Guest post: Christopher’s gap year trip

My oldest son, Christopher, came back from his gap year trip a couple of weeks ago, and I asked him to put down a few thoughts on the experience. He’ll be entering UVA as a freshman this fall.

My first idea was that I was going to take an entire year between high school and college, go live in in Australia, and work. Through a serious of both fortunate and unfortunate events, that original idea mutated into me visiting five different countries for five and a half months. Just as an overview, I spent four weeks in South Africa working to rehabilitate Vervet monkeys, a week in Egypt visiting friends, eight weeks in India doing teaching/community work, six weeks in China learning martial arts, and then four weeks in Australia working at a zoo. It was all volunteer work, which is code for “you’re working as hard as anyone with a regular job but instead of getting paid, you’re paying to do it.”

It probably goes without saying that I had an amazing time. I also feel like the trip prepared me for real life a little more than I would have been otherwise, and it has definitely given me a clear idea of what I want to do with myself for, well, the rest of my life. So if you’re looking for something to think about, work experience, maturity, and an idea of what direction you want to head with your life in general, I can’t recommend enough taking time to travel. What follows here are my tips for those of you who have decided you want to take a gap year.

TIP NO. 1: Be Aware of How Much Everything Costs
I used a company called Realgap to do all my travels, and in retrospect I could have done a lot better. I’m not criticizing them per se, but they did cost a *lot* more than I would have paid if I had booked through someone else or even just booked the projects directly. If you want to do a project in a foreign country, search around before you decide whether you want to go by yourself–or, if you’re going with a travel company, which travel company to go with. Play the field a little and see what you can find.

Also, look for reviews posted by people who have already used the company. Again, in my opinion, Realgap isn’t terrible. They did help me out some, and it was nice to know I had some support, but they didn’t really do that much for me that I couldn’t have done through the projects directly. Realgap also has a lot of bad reviews online, although if you ask them about this you’ll get an email that says something along the lines of “Grumble…mutter…trolls….troublemakers…mutter mutter…..”

Had I booked directly through the projects I could have saved a few thousand dollars, possibly as much as $5,000. Realgap takes a lot off the top. One thing you can do is look at the programs they offer, then search the internet for the names of those projects and see if there’s anywhere else you can book them through–or if you can book them direct. My first project, for example, was Riverside Rehabilitation Center in South Africa. Had I searched their name, I would have found their website, on which they have an application form.

If you want to use a travel company, again, search the internet! One of the girls who was in South Africa used a company called Bush Direct that I believe does several other Africa programs as well as the one I was on…the woman who runs the company actually came out and checked on the girl. It’s small, but it won’t charge you much more than you would pay to book the program yourself. And don’t make the same mistake I did; read reviews of the travel company before you book with it.

If you want to get some basic ideas of what it would be like to travel in certain countries, what companies to use, and the experiences of those who have gone before, check out http://www.travellersconnected.com/.

TIP NO. 2: Decide Whether to Go Alone or Not

I went traveling by myself, and I did projects, so in essence I had stuff to do and people to do it with in every country. I have a feeling that if I had traveled by myself and just done touristy things I would have been driven completely insane by boredom. So to sum up; if you want to travel by yourself, you should sign up for programs. If you want to travel with a friend, it’s still a fine idea for both of you to sign up for projects and programs, but it’s easier to just travel around without stopping in any one place too long if you have a friend to keep you from going nuts.

If you want to find good projects and programs, google is your best friend. Get an idea of what kind of thing you might want to do and search for it. If you don’t know, you can always go look at Realgap’s websites for ideas, and then try to find a cheaper alternative to using them. But let me just say again, they’re not the worst company you could use, just expensive.

TIP NO. 3: Be Careful

Aside from the obvious rules (don’t go to dangerous looking places, avoid social faux pas, don’t get in the unmarked white van with “Free Candy” written on the side in Hindi), watch out for friendly people who come up and start talking to you. They will rarely get to the point right away, but the point is almost always….no, in fact, there’s no “almost” about it….that they want your money and will go to almost any lengths to get it.

If you’re going to be a world traveler, especially in third world countries, you have to learn to be firm with people, and sometimes just downright rude. If you’re basically a nice person this can be a little jarring, but it’s a vital survival skill.

A good rule of thumb is this; if the person you’re talking to is (beyond a shadow of a doubt) another traveler, all is well. If the person is from the country you’re in, be very, very careful, especially if you’re an obvious tourist in a third world country. No matter how friendly they seem, do not agree to go anywhere or do anything with them, unless you’re specifically told it’s alright by your guide if you have one.

TIP NO. 4: Take Every Available Opportunity

Taking a gap year is an opportunity for personal growth and amazing experiences, but you’re not going to experience any if you spend it doing the same thing you would be doing at home in foreign countries. Take every opportunity, even if it seems scary or costs extra money. You won’t ever regret it.

Despite being a little low on money, I paid extra in Africa to take a trip to Kruger National Park, and I would have been a real moron not to. I also took some time off my project in China and went, by myself, on a 26 hour train ride to Beijing, where I hiked the Great Wall and saw Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Doing things like that–taking a week’s trip with no kind of backup–helped me develop more of a sense of how to cope with difficulties, although I did in that week develop the concept of something which I call a “Chinese Morning” which is when you set out with the specific goal of doing something and are foiled at every turn until you’re ready to become a hermit and live alone in the Alps for the rest of your life by about noon.

TIP NO. 5: You Are An American…..I Assume….

If you’re American, you’re going to get even more attention from locals of developing/third world countries than people from other first world countries would. It may also mean that you’re going to be considered a little slow on the uptake or arrogant before people even get to know you. Don’t take it personally, just do your best to show them it’s not the case. Unless you are stupid or arrogant, in which case you’re just out of luck.

And to all you Canadians reading this…..go away.

Just kidding. Everybody likes Canadians.

So those are my top five tips for travelers. And I’ll say it again; I had an amazing trip and would recommend the experience to anybody. Get out there. Have some real life before college.

Good luck on your travels.