LIFESTYLE GAP YEAR TRAVEL
Safety
fi r s t
A gap year may be a rite of passage for
students, but can prove to be a source
of anxiety for parents. Sara McDonnell
looks at the organisations that promise
the experience of a lifetime with a
safety net attached
I
t can capture the imagination of thousands of teenagers and Knowing what to plan for however isn’t always easy, which
Top left: Teaching
children in Kenya as
twenty-somethings with dreams of travelling the world, yet explains the success of gap year companies, which have been
part of a project or-
ganised by The Leap.
mention the words “gap year” in front of their parents, and springing up like daisies in the last couple of decades.
Top right: Working
with children in
watch them age visibly. One mother who had three children “Time spent planning will always pay back the planner,” Cambodia,
organised by
in Hong Kong, Australia and America at the same time said says David Smith of Africa & Asia Venture, which has been Project Trust.
she didn’t sleep for the whole nine months. Parents know how organising gap year projects since 1993. “Whoever wrote:
Inset: Jack Nottage,
who spent six weeks
important it is for young people to broaden their horizons and ‘Those who fail to plan, plan to fail’ was spot on.”
volunteering at an
elephant sanctuary
gain some independence from the family nest, but – cost aside A gap year organisation worth its salt should bring
in Kenya.
– their greatest concern is the safety of their naïve and gung-ho experience, wisdom and contacts to the table. “Having a leader
teenager who may never have travelled abroad alone before. to take charge of the driving and planning means that travellers
So what ensures a happy, well-spent gap year for parent and can spend more time enjoying their experience,” says Samantha
child? Sam Alexander, who embarked on her gap year aged Cox of TrekAmerica, which organises group tours to North
18, advocates planning ahead. “It’s important to be somewhat America, enabling less-experienced travellers to experience the
organised, otherwise you will miss out on some potentially ‘path less travelled’ in a group context. “TrekAmerica is a much
incredible adventures,” she says. “You need to do research and safer option to travelling alone,” agrees Sam Alexander, who
work out budgets. It’s a lot easier than it sounds; you just have started and ended her gap year travelling with the company in
to be motivated. The more organised you are, the less your America. “They have the advantage of a responsible tour leader
parents will worry!” and travel with other people of a similar age.”
✒
“Working within a local community gives a greater insight into
the place they visit than simply visiting it as a tourist”
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