Gap Year

You're about to graduate high school or college, or you've been working hard for the last few years and are ready for a career break: for whatever reason, it's time to take a year out of life. Go ahead, it could be the best learning experience of your life!

First of all, start reading: Lonely Planet's The Gap Year Book is your addiction manual, described by your travel addict therapists, STA Travel, as "essential reading for anyone planning to take a gap year."

• Figure out what it is you want to do with that time. Talk to anyone you know who has already taken a gap year.
• Talk to an STA Travel Advisor about the kinds of experiences you are looking for and the countries you want to visit.
• For amazing inspiration from other travel addicts like you, read through the "People Like You" section of this website for inspirational stories and travel journals from people like you who are on the road right now.

What spurned your cravings for travel? Was it the dreams of horseback riding the Mongolian plains, rafting down the Amazon River, safari trips through Africa, or all of the above? Round the world travel is now affordable: the world's leading airlines allow you to country-hop as you circumnavigate the globe on special airline tickets available exclusively through STA Travel. Sounds cool? Are you foaming at the mouth?! Talk to one of our road-worthy Travel Advisors, who have "been there."

Read the latest STA Travel Round the World brochure for suggested itineraries, on the ground trips, and activities to get involved with. Mixing up your travel plans with some organized tours can help give structure to the trip, not to mention give you insight on a particular area or location you want to visit. Tour groups like GAP Adventures and Intrepid not only have cutting edge, cool itineraries, but they are also led by experts who will get you closer to the culture, the sights, and the local scene. Buses and trains are how the locals travel, and it’s where the color is. You'll gather all the best stories and moments from traveling through Europe by train and bussing it across India. Staying close to the ground can also save you valuable cash instead of buying airfare. Many options and passes available through STA Travel: for Europe, the Eurailpass or Selectpass is the perfect ticket.

For deeper cultural immersion, travel addicts might consider getting involved in volunteer and community projects. Through STA Travel's partnership with i-to-i, there are hundreds of great projects to suit every travel addict: just pick a country and match your skill set!

• Teaching: Guatemala, Ghana, Mongolia
• Conservation: Ireland, Kenya, Australia
• Sports projects: Ecuador, Nepal, Thailand
• Community development: India, Peru, Vietnam
• Internships: Pick from health, media marketing or tourism projects to get some career-enhancing work experience in Bolivia, Romania

All travel addicts need to fund their addiction, so part of your trip might involve working for a while. Not only will you get some cash, but it's also a great way to get to know the locals! STA Travel has some amazing work programs scattered across the globe. Fancy a work placement in hospitality, while improving your French? STA Travel can help arrange to send you to work in the idyllic South of France! Or perhaps you always wanted to be a Jack or Jillaroo, working on an Australian cattle station to experience the true Outback. Alternatively, teaching English as a foreign language will get you even more cultural rewards. Get your Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) training before you depart and then get hooked up with a teaching job in a number of countries including Thailand, China and Japan, to name a few!

Don't land without your bed lined up! There's nothing worse than showing up in a new city without a place to rest your weary head. STA Travel can make all the arrangements you need ahead of departure day. And you can stay in some cool places which won't break the budget! Whether you're happy climbing into the top bunk, swinging from a hammock, or need four-star comfort, STA Travel can book it all. Check out our amazing selection of hotels and hostels for your suite dreams.

• Passport: Do you have one, and is it valid beyond six months of your proposed date of return? Make photocopies of it to take with you (or scan it and email it to yourself) and leave a copy with someone at home, in case anything should happen.
• Visas: Check out all the countries you want to visit, especially if you want to work, and make sure you know all the red tape. Apply for any visas way ahead of time, as some consulates can take several months to process the visa.
• ISIC card: This could be the best little piece of plastic you'll ever own. ISIC, the International Student Identity Card, has negotiated amazing discounts across the globe on car rental, shopping, museums and attractions, hotels, and much more. You'll also need to be a cardholder to get the fantastic deals on STA Travel airfares. Don't leave home without it!
• Money: Take an extra job, and do whatever you can to save like mad - you'll thank yourself when you have a bigger daily budget on the road. Start to set a budget for the following things: flights, travel and tours you'll be booking before you go, and your daily spending budget while you're on the road (which will depend on the countries you are traveling to). Allow yourself a portion of money to come back to, so you won't be entirely broke when you get home.
• Keep in touch: Don't forget to set up your email to keep in touch with your friends, family and co-travel addicts! You can also keep in touch with a global cell phone, allowing you to make calls from up to 110 countries. STA Travel has these on sale from $29. Or, use the ISIC low cost international calling card which gets you cheap calling rates as well as a handy toll-free voicemail number for family and friends to leave messages on.