A lot of people fantasise about long-term travel and just giving it all up and going away.  Most of them never manage it,  something or someone always  seems to conspire to prevent it happening. But for the lucky few, gap years can be an incredibly enriching and even life-changing experience.

However much we’d like to just throw everything up in the air on a whim it wouldn’t be a good idea. A minimum amount of planning is required to prevent a dream experience turning into a nightmare.

Have a purpose

Why do you want to take a year out of your life and do something completely different? That’s perhaps a philosophical question but it’s one that needs answering. It will help you determine your goals and ultimately may greatly affect whether or not your gap year is successful or not.

A year will seem like a long time. But it goes past very quickly. Just think back to what you were doing a year ago. Seems like yesterday doesn’t it? Now project yourself forward one year. What do you want to do in that time, what do you want to have achieved? There’s plenty of advice out there to help you plan a holiday, work experience or a volunteer project. Use it.

Take into account factors like how it will affect what you do later in life. But don’t try to plan everything either, because you know that doesn’t work, stuff happens. And also, there really is nothing wrong with sitting on the beach for a while!

If you really want to plan ahead, apply for a job or a University place now. This will give you something to come back to and look forward to.

In order to enjoy yourself, make sure you have enough money. The dream won’t be much of a dream if you run out of cash. Don’t forget to leave some in the bank either, it’ll be useful for tiding you over when you do get back.

Think about what you leave behind

If you’re going to stay in one place, you can get your mail forwarded to almost anywhere in the world these days. If not, redirect it to friends or family and hope you don’t get any letters from long-lost girlfriends.

It’s hard to imagine anyone travelling across the world and not keeping an eye on their finances. The simplest and most efficient way of doing this is with online banking. All banks provide the service now making it easy to control money from afar. It also makes it easier to control your bills and keep on top of things. If things do go pair-shaped and your credit card gets scammed for example, you’ll probably find out before you meet that embarrassing situation in the shopping queue.

Travel insurance, travel insurance, travel insurance!

Take care of yourself a little bit. Have a health check up before you go, just for some peace of mind.

And get some travel insurance. Its available for any period between a day and a year or more.  It should cost you around £250 for a year if you want worldwide cover. That’s about 70p a day. Compare that to £25,000 if you need to be repatriated from the US or even worse £100,000 for a mountain rescue.

Don’t forget to tell the truth on the form as well, even if you have a minor condition. Yes, your premium will be higher, but it’ll still be a bargain compared to the bills you could face. Remember, insurance is always too expensive until you need it.

Whilst you’re away

You should also be prepared for hostile police, customs or border guards. You may think they’re jobsworths (and they probably are), but they can seriously mess you around. Just smile and be polite, nod in the right places and you be on your way and not sitting in a cramped office waiting for a fax to arrive to confirm that you are who you say you are.

Lastly, don’t forget to respect other cultures. Remember, one of the aims of a gap year is to do new things and meet new people. You may think they do some strange things sometimes, but they probably think you’re a bit wierd too. Get things wrong and you could get yourself in trouble.

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How to plan a gap year – a few tips | World First Travel Insurance Blog

The exams are over and summer holidays are here again. Well, for some of us anyway. If you’re a student and you’re kicking your heals wondering what on earth you’re going to do for the next year because you deferred going to university, you may well consider taking a gap year off and seeing the world. It’s a unique opportunity, you’re young, healthy (hopefully) and enthusiastic. Here’s a few tips and guides to help you make it a success.

Do the research

One of the great things about a gap year is discovering new places and new cultures. It’s the ideal springboard for a university education. However, a bit of research before leaving about local conditions and customs will go a long way towards keeping you out of embarrassing situations or worse, trouble. Also, don’t forget to take a look at the Foreign Office web site for updates on travel advice. That was quite useful in the recent Bangkok crisis. If there is trouble where you are, you could also subscribe to their RSS feeds to get the updates sent directly to you and register with the FCO LOCATE service so you can can be found if need be.

Get proper travel insurance

When you’re 19 or 20 and you first fight off the shackles of the parents and you make your bid for independence and freedom, you think you’re invincible. The problem is however that you’re not. You are just as much accident prone as anyone else (in fact, arguably more so). A sensible move therefore is to get travel insurance that will cover you for delays and cancellations along the way but more importantly for medical bills and repatriation if something nasty happens to you. Also think about any activities you might be doing that may be considered dangerous, specific cover is essential for this. Oh yes, and if you have a pre-existing medical condition like diabetes for example (types I and II), let your insurer know as failure to do so will almost certainly invalidate your policy.

If your policy doesn’t include a 24-hour multilingual emergency medical assistance service, don’t buy it. If you feel unwell or want advice, you should able to ask for it. Insurance will also pay all your medical bills and if you’re really poorly, fly you home in a medicalised aeroplane.

Make sure your passport is valid

If you’re going away for a year, your passport needs to be valid for another year. Obviously. And then, most non-European countries require you to have another 6 months because that’s the maximum time you can stay without a residents’ permit. You may be refused entry to a country if you don’t have it. And if your mates do, you’ll look an idiot.

Get the right visas

We live in a world where you no longer need a visa for Poland, Hungary or even Albania. It’s also much easier to get into Russia these days. However, many countries do still require you to buy pieces of paper for the right to visit. These include India (where your passport must be valid for 190 days and have at least two blank pages in it), Kenya or Australia (but you can apply for that online). This also applies if you’re planning to fund the trip by working, check you have the right residents’ and work permits. For example, you don’t need a work permit in the EU (if you’re an EU citizen), but you do need a residents’ permit to stay in each of the EU countries for more than 6 months.

Make sure you’re healthy

You’d be well advised to make sure you’re in good shape before you go. Have your GP give you a proper health check. Make sure you tell him where you’re going so he can advise you about any vaccinations you might need. Trust me, malaria may sound a remote possibility, but you really don’t want to get it.

Set up a web mail account

You’ve probably already got one but a webmail account from providers like Hotmail, Google Mail and Yahoo! can be accessed from any computer from anywhere in the world. You can keep in touch with photos and videos with it and just think what you’d save in postcards!

Do a budget

Get a good idea of how much you’ll need on a daily basis. The Foreign Office won’t bail you out if you run out of money. Also, don’t forget to tell your bank; there have been many cases of cards being stopped because they’ve been used at cashpoints across the world. You must tell your bank your frequent usage in all for corners of the world is not fraudulent.

Keep out of trouble

Know your drink limits. Even more so than a night out on the tiles at home, you’re more likely to get into trouble if you’ve had one over the odds. Your insurance won’t cover you if you do. It goes without saying that you should steer well clear of illicit drugs, especially carrying them. the Foreign Office can’t get you out of jail if you get caught. Lastly, if you’re with a group of mates,  blend in with the crowds and try not to stand out. You’ll get two things from that, you’ll be less likely to get into trouble and you’ll have a better “cultural” experience of wherever you go – and that’s the reason why you’re travelling isn’t it?

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2. How to plan a gap year – a few tips
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An easy guide to getting a gap year right | World First Travel Insurance Blog

Many students decide to take a year off after school before committing themselves to university or a job. It’s a great way of seeing the world or getting some experience before moving on the the next stage. And increasingly, older people are also feeling the urge due to unexpected unemployment or just sheer burnout, to take time out and a break.

So you’ve got your passport, your tickets and your money. What about your health when you go abroad? Fancy some Delhi belly? Some sunburn? Or even worse, a dose of malaria? Here’s a few basic rules about staying healthy on the road.

1. Have a check up

Go to see your GP for a quick check. It’ll be fairly summary but he’ll be able to tell you what jabs you need and general health precautions to take. You could also go to the dentist and check your eyes. My wisdom teeth are playing up at the moment, that’s fine, I live in Somerset. But do you want your wisdom teeth to play up in Thailand? (nothing against Thai dentists, they are probably very good, but what’s your spoken Thai like?)

2. The sun is hot

There are large parts of the world where it gets a lot hotter than in our Northern European temperate climate. It’s regularly 40+ degrees anywhere between Dammas and Tehran, in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Horn of Africa. Don’t think you just have to pile on the factor 50, you can’t go sunbathing for very long periods in countries where the temperature is in the late 30s. Even less between 11am and 3pm. What do they say about mad dogs and Englishmen? Also, if you have a heavy night on the town without much sleep, it would be very easy to fall asleep on the beach next day. I think we all know that’s not a good idea.

3. Don’t forget your medicine

I know most of you are fit and healthy but if you do have to take medicine regularly – even just for hay fever – make sure you have adequate supplies of them and pack it in your hand luggage.

Did you know that some some prescription and even over the counter drugs, including inhalers, are illegal in some countries? If you need to take medication you should ensure that you have a note from your doctor and that the medicine is in its original packaging. Consult the embassies of the countries you are visiting before you leave.

4. Keeping fit on the plane

Without being tabloid-style alarmist, there is some danger in sitting in one place for long periods, especially if you’re flying to New Zealand. Get up and walk around regularly, even if you’re in the window seat it and annoys your neighbour. Your legs will love you more than he doesn’t. It would be a good idea to have a long walk before getting on the plane as well just to get the blood circulating and drink plenty – of water, the other stuff doesn’t count! – to keep yourself hydrated. And stretch your legs whenever you can.

5. European Health Insurance Card

A replacement for the old E111 form, the European Health Insurance Card entitles travellers in the European Economic Area or Switzerland to reduced or free emergency care. Apply for an EHIC online at www.dh.gov.uk/travellers, by phone on 0845 606 2030 or at post offices. However, it’s only available to residents of the European Economic Area or Switzerland and it really doesn’t replace proper travel insurance.

6. Stomach ailments

In Europe and the US, you can generally ignore any “don’t drink the water” warnings. European water is often better than ours. In other places however precautions should be taken. Stomach problems are the most common source of misery endured by travellers and often go beyond a simple case of the runs.

They are often caused by dirty water or food and poor hygiene practices such as reheating cold food. They can also be caused over-exposure to the sun, too much alcohol or too much fresh fruit. Diarrhoea can be mild but, if it develops blood or pus, it becomes dysentery. Then you’ll be in trouble and you’ll need urgent medical attention.

Prevention is the best policy. Where possible, drink water from a bottle but check the seal hasn’t been broken. Failing this, check the tap water is safe to drink or boil it. Street food can be great in many parts of the world, but be wary. A bit of caution may save you a lot of problems. Also avoid ice cubes as these are often made from tap water. Make sure any vegetables you eat are cooked properly and that meat and fish are very well cooked.

7. Things to do if you get ill

Drink as much as you can, as you’ll lose a lot of fluid: flat or carbonated drinks, tea (with sugar), soups (with salt) and clean water. Definately no booze.

Get treatment ASAP. Find out the local emergency number and the address of the nearest hospital when you arrive overseas. Your rep/local guide or hotel/guesthouse will know. This information could help save a life.

8. Don’t go out without a cover

If you’re going to party then there’s every chance you may be having sex. Treat it as you would a Friday or Saturday night at home and take the condoms with you. They’re not always easy to find in many parts of the world and when you do find them, the quality may vary. Always check the expiry date and throw away any that are out of date, you know the consequences of failing to do so.

9. Take out proper travel insurance

We all think we’re invincible and “it won’t happen to us”, but just as an example, every year thousands if people are airlifted or flown home to safety at a cost of thousands. There’s a far better chance of that happening than you winning the lottery. Can you afford it? Get travel insurance cover just for peace of mind.

10. Take a first aid kit

Vital. From everything to repairing cuts and bruises to avoid infection later to paracetamol and malaria tablets. Depending on where you go it’s contents will vary, but take one.

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10 things to keep you healthy in a gap year | World First Travel Insurance Blog