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Gap year travel

user796

Where are the beat places to travel on my gap year?

Reply 1

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by user796

Where are the beat places to travel on my gap year?

Hello @user796

Wherever you want to travel! There are plenty of anccessible and cheaper locations to travel to in Europe (Spain, Italy, Austria, Poland etc. popular tourist countries) if you want something easier to start off with. But if you have a larger budget then I’d recommend going to countries beyond just Europe like Canada, Japan, Thailand, New Zealand, Indonesia etc. for a more educational trip into different cultures and history!

I’m not sure where you’ve been in the past (i.e family holidays) or what you’re course will be but for general recommendations those are places I’d

Hope this helps,
Dom

Reply 2

abibrownstark

Original post by user796

Where are the beat places to travel on my gap year?

One of the best things I did before University was taking a gap year. Unfortunately, it was partially disrupted by the COVID 19 pandemic and lockdowns but since then I've also had the opportunity to travel lots during my Study Abroad in Germany.

Like already mentioned in this thread, Europe is a great one to travel to from the UK in terms of accessibility, affordability and ability to adapt and shift your plans to be more flexible around you! Over the past 15 months I've been able to travel to over 15 countries on a budget between my second and final year as part of my Study Abroad. It has been honestly incredible seeing so many different cultures, communities and countries in a mixture of travel types, including solo travelling, family trips and friends. Having studied in Germany, it has to be one of my favourite places I visited as you can get completely different experiences depending on which parts of the country you go to. Whether you want to explore the capital Berlin and its buzzing city life, explore more touristy spots like Heidelberg or Cologne or wander down more South and visit the Black Forest or Lake Constance. Germany was also amazing for its central location in Europe so I was able to travel a lot between studies for long weekends. Obviously for yourself you wouldn't have to be balancing the student and travel lifestyle!

One of the ways I kept my travelling cheap and under the student budget was using low cost transport options like FlixBus. If you don't mind the longer journeys in slightly less glamorous conditions, it is an amazing and affordable option to travel around Europe. For context, I managed to get to and from Lund (Sweden) from Heidelberg (Germany) for 40 euros. I was also able to travel from Budapest -> Zagreb -> Ljubljana -> Verona -> Heidelberg, over the course of two weeks for less than 150 euros (booking in advance makes tickets much cheaper but they are still reasonable leading up to the travel for last minute plans/changes). I know the Interrail Pass and Bla Bla car are also options my friends have used in the past.

As for general advice for all of those places (and with any trips I’ve planned) make sure you’ve got your travel insurance sorted before the date of your departure and that if you’re planning on any day trips (to ski etc) that you get the right insurance to cover this. Staying safe is also a top priority so make sure you have back ups, share your location with family/friends back home and check travel alerts for the countries you're visiting. Signing up to travel alerts for the country you’re visiting is a helpful way to stay in the loop for any important updates to make sure you stay safe during your travels

Here’s the link: UK Gov Travel Advice

You'll have an amazing time wherever you go and it's about making an itinerary that works best for you. You can also meet so many amazing people travelling so make the most of your gap year!

Safe travels,
Abi Brown-Stark
FCDO Student Ambassador

(edited 6 months ago)

Reply 3

Daniaxxxx

South america, southeast asia