Thinking of a Gap Year after your Exam Results.

Aug. 9, 2010 - PRLog -- It’s that time of year again, the exam results will be out in less than a couple of weeks and then its decision time – what will you do?
One possibility is to take a Gap Year, which can take many different forms, we have listed a few ideas below:-
•   Teaching and Training
•   Volunteering
•   Working at Home or Abroad
•   Independent Traveling
However you choose to spend your time, in order to get the most out of it you need to plan. Mind The Gap Year (MTGY) specialists in Safety, Planning and Preparation for travels, offer some helpful tips for when considering your time away.

First and foremost you need to look at what you want to get out of your gap year. Do you want to learn a new skill? Earn some money? Give your time? Or see the world? Look at your options and find out what different companies have to offer.

If you’re thinking of traveling independently then research where you want to go. Read up on each country you plan to visit, you can use travel books the FCO and other relevant websites.

The rest of the world is a very different place compared to home, you need to make sure you understand the rules, regulations and customs of countries you plan to visit, when planning your route keep in mind climate and weather conditions at different times of the year - unless you’re a storm chaser, you don’t want to spend your Gap Year traveling from tornado, to hurricane, to flood etc.  

Another idea is to attend a specialist Safety Training course for travellers. MTGY work with Objective gap safety who provide a one day course in how to prepare for your trip and how to deal with any problems you may face.

Once you know where you’re going and what you’re doing you then need to look into what visas and jabs are required. What equipment you need and whether your passport is up to date, some countries require you to have at least 6 months to run on arrival.

Don’t forget if you take regular medication you need to ensure you have an adequate supply or you have the means to obtain that medication in the country(s) you’re visiting. You must also remember to advise your insurance company of any pre-existing medical conditions.

Insurance – when is the right time to book your insurance? Some book it at the time they book there trip, others leave it till a day or so before.  Ideally you need to book your insurance when you book your trip and/or flight; if your policy has cancellation cover this will be effective from the time you take out your insurance.

When purchasing your insurance read the policy wording first to check it covers you for everything you want to do-Your family Annual Multi Trip policy is highly unlikely to cover you for a trip of this type, if there is anything you don’t understand call Insurers for clarification.
Along with the standard elements of a Travel Insurance policy MTGY Insurance covers working and volunteering, most activities you may wish to do whilst travelling, wrongful arrest and bereavement. There is also the option to cover your Laptop should you choose to take it. These day’s a large number of people are choosing to take Laptops, IPods and the like away with them, but think about it, what are you going to use it for? Is it worth the extra weight and worry?

If you were to lose your camera you would be disappointed, if you were to lose your passport you would be in trouble. Make copies of all of your documents and leave a set at home with your family or friends or you could use an Online Document Safe. Scan in copies of all of your documents, Passport, tickets, visa, driving licence etc. Should anything then get lost or stolen you can log onto your online safe and access copies of your documents, proving who you are and speeding up the replacement process of getting new documents sorted.

If you haven’t already, you may wish speak to your bank about internet banking and inform them that you are going away, so they don’t cancel your credit card after the first transaction. You may also want to leave someone with Power of Attorney who would then be able to handle any financial matters on your behalf whilst you’re away.
If you are planning to be in one country for a long period of time and working, you may wish to set up a bank account in that country, this can often be done before you leave and there are many company’s able to help.

Another idea is to invest in a Global Currency Card, this is a pre-paid card that can be used like a debit card without incurring bank charges, plus it can be topped up online.

So your almost ready to go, there’s no doubt that having planned so well you’re going to have a great trip, but don’t forget there’s always going to be someone at home that worries, so keep in touch. These day’s it’s so easy to do, email, text, phone, blogging etc.

A cheap way to keep in contact is to buy an international sim card, there are many out there that can be used in multiple countries reducing the cost of calls you make dramatically and in some cases enabling you to receive free incoming calls and they can all be topped up online.

Also think about putting a couple of ICE (In Case of Emergency) numbers in your phone, perhaps someone at home and someone in the country in which you are travelling.

Hopefully by the time all your plans are in place you should be feeling extremely excited and ready to go – enjoy it!

Mind The Gap Year (MTGY) specialise in providing a quality Backpacker’s Travel Insurance with added extras.

MTGY are an online company; with electronic planner diaries, kit lists, email reminders and a document safe. All of your documents including your insurance documents can be stored online in your account, enabling you to access them at any time without having the worry of losing paper copies.
They are able to help with research linking to over 40 different companies on their site including red24 security specialists. A number of the companies offer discounts on Visas, Hostels and Travel Products.

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Contacts:

Michael Pettifer            
Michael@mindthegapyear.com       
01428 664265               
http://www.mindthegapyear.com   
   
CV for Michael Pettifer can be found by following the link below
http://www.mindthegapyear.com/giftvouchers.php

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Gap Year & Backpacker Travel Insurance Company - specialising in the safety, security & preparation of a Gap Year trip, including travel advice, interpretation service and electronic document safe. Backpacker Insurance covers working, voluntary & paid