Are Gap year organisations really necessary?

I am 100% set on going travelling in the near future to south east Asia being, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos primarily. I have gained much support however I am constantly being reminded of organisations that offer trips to SE Asia and other destinations.

Now from my understanding of the trips offered (especially in SE Asia) they seem to be targeted at teens and young adults with nothing but drinking in mind. Now I'm all one for having a drink but is would seem these trips just go from one party location to the other which seems a waste in such a beautiful location. With this is mind I want to go without the reassuring backing of organisation to help out. Is this a good idea? Or will I be alright given that the area is so heavily populated by tourists currently?

Thanks and if anyone has taken a trip like this with or without an organisation I would love to hear about your experience.

Reply 1

hazelr

1

Original post by Shnitzalbrain

in the near future

Me too! When are you thinking of going? I'm not planning on using any kind of organisation, as friends who have traveled in Asia as well as other areas have told me that through staying at hostels, you'll meet a lot of people doing the same thing as you, and so you could decide to travel with them!

Why would you want to arrange your traveling around an organisation; everything they offer can be done alone and you can meet people along the way, wherever you stay, as long as you are confident enough to talk to people wherever you stay!

Reply 2

Shnitzalbrain

OP

Original post by hazelr

Me too!
I should have enough money by the end of the year from my dreadful job haha, and I'm so glad I'm not the only one that sees organisations as unnecessary expenses as like you said, you can sort everything out yourself!

Reply 3

hazelr

1

Oh cool

I'm hoping the same - maybe leave in December?! Where are you from?

Reply 4

Mojojojo

19

Original post by Shnitzalbrain

I am 100% set on going travelling in the near future to south east Asia being, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos primarily. I have gained much support however I am constantly being reminded of organisations that offer trips to SE Asia and other destinations.

Now from my understanding of the trips offered (especially in SE Asia) they seem to be targeted at teens and young adults with nothing but drinking in mind. Now I'm all one for having a drink but is would seem these trips just go from one party location to the other which seems a waste in such a beautiful location. With this is mind I want to go without the reassuring backing of organisation to help out. Is this a good idea? Or will I be alright given that the area is so heavily populated by tourists currently?

Thanks and if anyone has taken a trip like this with or without an organisation I would love to hear about your experience.

Did the first week of my 3 month south-east Asia trip with a company and don't regret it at all. It was £399 but one of the best weeks of my life. A lot of us stayed together for the rest of the month in Thailand and kept meeting up, and then I bumped into a few of them in Cambodia too. It was great for meeting people and I would never have lasted without it. The first night I arrived I was in a panic and wanted to come home, and then the next day when I met the group I was absolutely fine and thought myself stupid for ever having those thoughts. But then again, if you are against companies, you can meet people in hostels if you put yourself out there!

Reply 5

Shnitzalbrain

OP

By the time I'll have the money it'll be December time which I'd like to avoid considering Christmas prices, so sometime in 2015, probably April time just to make sure I have enough to sustain me if the worst happens while I'm away or something (fingers crossed it doesn't)

Reply 6

charleypayne

Original post by Shnitzalbrain

I am 100% set on going travelling in the near future to south east Asia being, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos primarily. I have gained much support however I am constantly being reminded of organisations that offer trips to SE Asia and other destinations.

Now from my understanding of the trips offered (especially in SE Asia) they seem to be targeted at teens and young adults with nothing but drinking in mind. Now I'm all one for having a drink but is would seem these trips just go from one party location to the other which seems a waste in such a beautiful location. With this is mind I want to go without the reassuring backing of organisation to help out. Is this a good idea? Or will I be alright given that the area is so heavily populated by tourists currently?

Thanks and if anyone has taken a trip like this with or without an organisation I would love to hear about your experience.

I did thailand with Real Gap. Best experience of my life. You do things that you wouldn't have done otherwise and i saw places that, if i was travelling on my own, i probably wouldn't have gone to! It's a little pricey to start off with but in the long run, you save so much money on transport, accommodation. They tell you the best places to go, for food, drink, nights out and i was in a group of 29. Didn't feel obliged to go out partying all the time, and because we were such a big group there was always a like minded person, so if you didnt want to go out one night you wouldn't be sat at the hotel on your own.

We didn't just go to party locations, we stayed in the jungle, stayed with local thai and burmese people, but also stayed on koh phangan and was the best week of my life! It's absolutely mental, and sooooo much better than the programmes like sun sex and suspicious parents make it out to be!

Overall, if your a little nervous about travelling alone it's a great way to meet like minded people and have the security and feel safe for your whole trip! Always had someone to turn to if i had a problem... the tour guides were amazing, and now life long friends :smile:

With this in mind, i know people who did the rest of Asia solo, and absolutely loved it! It's actually a really easy place to travel around. Cheap and cheerful! So either way, you will have a fantastic time!!

One tip! Book your first accommodation before you get there, so you have a place to sleep the first night and get used to the place! :smile:

Reply 7

Shnitzalbrain

OP

Thanks for the reply, it's good to hear from somebody with first hand experience of it. I think I'll still go solo but make sure not to miss any of the hidden gems and incredible places. Would you suggest anywhere specifically? Cheers

Reply 8

charleypayne

Original post by Shnitzalbrain

Thanks for the reply, it's good to hear from somebody with first hand experience of it. I think I'll still go solo but make sure not to miss any of the hidden gems and incredible places. Would you suggest anywhere specifically? Cheers

Bangkok is like Marmite, you will either love it or hate it! I, looooved it! It's such an interesting city! Make sure you do a city tour of the temples like angkor wat, and the grande palace. You can do this either on your own, or if you book it with a tour guide your get a river cruise which is stunning. Floating down the river in one of those little boats (And they might let you feed the fish, so much fun!).

Also koh san road! During the day it's full of cheap clothes, souvenirs, anything and everything. I practically bought a whole new wardrobe with shorts and t-shirts cheaper than primark!! And then at night it really comes alive. It's full of bars (and a few clubs). It's like one party strip! It's a hell of a lot of fun, and you will meet a lot of people who you could probably travel with the next day! There's a bar at the end of the strip called Gulliver's Travel (i think) and it's like a club for backpackers, full of Australian's and British teens! Golf Bar is another good place! REALLY cheap cocktails, you can sit down inside, or party on the tables outside in what looks like a street party! :smile:

The islands are a MUST! Honestly, they're so beautiful. I unfortunately only did the Eastern islands (Koh phangan, Koh Tao, and Koh Samui). They're sunning, and if you like a good party Koh Phangans the place to be. The full moons mental! There's a different party each night, jungle, waterfull, full moon etc. I stayed just outside haad rin beach (which is like the main party area full of brits) and it was lovely because you weren't bothered by the noise from the beach and clubs at night.

The north of the island is a bit more quieter and more like a holiday destination rather than the party side of the island! We hired a car for the day and went up north and found loads of little hidden beaches and even one with monkeys on aha!

Koh Tao is beautiful for snorkelling and Scuba Diving if your into that! And Samui is just like a beach resort!

If you want to go somewhere a bit off of the traditional travellers trail, Real Gap took us to a place called Kanchanaburi. It's sooooo beautiful, in the jungle a little bit. It's about 4 hours west of Bangkok and home to the tiger temple, an amazing elephant sanctuary, erawan waterfalls and has a really nice traditional thai feel about it, and it's not too overpowered by tourists either! There's a few bars (Sugar member is the best!) and restaurants in the main town and there's quite a few solo travellers that we met who just kinda stumbled across the town. It's really nice :smile:

Sorry to keep rambling!! Hope any of this helps :biggrin:

Reply 9

Shnitzalbrain

OP

I can tell by how you write you really enjoyed every minute of the trip! Glad it all went well and if you don't mind me asking, do you recall how much you spent for everything overall? (Plane, parties, food) I'm planning for about £6000 to get me through 5 months

Are Gap year organisations really necessary?

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