Volunteering on your gap year
When planning a gap year, you want to make sure you get the most out of your trip. After all, you’ve worked hard, saved the pennies, and as everyone keeps reminding you; it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
No pressure to have an amazing time, then…
Indeed, it’s no surprise that many people are moving away from the ‘laze on the beach, party at night’ travelling experience for something a little more worthwhile. More and more people are choosing to work abroad; a feeling that a year away, spent selfishly, might be a year wasted. Rather, you can spend your time away learning new skills and making a positive contribution to the local community..
To this end, volunteering is becoming increasingly popular as a gap year option for many young travellers, especially as employers and university admissions tutors will often look for that extra something on candidates’ CVs; for proof that they’re willing to go the extra mile.
The best thing about voluntary work abroad is that you can tailor it almost exactly to your skill set and specific interests. Sports fan? Why not consider coaching, passing on your knowledge and talent to local children and helping to bring communities together? Animal lovers will be interested in wildlife and conservation projects, and if you’re interested in working with children in the future then teaching abroad could be a fabulous way to get some much-needed experience.
And if you’re struggling to decide exactly what you want to do, don’t fret: many companies will allow you to combine several experiences in one, so you can really devise the trip of a lifetime. Why not surf and teach English in Bali, or combine community work with a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro? With plenty of research and an open-mind, you can construct a trip that’s exactly to your taste, as well as showing prospective employers that you’re flexible enough to take on several different challenges at once.
Before setting off on your gap year, there’s a fair bit you’ll need to get organised. Many countries will require certain vaccinations before you visit, so consult your doctor and the agency you’re flying with to ensure your body is fully prepared for what lies ahead. Also, remember that inoculations will require a certain length of time before you’re fully immune, so get everything booked and prepared well in advance.
It’s also a good idea to put together a mini first aid kit, with all the essentials: mosquito repellent, anti-histamines and malaria tablets, as well as any traveller’s best friend: anti-bacterial hand gel. For your own peace of mind, make sure you keep all your documentation together, organised and securely stored away. Preferably, try and make a couple of copies of each page, just in case, and take spare passport photos with you, for any last-minute or emergency applications you may need to make.
Wherever you choose to spend your gap year, volunteering is certainly a worthwhile way of not only having an amazing time, but making a difference to an area or local community. It looks great on a CV and can even help make you feel more confident about yourself. After all, if you can spend four weeks looking after animals in South Africa, you can pretty much do anything. So be brave and try something new, you big do-gooder, you!