'real gap' experiences, in particular thailand.

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Brenna

Yeah, I did most of my gap year on my own but i went with a company, not real gap; they don't do the place i wanted to go, when i went to the middle east.

What company/organisation was this? :smile:

It's just that there seem to be volunteering opps everywhere apart from this region?

Reply 41

Brenna

No I couldn't find any volunteering options theere either (though there must be some...) so i just travelled instead. It was with gecko's adventures though i did four countires with them and how good they were really varied depending on the country

Reply 42

Haft_Hasht_Shish

Oh right, that's exactly what I'm planning to do ~ travel through the region. But I was just curious to see my "expert" googling skills missed out on volunteer opps in the M East (apart from teaching English in Egypt, Palestine, Kibbutz)

I'm guessing the four countries were Turkey - Syria - Jordan - Egypt? Any tips or wise words after your experience?

Reply 43

Brenna

Yep

well Egypt was amazing, probably my favourite, as the sights were so impressive but there were about twenty billion tourists everywhere.

Damascus was definitely the most interesting city.

If you can avoid it don't take the boat from Eygpt to Jordan - it was absolutely disgusting of my gap year but if you cant avoid it then it's not actually going to damage you...

Petra was really interesting but i probably wouldn't go back to Jordan - just prefered the others as Jordan seemed less middle eastern.

Hopefully Iran next year if the situation doesn't deteriorate...

Reply 44

Haft_Hasht_Shish

Thanks for the insight. I agree ~ Damascus is probably the most interesting city out of the Levantine states. I could see myself living there for a while :p:

I also def. need to see Petra. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade...well nuff' said. I've been waiting 15 years to see it! TBH, I don't think Egypt will be that interesting. The Pyramids have never excited me :s-smilie:

but they're on my list of things/places to see.

My plan is those 4 countries plus the personal highlight which is Iran. I cannot wait to see Esfahan. :yep:

Reply 45

Brenna

Id love to go the the ruins of Pserepolis....

No, I didn't think id like egypt - it was the one i least wanted to see but once i got there it was amazing. If you do go to Iran then let me know how it goes :biggrin:

Reply 46

SylverStrike

Ooh, I didn't see this thread here.

I wasnt to go with Real Gap to go to Nepal for two weeks, volunteering. Is it really that much of a rip-off, especially if I'm working in schools and that sort of thing? I'm not doing a whole trekking round the world thing- I'd literally be going straight to Nepal and back- and being a bit of a worrier, I think I'd rather go with a company and have it organised for me.

Reply 47

rakata

Ewan

EDIT: I didn't go on tours but they are available everywhere. I completely despise tour travel, I think its the eq to a cholesterol build up in your arteries. They stand there in huge huddles obstructing the view for everyone else, while some dude shouts in a loud microphone in chinese pissing everyone off.

i actually need to rep you for this. totally, totally agree.

and with the volunteering thing, why would you pay like £3,000/month PLUS flights and insurance to VOLUNTEER?!?! it would take you like 5 months to earn that, the orphans would be better off with your money, then they can pay someone LOCAL to teach english, thus helping someone possibly previously unemployed.

whatever lol *shrugs*

Reply 48

flyingfishes

ive been looking at the real gap plan your own gap year one, i want to choose where i go & what i do but do nothave a clue how to do this by myself so would be utterly dependant on these companies!

are there other ways not through gap companies to travel the whole world when and where i want?

Reply 49

gemini89

flyingfishes

Surely the only way you'll be able to do exactly what you want will be able to choose and organise everything yourself? Or if you're really that worried about it, why not do a bit of a combination, and do a few tours and then a bit independently? For example RTW package 1 from Real Gap includes -

Some volunteering/activities/sightseeing in Thailand and India - You could organise a volunteering placement yourself like this one in Goa for relatively little money and with some help from the charity, or go on a backpacker tour with Intrepid OR just take a flight into Bangkok and meet the hundreds of other 18 year old plus travellers! Thailand is one of the easiest countries to travel independently around.

12 months work experience in Australia - Working Holiday Visas are VERY easy to arrange, and cost very little. Australia has a huge backpacker scene with good hop on-hop off bus transport available with Oz Experience, very easy to meet new friends. But if you didn't want to do it alone, again you could pay quite a bit more and have things arranged with a company like BUNAC or STA Travel

Bus tour around New Zealand - A very very easy destination to travel around! Backpacker central again! Lots of hop-on, hop-off party bus tours if you like that sort of thing, and if you book direct with the companies, such as Kiwi Experience and Stray they have seasonal discounts if you book yourself. OR you could be a tad more independent, use a car or camper van and get off the beaten track! Alternatively you could also have a Working Holiday here instead of Australia (which is what I did, again very easy to sort out the visa details etc.)

Bus tour around Fiji - Again, bus tours are available (the same one as Real Gap include) or you could use local transport OR you could just arrive and take a boat out to one of the many smaller islands and stay at a resort, sit by the beach, snorkel and sip cocktails...again, Fiji really isn't the most difficult of places to travel around...

And finally, the USA trek. The one Real Gap include is run by Trek America which again has seasonal discounts. Or you could go with a different company such as Green Tortoise ORRRRR go it independently on the Greyhound buses or Amtrak trains!

Seriously, most of these destinations are VERY backpacker friendly, with the whole transport/hostel network set up FOR you. Lots of travellers, mostly native English speaking, not exactly off the beaten track....choose what you want to do, organise it, do it. Save lots of money than going with Real Gap and at the end of your year you can say...'well, I organised it all myself' even if you DO end up going with tour groups/buses etc.

Also, Real Gap quotes this tour as 'from £7899' depending on the time of year. You would also end up paying for most of your bus tour accommodation as well as food every day. Wow, so about £10,000 odd?

Reply 50

flyingfishes

thank you very much gemini!
this is extremely helpful!
so literally book a flight turn up in a country and you'll be just about okay!?!

Reply 51

gemini89

flyingfishes

thank you very much gemini!
this is extremely helpful!
so literally book a flight turn up in a country and you'll be just about okay!?!

I'm just bascially saying that companies like Real Gap try and make travelling to be really really scary (so they can make money) but when you break it down...for the most part it isn't. If you're wanting to go to places like Australia and New Zealand then it's absolutely easy and it just takes a bit of confidence to put yourself out there. Yeah, it's a long way from home, but the internet makes it all a lot closer. As long as you're sensible, sort a few things out first (visas, maybe first few nights booked in a hostel, look up general safety advice, have a general idea of where you want to go/what to do) then you'll be fine. But if you wanted to go through a company that's also fine, just be aware that there's ethical issues (look at this thread on Gapyear.com for an example - is a really useful travel message board anyway btw) and you'll pay a hell of a lot more for a specific 'experience.' Personally I like to travel and make my own experiences, rather than what is laid out in an itinerary, but each to their own. I agree that there are certain destinations that I would want extra help to visit (and not visit as a solo female) but a lot of the standard gap year backpacker places are exactly that - big backpacker destinations with the beaten track and all that goes with it already there.