Gap Travel: An Education

 With competitiveness in the British job and university sector at an all-time high, the need to increase employability has never been so vital. Young people are increasingly turning to gap years, not just for the fun factor, but to broaden their horizons and learn the life skills that can be acquired by embracing new cultures and experiences. Travelling and gaining international work experience will ensure applicants stand out from a crowd and enhance CVs solely based on academic successes.

Travel is an education in every sense and equips young people with the skills they need to begin the next phase of their lives, whether it involves university or the workplace. Students return from a gap year or overseas placement with new confidence and maturity as well as a heightened awareness of global politics and cultures. They have had time to consider what they want to achieve in life and the initiative needed to reach their goals. Settling into an unfamiliar climate with different nationalities and often a new language is the perfect environment for students to thrive and learn more about themselves and the world around them. Overcoming initial fears, meeting and working with new people and living on a budget gives travellers a sense of achievement and the invaluable confidence they need, not just for travelling but for life in general.

When a group of UK students set up the British Universities North America Club in 1962 with the aim of promoting cultural exchange between the UK and North America, little did they know how fast their idea would grow. 48 years and 275,000 members later, BUNAC is now a global non-profit organisation with work or volunteer opportunities on every continent and programmes lasting from five weeks to two years. Volunteering placements in Africa, South and Central America and Asia offer the chance to do something worthwhile, while flexible work and travel programmes in Canada, USA, Australia, and New Zealand help young people gain independence, confidence and international work experience.

Organisation is the key to a successful gap year however, and enables students to get the most out of their time abroad. BUNAC programmes have been specifically put together to allow participants to be more than just tourists and truly immerse themselves in a new country. With local projects and partner organisations at every destination we send members to, students are also guaranteed a safe experience and are briefed before and during their travels by experienced staff.

Davida Cronin

BUNAC – www.bunac.org/smaart
020 7553 6180