn't say tours were bad at all, they're pretty good I think, but I would go on my own as well, as you can wake up when you want, and do what you want and when you want. It will be a completely new experience.

It won't be cheap, largely due to insurance and plane tickets I assume. But you can stay in pretty cheap hostels (where there will be many similar people to meet), and there will be plenty of cheap food and goods that you can get.

Another similar option would be to backpack through Europe, plenty of stuff to see there as well!

[michaelo]

Hey dude,

yeah i know what you mean, a couple of people have got in touch now and i think america can be quite a dangerous country.

certainly for the first time i will be travelling on my own it could be potentially quite bad if i get lost or whatever.

i'm thinking about 3k- 4k for the trip itself? inc. return flights and then try and find cheap hostels in advance and plan the route so we have a rough idea of the cost we will incur.

but thanks for the advice man!

[Tomatochuckers]

(Original post by michaelo)
X

No problem. Yeah I get what you mean. Everyone has their own preferences as well.
Lol the stuff you said reminded me of the hangover movies haha
Are you still going to America then?

[michaelo]

(Original post by Tomatochuckers)
No problem. Yeah I get what you mean. Everyone has their own preferences as well.
Lol the stuff you said reminded me of the hangover movies haha
Are you still going to America then?

Hey man,

certainly starting to lean away from TrekAmerica but definitely want to go with other people. Two girls have so far shown interest which is a good start.

I want to go backpacking but the trekamerica seems so structured and seems like you get loads done but think it will be too frantic. i want to go down the east coast ish like and visit cities like new york washington down to orlando and miami and can do that via megabus and spend a few days at each. Then fly over towards las vegas and see grand canyon/ las vegas and finish off in california. You interested at all?

Michael

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by michaelo)
yeah i know what you mean, a couple of people have got in touch now and i think america can be quite a dangerous country.

certainly for the first time i will be travelling on my own it could be potentially quite bad if i get lost or whatever.

So long as you're not an idiot and don't go for a midnight stroll around South Central LA (or walk into an NRA meeting and declare your love for Obama, gay people and abortion ), then you should be fine. Like all countries, it has its good bits and its bad bits.

If you get lost, then, well, meh. You can always ask for directions, and if you have a map then you shouldn't get lost anyway. Genuinely in six months of travelling (primarily around Australia, but also a bit of Malaysia), the closest I came to being lost was when the bus station had been moved across Kuala Lumpur, and I couldn't understand the rapid-fire Bahasa Malaysia that the attendant spoke to me. In the end, I got them to write it down and from there I was fine. If you can find your way around a UK city, you can manage it in the US too (and the grid system in cities like New York make it almost impossible to get lost).

[michaelo]

(Original post by Origami Bullets)
So long as you're not an idiot and don't go for a midnight stroll around South Central LA (or walk into an NRA meeting and declare your love for Obama, gay people and abortion ), then you should be fine. Like all countries, it has its good bits and its bad bits.

If you get lost, then, well, meh. You can always ask for directions, and if you have a map then you shouldn't get lost anyway. Genuinely in six months of travelling (primarily around Australia, but also a bit of Malaysia), the closest I came to being lost was when the bus station had been moved across Kuala Lumpur, and I couldn't understand the rapid-fire Bahasa Malaysia that the attendant spoke to me. In the end, I got them to write it down and from there I was fine. If you can find your way around a UK city, you can manage it in the US too (and the grid system in cities like New York make it almost impossible to get lost).

yeah i know what you mean but i'm not particularly independent and it would be nice to share the experience with other people and also that leaves scope for meeting other people as well.

[whatchasay]

I'm in the same position as the op, im not exactly sure what i want to do, i was considering interrailing but with a no hostel rule, it becomes way more expensive. Does anyone know about any internships, cheap ways to travel etc? I'm open to pretty much anything so....

[michaelo]

dude come to the us!

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by whatchasay)
I'm in the same position as the op, im not exactly sure what i want to do, i was considering interrailing but with a no hostel rule, it becomes way more expensive. Does anyone know about any internships, cheap ways to travel etc? I'm open to pretty much anything so....

Why no hostels? If this is a parental thing, then either (a) lie about where you're staying, or (b) ask them to pay the difference - it's not fair for them to impose arbitrary rules on their adult offspring which will cost them lots of money and spoil their overall experience. Hostels are half the fun of travelling!

Other than that, however, how about volunteering in return for bed and board with a host family? helpx.net, workaway.info and WWOOF all have lots of opportunities like that.

[Greasy Meatball]

Thanks for the replies,
I am actually quite set on going to France (preferably Paris) to work for 3-6months, but i'm struggling to find anything. Does anyone know where would be a good place to look?