Gap Year - what can I do?

It really depends on how you'd like to utilise it...

I decided to find work full-time to build my confidence, independence and general life skills - these are all great skills to have when starting uni and will put you ahead of the game. Of course, money is a lovely added bonus because uni is expensive too!

Other people like to explore the world and try new things, which definitely gives you life skills too

Thank you! Travelling seems out of bounds for me so I'll probably work as well.

If you want to travel though, that's possible. Not for the whole of your gap year but I worked during the summer right after year 13 and for my gap year until June, and exclusively with the money I made I was able to do a bit of travelling in the summer, a few days to France and then around the UK, culminating in camping in the Lake District - and would have a fair bit more travelling if I hadn't frivolously wasted so much money on the girl I was seeing at the time

I agree that working is probably the best idea for your gap year. I worked as a care assistant, which isn't ideal and I wouldn't recommend unless you want to go into some sort of healthcare career, but it's an option nonetheless. There will be plenty of jobs you can do though - waitressing at a café or pub, work at Tesco's, etc - and while something relating to what you want to do at uni is ideal, it's not strictly necessary and any job you can get will teach you a lot about adult life and will be a masterclass in growing up.

Your gap year is also a relatively stress-free time, because you can do more or less what you want with it, so... do more or less what you want with it! I went for my dream of learning the guitar on my gap year, but you can pick up any hobby you want - if you've had an itch to do something for a while, now's the time to act on it!

How did you travel around, sorry?
Thank you so much for your reply!

I travelled around because I had saved a little money from my job during my gap year, and I quit my job in June, three months before uni began. Which left me free reign to travel for three months! Which I didn't do because I spent obscene amounts of money on my ex but oh well, I was still able to make some nice holidays and by being clever, I made my money go far. A few examples include:
-I mostly stayed in hostels, which aren't ideal but they are so much cheaper than hotels
-I pre-booked stuff as much in advance as possible
-I was flexible with my travels so I could choose the cheapest options - for example, the exact days I went to France were determined by the days in which the Eurostar was cheapest. Also, the time of day affects prices a lot - if you travel in the early mornings, prices tend to be cheaper.
-I got myself a 16-25 railcard, which is just the gift that keeps on giving. I'm of the opinion that trains are the superior form of travel so I travel by them whenever I can. I guesstimate the 16-25 railcard has saved me something like £500 in just a year and a bit I've had it, and it has nearly two years left on it. At £70, it's a steep investment but you sure make a return, and then some more. I get it's more glamorous to go abroad, but the UK is a beautiful place with plenty to do and see. I get that it has an allure to me, as a foreigner here, that British people lack (because that's just how it works in every country), but do try to appreciate some of the things here and put your pretend-to-be-a-foreigner goggles on.
-But also you can travel on cheaper methods of transport, like coaches. Trains are faster, more comfortable and they usually have prettier sights than coaches, but that's a compromise I choose to make but you can do what you want and travel even cheaper around the UK by coaches.
You just hunt around for deals too - like Eurostar offers these really cheap fares at the end of the summer for £39 (last year's prices), or you travel on budget airlines, which aren't the best but I did a round trip to Dublin from London once for the modest price of £60, and split the price of a hotel room with some friends I was sharing with. Also, when I'm travelling, you probably shouldn't do this but I live on a literal croissant and coffee for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch most days I'm away travelling, and maybe some unhealthy snack for dinner. I will only go onto a restaurant and have a nice but expensive meal once every three or four days or so. Probably not the best thing to do but it keeps costs down. Also helps if you're travelling to some place in which a friend or an acquaintance lives so you can crash at their place
I hope this gives you a rough idea of keeping things cheap. But my last tip is, save money! Get your paycheck and automatically stick some money in a savings account and don't touch that. You'll thank yourself later.