Feature: Popular gap year destinations
The world is a big place, but it’s getting a lot smaller due to globalisation. While this brings a mixed blessing, the good news is that the modern travel scene is the best the world has ever seen! If you’re a first time traveller, or even someone who is looking to plan another trip, it’s good to do some research and work out which countries you want to go to and what you want to see and do in them. Are you after thousand year old relics? Delicious cuisine? A good party or two? Either way, you’ll want to know how easily you can get around and how safe it is. So in our third and final guide to popular gap year destinations around the world, we focus on four very different countries from four very different regions!
Fiji
With endless white beaches, fantastic backpacker accommodation and some of the wildest parties imaginable, it’s not hard to see why Fiji is so popular. This island chain in the middle of the Pacific has long been a top tourist destination, with hundreds of thousands of travellers descending on its shores for a bit of beach living. A stunningly beautiful collection of islands, what makes it even better are the Fijian people. Inquisitive, friendly and incredibly relaxed, it is well worth getting off the main island and exploring the 300 or so others for a true taste of local life.
The best place to party and meet other travellers are in The Mamanuca Islands, which offer several budget beach resorts with a party atmosphere. The Yasawa Islands are also another top option. To escape the crowds, head to the Northern Islands which are far less travelled and offer brilliant scope for scuba diving. As an island chain surrounded by the Pacific, the underwater world is spectacular and you can expect to see multi-coloured marine life of all kinds. Prices are not as cheap as most people think due to their distance from any major landmass, but it is still possible to live on £30 a day.
China
Perhaps the most uniquely cultural destination on earth, China offers a travel experience like no other. With major sites like the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Shanghai’s Bund, many travellers head to the mega cities of the east of the country while missing out on the incredible south! Sure, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong are fantastic ‘must-do’ cities, where the fast paced life of modern China goes on unabashed. But they are in fact quite expensive. Instead, head to the southern states of Yunnan, Sichuan and Guangxi, which offer minority culture, funky backpacker towns, and awe-inspiring landscapes, vistas of rice paddies, limestone karsts, and natural lakes. And they are incredibly cheap!
The town of Dali is a hippie heaven of funky bars and an ancient walled city, while Yangshuo is popular [for?] its incredible karst scenery. The south is also more accessible than the north due to a higher rate of English speaking in the tourist industry. But otherwise, with a cheap and efficient train service, delicious and varied food all over and 4000 years of history, China makes a fantastic destination wherever you are!
USA
While the good old USA doesn’t have as an extensive backpacker network as other countries it is still a very popular place with young travellers. One of the best ways to see the country is on an old fashioned road trip. The road is ingrained into the American psyche so car rental firms are everywhere, meaning you can rent in one city and drop it off halfway across the country! A large motel network means you can sleep for surprisingly cheap, and iconic roadside diners offer huge portions of food for refuelling.
Otherwise, there are a number of schemes like Camp America which allow you to live and work over a summer, or help with numerous organised camping trips taking in the most beautiful sights in the country! Real Gap offers a 64 day trip all over the country, ticking off places like Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon along with visits to cities like New Orleans and San Francisco.
Turkey
While the Middle East is a fascinating destination in general, many first timers might like the ease and accessibility of Turkey. While not as cheap as it once was, this huge nation that spans two continents is still budget friendly. And with a mixture of cultural cities, Mediterranean party towns and ancient historical sites to take your breath away; what more do you need?!
Its rail network is efficient and a large army of private buses offer cheap travel all over the country. Food is delicious and cheap, ranging from meat filled gyro kebabs to desserts made of pastry, nuts and syrup. Youth hostels abound in most major towns and cities too. You have to visit Istanbul with its incredible Grand Bazaar, while the capital Ankara has some fantastic historic relics like the Byzantine Citadel. The Greek ruins of Ephesus are a must, as is the city of Troy, immortalised forever in Homer’s Iliad. You won’t be bored in Turkey
So there we are, four very different countries for a life changing adventure. Just remember that most countries in the world offer something for everyone, so get researching and get out there now!
