After finishing A levels at school or college some young adults decide to take a gap year before continuing their education at university with the idea that they want to experience different cultures and meet new people but is this a safe way to travel and see the world?

Gap years that involve working abroad can be incredibly important as they enable the young person to see how other country’s economies work and give them the opportunity to learn another language, a skill that is much easier if you are working and living in the country whose language you are wanting to learn. Being well prepared before you travel is important and so learning about the country you are visiting and being familiar with some of their laws could prevent problems with locals.

There are now gap year travel courses available to help people wanting to embark on such an adventure and so it is useful to attend one of these courses as they cover all the main situations that travellers experience. They cover issues such as personal safety, financial concerns and how to cope in unfamiliar situations abroad. One of the most important considerations, and something that some countries insist on is that you have sufficient money to be able to pay your air fare home so that if for any reason you want or need to return home you have the means to do this.