Gap years are a rite of passage with travelers choosing to spend a year seeing the world before or after Uni. There are thousands of gap year opportunities available, whether you have a week, a month, or the whole year free there are opportunities out there for everyone! Here are ten of the more unconventional ways to spend a gap year:
Agriculture
Get away from the city buzz and enjoy a year on a farm. Live alongside your host and learn how to tend to crops and depending on the farm maybe even learn how to milk a cow! WWOOF is an international organization offering farms in countries all over the world, travelers can visit more than one farm traveling from one to another.
Volunteer With Lizards In Latin America
Use your gap year to volunteer abroad in another country. Learn about reptiles through helping monitor the population of the spine tailed iguanas on the amazing islands of Honduras. Volunteers monitor the lizards’ natural habitat, the Mangrove forest, and also get involved with breeding and release projects.
The Honduras Islands have so much to offer. Surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, the islands are known for their coral reefs and are home to many dive sites where volunteers can explore marine life.
Couch Surf Around The World
Say goodbye to cramped hostel rooms and expensive hotel suites, instead travelers are choosing to experience a real side of a city and stay with a local. There are many websites and apps which help put travelers in contact with locals offering a couch or spare room to stay in.
Sheep Farms in Australia
Many sheep stations in Australia welcome workers to come and experience and alternative lifestyle on, from sheep work, fencing, feeding animals, and gardening there is plenty to do.
Learn To Surf and Volunteer
Spend your gap year learning to surf in a developing country and get involved in community work as well. There are many surf schools in poorer countries around the world, which in addition to regular classes also offer free lessons to poorer children. They welcome any traveler to come and help run the lessons as they are often in need of extra hands. In some countries like India, where surfing is a very new activity, equipment is almost impossible to find. Surf schools will appreciate any donations even if second hand.
Season At A Resort
If you are outgoing and charismatic you could spend a season at a holiday resort in the entertainment team. Resort teams get much larger during summer months, with both kids crèches and entertainers for all the guests. Some entertainers work all year round at one resort, others will work the summer season at a summer holiday resort and then travel to a winter resort and help by either teaching ski lessons or remaining in the entertainment team.
Experience Africa
Under-developed countries in Africa welcome volunteers from all over the world to help in many different ways. The schools are often under staffed and need volunteers to come and teach classes. Building volunteers are invited to help areas which lack the funds to build schools and homes. Medical professionals and students also have opportunities to help in hospitals and medical clinics.
Travel The World By Sea
A unique and individual way to spend your gap year is offshore experiencing life on a boat. Cruise ships and yachts need crews to help man them and prior experience is not always needed. Crews can work in exchange for passage and food, to help travel for free to other parts of the world.
Kibbutz
Experience a mix of both socialism and Zionism on a kibbutz settlement in Israel. All members of a kibbutz contribute to the running of the settlement, in return their living needs are provided for free.
Travelers are welcomed to stay for the year, but you must apply in advance. You do not want to turn up at the gates to find out there is no space.
Search For Big Foot
The BFRO travel on expeditions in search for big foot, spend your gap year on one massive road trip camping in the woods getting close to nature and maybe even see the magnificent beast himself!
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