Gapyear.com Magazine: Spring 2012 by Gapyear.com

t ravel , expe r ie n c e , s har e

ed sheeran

on the road with the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest pop superstar

plan your trip

gap year inspiration, budget boosting tips and route planner

amazing adventures be a game ranger, trek the blues trail and skydive in new zealand

beyond the beaten track

volunteering and backpackin g in peru

An awesome beach tour in Australia!

also featuring top 10 destinations for 2012 the art of travel photography the story of the gap year our 2012 festival picks

spring 2012

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InterRailing in Europe Girly Beauty Tips Travelling Safely Working in Australia Gap Year Advice

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EDITORIAL

Editor Tim Fenton Chief sub-editor Paul Anderson Sub-editor Marcus Sherifi Features editor Andrew Tipp

ARTWORK

Art director Cormac Scanlan Designer / photo editor Cormac Scanlan Designer Paul Anderson Illustrator Lucy Selina Hall

gap years are go Welcome to the new gapyear.com magazine In the age of apps and ever-connectedness, what do we want with a 500-year-old technology like print? Well, we like travel magazines, we like the way the pictures look, the way you can doodle in the margins and the fact that you can read them in the bath. But our first love is still the web. Gapyear.com was established in 1998 and remains the number one place to talk and learn about gap years.

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PUBLISHING

ABOUT US Gapyear.com is a social networking and travel advice website committed to providing you with everything you need to know about taking a gap year. We were created by backpackers, for backpackers, and offer expert advice on travelling, volunteering and working abroad, all tied together with inspirational ideas, opportunities and products. The Gapyear Writers Academy has been set up to allow our members to develop their editorial skills and get their work onto the website and into gapyear.com magazine. See gapyearwritersacademy.com for more information.

USEFUL LINKS Join the community gapyear.com/community Plan your trip gapyear.com/plan Travel advice and articles gapyear.com/advice Destination advice gapyear.com/countries Write for us gapyearwritersacademy.com Advertising gapyear.com/advertise

Gapyear.com is part of the Flight Centre Group of 10 travel brands which provide personalised expertise in all types of travel, from grass roots gap years, to high street travel agents and corporate travel.

Much of the material you’re about to read has been mined and refined from the rich seams of a site to which more than 100,000 members have contributed. If you’re not a member of gapyear.com, where have you been? Not very far is my guess. What is a gap year? It doesn’t have to last a year. It doesn’t have to take place between school and university. But it should be an experience. It should be a break from the daily grind of work or study. It should involve new things, new places and new people. It should be a challenge; something to tell your friends about; something to be proud of; something that, in part, defines you. In the UK alone, more than 2 million young people are expected to embark on a gap year in 2012. That’s partly because university tuition fees are predicted to fall in 2013 as competition for students begins to take effect. But it’s mainly down to a long-term trend. Globalisation is the main event of our age. The experience and skill to work across cultures is increasingly valuable. And those of us lucky enough to have the option to travel know that to fail to do so is to fail to live life to the full. I hope you find lots to inspire you here. There are some great tales, tons of tips and a brilliant guide to planning your gap year. Tell me what you think and what you’d like to see in future editions. Feedback from readers is the most valuable of all. Thank you to everyone who’s been involved. And thank you most of all to gapyear.com members. You are what makes us what we are.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained within gapyear.com magazine is accurate and up to date, The Gap Year Company Ltd assume no legal liability, whether direct or indirect, or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information. The views expressed by writers are not necessarily those of the publisher or editor.

Tim Fenton, Editor

in this issue editorial

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Tim Fenton welcomes you to the brand new gapyear.com magazine

inspiration

TOP 10 DESTINATIONS What are the coolest places to visit on your gap year? Here are our new favourite countries for 2012

money

GAP YEARS ON A BUDGET Travelling doesn’t need to cost the Earth. Experienced backpackers explain how to save money during your trip

STORY OF THE GAP YEAR How did the idea of taking a gap year start? Gapyear.com looks at how the travelling dream has taken shape

PLAN YOUR TRIP Get inspired, use our illustrated gap year map to plan your journey and work through our packing checklist

SKYDIVING We speak exclusively to NZONE about the epic adrenaline rush of skydiving over New Zealand

PERU Want to get off the beaten track in South America? Warrick Howard presents his alternative country guide

music

TRAVELLING SAFELY Backpacking can easily be nondangerous. Here’s some advice on how to avoid trouble on the road

photography

planning

adventure

saftey

ED SHEERAN Andrew Tipp talks to the pop superstar about success and life on the road

extreme sports

history

interview

PIMP YOUR TRAVEL PICS Cormac Scanlan explains how to make your travel photos awesome, plus the best pics from gapyear.com members

volunteering

TEACHING ABROAD Tina Thorburn describes her incredible time volunteering in Arequipa

working abroad

WORKING DOWN-UNDER How easy is it to get a job in Oz? Four gappers describe their different experiences of working in Australia

short gaps

INTERRAILING Getting round Europe by rail has never been easier, cooler or more fun. Paul Anderson looks at the InterRail Pass

fashion & beauty

TOP GIRLY TIPS The experienced female backpackers of gapyear.com give us their top tips for staying beautiful on the road

gadgets

ON THE BLUES TRAIL Anna Chen embarks on a musical odyssey following the Mississippi Blues Trail from New Orleans to Chicago

animals

GAME RANGING We speak to African Conservation Experience about volunteering with the Big Five in South Africa

TRAVEL TECH REVIEWS What are the coolest bits of kit to pack for your travels? We look at the best gadgets for your gap year

gap year advice

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Gapyear.com’s online community respond to some of the most asked questions about backpacking

join upload travel pictures

update travelblogs find travel mates

share your stories get inspired

join the boards

the 7

top ten

destinations for 2012 SO, YOU’VE GOT YOUR GAP YEAR OR SHORT GAP SORTED, OR MAYBE YOU’VE JUST GOT ITCHY FEET. WHERE SHOULD YOU GO? THE WORLD IS A BIG PLACE AND COUNTRIES CHANGE. IT’S OUR JOB TO KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY AND LISTEN TO WHAT THE GAPPERS ARE SAYING. BASED ON THOSE TWO SOURCES MARCUS SHERIFI REVEALS OUR TOP TEN DESTINATIONS...

burma

This is the up-and-coming destination of South East Asia. A not entirely unfair comparison is with the Thailand of old, a country that boasts all the sites, cuisine and climate with none of the tourists. Isolated, both politically and in terms of tourism, Burma is still a relatively unknown country. There aren’t many parts of the world that remain almost untouched but Burma is one. Political progress is finely balanced but going in the right direction. You need to make your own judgement but going now will mean you’re probably doing your own little bit to encourage the move towards democracy. Forget the bright lights of Bangkok, Yangon (Rangoon) is a stark contrast. The pace of life is much slower, yet there is still plenty to see and do. You can watch the sun rise over 4,000 Buddhist monumental stupas at Bagan or stay in the floating villages at Inle Lake. Another increasingly popular spot for backpackers is the former British imperial hill station of Kalaw, where you can trek in the surrounding hills and forests. Also, Burma has some of the world’s best and least-crowded dive sites. The infrastructure is still poor – internet connections are few and far between – but the culture and traditions are strong and distinct. Travelling doesn’t get much more authentic than this. Check with the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) website (www.fco.gov.uk) before booking.

Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

canada

When you think of Canada you think of vast, open expanses - forests and fjords, lakes and peaks - all often blanketed in snow. All that untouched natural wonderfulness is awe-inspiring, but it’s not all Canada has to offer. It has great oudoor activities – you’d be pushed to find better ski resorts anywhere than those of Banff and Whistler, and kayaking and hiking in

Canada are equal to any anywhere else in the world. Toronto and Vancouver are great buzzing cosmoplitan cities, with dozens of festivals and cultural events and fantastic food – and Montreal and Quebec are not far behind. Canada is not cheap – but there are plenty of opportunities for work. If you want big nature and nice bathrooms, it should be near the top of your list of countries to visit.

belize

Toucan, Rainforest of Belize

Belize is a country that offers pretty much everything. On the coast, you can laze on the white sand beaches and snorkel in the bright blue Caribbean. Inland you can trek through jungles and rainforests. It has magnificent landscapes, fascinating archaeological sites, diverse and colourful wildlife. One of the biggest draws for travellers is the coral reef, the longest in the Americas. With turquoise shallows and underwater caves, it charms snorkelers and divers alike. Inland, Belize boasts several amazing archaeological sites. Hidden in the depths of the jungles are the ruins of Altun Ha and Lamanai, dating back to 2000 BC, which have been intriguing travellers for centuries. And for those looking to chillax then Belize offers Caye Caulker, a secluded beach destination and the perfect place to lose yourself for a few days (or weeks, or months).

new zealand

Cathedral Cove, Coromandel, New Zealand

New Zealand is a small country with a small population, but it’s successfully cornered a key part of the gap year travel business – adventure and outdoor activities. If you want to bungee jump, climb, kayak, raft, skydive or zorb, New Zealand is the place. And you’ll probably be able to do them all in one day. New Zealand is rightly famous for its natural beauty – its snow-capped glaciers, rolling mountains, crystal-clear lakes and bright beaches. Throw in a bubbling-pot of volcanic activity and you get some of the most magnificent scenery in the world. There are hundreds of walks and climbs to suit all ages and abilities. One of the best things to do in New Zealand is simply to take a lazy jaunt in the countryside. New Zealand is well set-up for backpackers. And, as with Canada, there are opportunities to work and earn while you’re there.

Borobudur Temple, Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia

indonesia

Most gappers travelling through Indonesia go to Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands. But there’s a lot more to Indonesia than that. No one knows exactly how many islands there are in the country but it’s at least 18,000. Indonesia is also rich in tradition. Religious ceremonies can be seen daily. You’ll soon get used to being woken by prayer bells in the morning and to smelling incense wherever you go.

As an alternative to the bustling beaches of Bali, head for the serene shores of Sulawesi, which offer a much slower pace of life. And if you like hiking or diving then there are plenty of things to try. You can hike to the top of volcanoes in Sumatra or explore sunken ships at Palau Weh. Bits of Indonesia have become a gap year cliché. If you’ve never been, give them a look. But don’t stop at that. Check with the FCO website before booking.

albania

Church above Berat, Albania

Croatia has up-and-come. Now, it’s the turn of neighbour Albania. Albania has all Croatia’s natural attractions but without the crowds – and it’s cheaper. In Albania, you’ll be treated to white sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and beautiful landscapes. The Albanian capital, Tirana, is buzzing with activity, and the nightlife is a pleasant surprise, with more than a few bars to choose from. Albania is home to two UNESCO cities; Berat and Gjirokastra. They’re described as ‘rare examples of an architectural character typical of the Ottoman period’ and you could easily get lost in each for days on end. And for real isolation, you can swim between the four Ksamili Islands just south of Sarandë in Albania’s extreme southwest. It’s so close to Greece you could walk over the border, but with everything at your fingertips, why would you?

bolivia

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Bolivia lies at the heart of South America and, with its icebound peaks and high-altitude deserts, it’s sometimes called the Americas’ Tibet. But it’s not just mountains in Bolivia; there’s dense tropical rainforests and the vast savannahs of the Amazon basin. For one country, there’s an astonishing range of landscapes and climates. Bolivia’s population is almost as diverse as its terrain. Over 60% of the population can claim indigenous heritage from 30 different ethnic groups. And Bolivians are another important reason for going to Bolivia. They’re open, honest and welcoming, making the country not only extremely easy to travel around but a joy. Sites such as the salt flats and Lake Titicaca are already well-known but much of the country is still untouched and it remains somewhere you can truly get off the beaten track. The only thing this land-locked country lacks is beaches.

Kathmandu, Nepal

nepal

Nepal is one of those countries that everyone loves. It’s quiet, cheap and easy to get about. Most importantly, it’s packed full of fun activities and, of course, is home to the ultimate hike: Mount Everest. Nepal is wedged between the cool heights of the Himalayas and the hot plains of India. The further north you travel (or higher up you climb), the cooler it gets. There are dozens of treks you can choose from, from easy day-trips to week-

libya

Leptis Magna near Al Khums, Libya

If you’re feeling brave and looking for bragging rights, Libya has got to be top of the list. The political situation is still changing fast, so it’s particularly important to check the FCO advice site before booking. Also, some infrastructure has been damaged but much survives and the new rulers are keen to draw travellers. Libya is a country with a rich history. There’s lots of evidence of Greek and Roman occupation. The ruins at Leptis Magna are some of the world’s best preserved. Away from the coastal strip is the Sahara. Nine-tenths of the country is desert and a trip to a village like Ghat offers insights to an entirely different way of life. You can try desert trekking and sand-boarding. Libya’s tour operators say the country has all the ingredients for a vibrant tourism business – warm weather, beaches, antiquities and proximity to Europe. All it needs is the visitors.

long expeditions. So well established is trekking now that you can walk for weeks without having to carry a tent or supplies. And if trekking isn’t your thing, there’s world-class white-water rafting, kayaking, mountain-biking and bungee jumping. But it’s the Nepalese that make the country most memorable. Their hospitality is every bit as good as its reputation. Check with the FCO website before booking.

tajikistan

Seven Lakes, Tajikistan

Finally, another challenging one; Tajikistan is an unbelievably beautiful country, almost completely untouched by tourism. In Tajikistan the emphasis is on the scenery. The Pamir Mountains (called the ‘The Roof of the World’ in Persian) offer a breath-taking alternative to the Himalayas. The Pamir Highway is one of the world’s greatest road trips, but you’ll need a 4x4. One of the best things you can do in Tajikistan is to stay in a yurt for a few days, getting close to unspoilt nature. Another way to live like the locals is to hire a horse and ride cross-country. Tajikistan is making a big push to attract visitors. If it sounds like one for you, do some research and get there before the crowds. The former-Soviet republic, though torn by civil war in the 1990s, has been open to tourists for some years – but, again, check with the FCO website for the latest before booking.

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gap years on a

budget BACKPACKING COSTS MONEY. TO TRAVEL AND SEE THE WORLD YOU’LL NEED TO WORK, SAVE, BORROW AND POSSIBLY EVEN BEG TO RAISE THE FUNDS FOR YOUR LIFE-CHANGING TRIP. BUT HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR BACKPACKING KITTY GO AS FAR AS IT POSSIBLY CAN? ANDREW TIPP ASKED THE THOUSANDS OF EXPERIENCED GAPPERS AMONG THE GAPYEAR.COM MEMBERSHIP FOR THEIR TOP TIPS ON HOW TO BACKPACK ON A BUDGET...

flights

Paying over the odds before you’ve even left home is generally a bad start to your gap year budgeting. What can you do to prevent this? “Book as soon as you find the flights you want,” advises experienced 25-year-old backpacker Alexandra Quinton. “Airlines don’t often sell off flights cheap closer to departure. Quite the opposite; prices can triple.” Quinton advocates basic principles of ticket price comparison, but urges eager travellers to ask about the fine details. “Remember to ask what’s included,” she says. “Are they going to add on admin charges, taxes and other fees to the quoted price?” She adds: “If you’re booking round the world flights and might want to change your flight dates, how much do they actually charge you to do so?”

kit

Buying your backpacking gear can blow a major hole in your hardearned travel funds. How? Well, you might just feel compelled to buy lots of stuff; stuff to wear, stuff to use, stuff as a back-up in case other stuff breaks. And then, on top of all this, you’ll probably want to buy stuff to carry all the stuff you’ve already bought. Now, you do need some of these things; most backpackers buy a decent amount of kit, like a backpack, walking shoes, sleeping bag and other equipment. But there are simple ways to keep the costs down. “Keep it to a minimum,” says seasoned 31-year-old gapper Martin Garratt. “You can buy pretty much anything while travelling, so don’t buy it all especially for your trip. All of these gadgets and gizmos soon add up in cost and weight and you never use most of them.” Alexandra Quinton adds: “Outdoors shops always have sales on so don’t buy anything full price unless you’ve left everything to the last minute. “Also, ask for discounts! If you don’t ask, you won’t get.”

accommodation

Unless you’re some kind of machine-person you will eventually need to sleep on your gap year. Traditionally – but not always – travellers sleep in beds. And beds can be found in hostels. There are many fun, comfortable and cheap hostels around the world, but what if you’re worried about finding one to suit your budget? “Don’t panic!” says 28-year-old traveller Daisy Ashworth. “You will find accommodation to suit your budget. Just make sure to book ahead if you’re going somewhere busy. Always compare booking sites to see what deals are available, and check whether it’s worth getting a YHA or Nomads MAD card.” Ashworth adds: “Be smart with planning around accommodation. Book flights/trains/long bus journeys so they fall overnight. It may not be the best night’s sleep you’ll ever have, but it’ll save you paying for a hostel!” Veteran globetrotter Warrick Howard, 29, has some alternative advice for budget travellers looking for some relative luxury. “Don’t be afraid to walk into a four-star hotel in South East Asia and say, ‘I’ve got £20, can I have a room?’” he says. “I did this no end of times when I wanted a comfortable bed for a night.” Does it actually work? “I got a room more often than I was turned away,” says Howard.

transport

The whole point of travelling is to get out and experience things. You’re on your gap year to absorb all the world has to offer. Of course, once you’re actually in the thick of the action you still need to get around, and transport in a lot of countries can be pretty overwhelming. It’s something that, as a backpacker, you get used to, but what’s the best method of getting around on a budget? A good place to start is to do some research before you even get there. “Look ahead to see what deals and discounts you can find online before you arrive,” advises Daisy Ashworth. “Australia, New Zealand and

the USA all have bus passes and they often do deals like ‘buy one get, one free’. If you don’t have a travel mate to go with, you can use websites like gapyear.com to meet people and share deals with.” Sounds good, but what about when you’ve arrived? “Private transport like taxis, tuk-tuks and rickshaws can be useful, especially if you can share with others,” says Martin Garratt. “But they also tend to be more expensive than public transport.” What does he suggest? “Trying to work out the local buses, trams, trains and subway systems in towns and cities can be tough and a little stressful, but they’re also a great way to experience local culture, and you get a great sense of accomplishment.” Alexandra Quinton offers some practical tips for avoiding classic traveller pitfalls. She says: “When in countries where local people don’t speak or read much English ask staff at your hostel to write your travel plans in the local language to help you book your tickets. This will save you getting overcharged or buying the wrong thing.”

tours

Whether it’s a ruined settlement, an ancient temple or an awesome natural phenomenon, most countries have some ‘must-see’ places of interest. Visiting some of these sites can be like investing in a bottomless money pit. How can you save cash and still get the full experience? “Many places of interest have tourist days or free days so find out when they are,” says Alexandra Quinton. “Also, if you’re a student – or, at least, have a convincing student ID – ask for student discount. Many places offer a discount but don’t advertise it.” In the competitive world of tourism, Daisy Ashworth recommends weighing up different operators. “If you intend to book tours rather than doing things yourself, look around,” she says. “Don’t arrive in the first shop you see and accept the price. You can usually barter for money off or get extra activities included.” Martin Garratt endorses a more independent method of sight-seeing. “Can you do it cheaper yourself?” he asks. “DIY Travel is far more enlightening and rewarding and always has unexpected turns.” Garratt accepts that sometimes going with a tour is the only way of seeing a place, but advises: “Hotels and hostels often do tours, but you can generally get it cheaper going direct to a local agent. If you’ve seen it cheaper online then tell them; they might match or even beat it.”

food and drink

Eating on your gap year is advisable. World cuisine is culturally nourishing and life-enriching, and it’s also life-sustaining. It’s easy to get carried away when you’re travelling and forget to put enough (natural) fuel in your body. You need to eat, but how do you eat smartly? Food, as with everything else, will cost varying amounts around the globe. However, there are universal backpacker food survival principles that will serve you well. “Keep it simple,” says Martin Garratt. “Eat street food or cook your own meals. Eat local ingredients, as western food will normally be much more expensive.” Alexandra Quinton agrees, adding: “Eat at street stalls, but pick the busiest ones so you avoid stomach problems! Also, eat local snacks like fruit throughout the day rather than forking out on one or two expensive main meals.” Daisy Ashworth has some great examples of backpacker thriftiness. “When travelling around try to pre-empt food purchases the day before,” she says. “For example, buy cereal for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Use cooler bags to keep food fresh and available on coaches.” Though currencies fluctuate, it’s not a bad idea to plan ahead by going into the gapyear.com community section and looking for people with recent experience of spending your home currency in your destination countries. You’ll have to make your own judgement on the answers you get but, with a little margin for boasting, you should be ok. And, of course, the most important thing about money is: don’t let it stop you going. If you can’t go for as long as you want or travel as far as you want, do less. But do something.

five festivals to rock your 2012

coachella 2012 Dates: Venue: Capacity: Headliners:

13 April 2012 - 15 April 2012 and 20 April 2012 - 22 April Empire Polo Field, Southern California, USA 68,000 The Black Keys, Bon Iver, Dr Dre + Snoop Dogg, DJ Shadow, Radiohead

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival takes place in one of the most picturesque settings in the world – stunningly gorgeous desert sunsets, towering palm trees, framed by mountains which glow pink in the dusk. A truly diverse line-up of music unfolds over two live stages with two dance tents. The site is immaculately designed and laid out. The stages are a distinctive, uniform white and open at the back, so the bands are always framed by that fabulous southern California blue sky.

rock am ring 2012 Dates: Venue: Capacity: Headliners:

01 June 2012 - 03 June 2012 Nurburgring, Stuttgart, Germany 75,000 Kasabian, Linkin Park, Marilyn Manson, Metallica, The Offspring

The Rock am Ring (Rock at the Ring) and Rock im Park (Rock in the Park) festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually in Germany. Both festivals are usually regarded as one event with mostly identical line-ups. All artists perform one day at Nürburgring and another day in Nuremberg during the three-day event.

and innovation. The Virtual Festivals team are very proud to have worked, behind the scenes, on the evolution of Download’s award-winning website and message board community, which continue to set the world standard. The festival expanded into a three-day event in 2005, experimenting with an indie day on the Friday before returning to its roots the following year with a bill packed with all things heavy. 2006 saw the addition of an all-night entertainment zone, the Village, complete with burlesque performers, stilt-walking freaks and a metal disco. The likes of Metallica, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Black Sabbath, Korn, Velvet Revolver, HIM, Slayer, System Of A Down, and many more have left their stamp on Download.

rock werchter 2012 Dates: Venue: Capacity: Headliners:

28 Jun 2012 - 01 Jul 2012 Werchter, Leuven, Belgium 70,000 Blink-182, Kasabian, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Snow Patrol

This mammoth festival of the Lowlands takes 280,000 visitors over one weekend from June into July, blazing it out in the summer sun with a bill full of the best acts around. The event dates back to 1974 and generates massive demand for tickets due to the regular great line-ups. The wide range of previous acts to have graced the two stages includes REM, Coldplay, Metallica, Moby, Radiohead, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Deftones and Oasis.

benicassim 2012 download 2012 Dates: Venue: Capacity: Headliners:

08 June 2012 - 10 June 2012 Donington Park, Derbyshire, UK 80,000 Black Sabbath, Chase + Status, Metallica, Tenacious D, The Prodigy

The Download Festival is a three-day rock/metal/punk festival held at the UK’s spiritual home of heavy rock – Donington Park, where the Monsters of Rock Festivals between 1980 and 1996, and 2002’s Ozzfest all took place. Run by Live Nation (formerly Clear Channel Entertainment), Download is the company’s flagship festival in the UK. Launched in 2003 as a two-day event, Download quickly established a reputation as not only the UK’s best major festival specialising in metal and hard rock, but also for its focus on online interactivity

Dates: Venue: Capacity: Headliners:

12 Jul 2012 - 16 Jul 2012 Benicàssim, Valencia, Spain 30,000 Florence + the Machine, The Stone Roses, The Vaccines

Running since 1994, Benicassim has developed into one of the best indie, pop and electronic music festivals in the world. Situated near Valencia on the coast of Spain, the festival now attracts a crowd from all over Europe with thousands making the trip from the UK. Glitz and glamour are at the forefront and the majority of punters sensibly opt for hotels or apartments over camping. Things don’t kick off until evening and the music goes right through until dawn, meaning a sauna-like tent awaits when things draw to a close. The festival boasts five stages and annually attracts some massive names. The likes of Pixies, Depeche Mode, Morrissey and Franz Ferdinand have all played in recent years.

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the story of the

gap year MOST PEOPLE HAVE HEARD OF A GAP YEAR. THEY KNOW THEY’VE BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE. THEY PROBABLY ASSOCIATE THEM PRIMARILY WITH SCHOOL-LEAVERS AND SOME MAY ALSO BE AWARE OF THE INCREASING NUMBER OF PEOPLE TAKING A GAP YEAR LATER IN LIFE. LESS WELL KNOWN ARE THE ORIGINS OF THE TERM. GAPYEAR.COM INVESTIGATES...

he gap year we know today is quite a different thing to what it once was. Today, hundreds of thousands of people are taking gap years all over the world. Some last more than a year, some less. But they’re all about taking a break that is more than a holiday. Many travel around places like Australia, New Zealand and Thailand for months on end in relative comfort

and ease. Though almost all gappers are looking for enriching experience, there are lots of different ways to achieve that. You can build an orphanage in Colombia; teach English as a foreign language in Japan; trek through the Himalayas in Nepal or travel around the ‘banana pancake trail’ in South East Asia. However, it wasn’t always like this. Many things have changed since gap years first became a recognisable phenomenon in the 1960s. These were the years when the young generation shook off post-war austerity and grew the confidence to ask if their lives necessarily had to be the same as their parents’. Gap years were part of this cultural and social revolution. Governments, especially in Europe, were keen to create more crosscultural understanding as a means by which the chance of further wars could be reduced. The ending of compulsory national service in the UK in 1960 created the space, or ‘gap’, for that international experience and the first to step into that gap were those with the money; the fee-paying schools. One theory has it that a teacher at Wellington College was the first to coin the term ‘gap year’.

the pioneers

In 1967, Nicholas Maclean-Bristol set up the company Project Trust and sent three volunteers to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. According to Project Trust, “the young volunteers would, of course, assist in the building of a developing nation but, at such an impressionable age, they would also be learning about Ethiopia, developing their own skills and learning to live independently at the same time. Forty years on and those aims remain unchanged.” The desire to do something to help others abroad had been there before. Now there was a straightforward way to achieve it.

As the sixties turned into the seventies, gap years continued to grow in popularity. Flights were still expensive and, anyway, gappers wanted to experience the journey, not just the destination. Buses were the obvious answer. In 1973 a young, Londonbased Australian, Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner bought a double-decker bus, sold tickets and drove his paying customers to Kathmandu. As anyone who’s read Rory Maclean’s Magic Bus will know, the first trips were epic. They slowly wound their way through countries like Turkey, Iran and India, truly experiencing what it means to travel. Turner went on to found the highly successful Flight Centre and Topdeck Travel companies.

a growing business

In the same year, Tony Wheeler, and his then girlfriend (now wife), Maureen, embarked on an overland trip to Asia. From it, they drew inspiration to write a travel guidebook, Across Asia on the Cheap. It became the first title for the new publisher, Lonely Planet. Tony and Maureen wrote it, published it and sold it. At the time they just wanted to pass on their experiences, to give other travellers advice and information. Today, Lonely Planet is the world’s largest travel guidebook publisher with over 500 titles – and it all started on a gap year. In 1977, GAP Activity Projects, a UK organisation, set-up volunteer placements for students who wanted to travel between school and university. This was a continuation of what had been started by Project Trust ten years before. The classic between-school-and-university gap years began to grow. In 1978, the Prince of Wales and Colonel John Blashford-Snell began what is now known as Raleigh International by launching Operation Drake, an expeditionary voyage following Sir Francis Drake’s route around the world. Combining a gap year with a trip right around the world has grown in popularity ever since.

Leaving the ferry at Kavala, Greece

online and onwards

Gap years continued to grow throughout the 80s and early 90s. Independent travel and backpacking were getting easier and less risky. Bucket shops were beginning to push down flight prices. People who’d done their own gap years were coming back and starting gap year businesses.

with a long-standing habit of travelling to Europe in countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Griffiths also did a lot to introduce the idea to the US. In July 2005, the economic and business forecasters Mintel valued the gap year travel industry globally at £5bn a year and identified it as one of the fastest growing sectors of the travel industry. Not only were gap years here but they were here to stay.

‘Gapyear.com was one of the the future So, what is the future for gap years? Going to university is becoming less benefit, working lives are getting more complex and more first ever online social networks ofanda clear-cut more of us are finding our work involves international cooperation specifically aimed at backpackers’ or competition. What was once a tradition mainly for the British and One such was Tom Griffiths. Much like Tony Wheeler, he was buzzing with excitement when he got back from his second gap year. He knew what time out had done for him and he wanted others to share the benefits. He wanted to spread the word, to share advice and to inspire. And so, in 1998, he and business partner Peter Pedrick founded gapyear.com. Gapyear.com was one of the first ever online social networks. It was specifically aimed at helping backpackers share their stories and experiences. Other sites have come and gone, the general social networks, most notably Facebook, have grown, but gapyear.com continues to be the number one place to talk all things gap year. Griffiths worked particularly hard to spread the message beyond the UK private schools. More than 80% of current UK gappers went to state schools. The gap year idea had already been picked up and combined

Commonwealth youngsters has spread to Europe, Asia and the Americas. Numbers in the US are now growing particularly quickly. The price of flights is probably somewhere near the bottom but communication will carry on getting better and cheaper. Will it get easier to work abroad? In the long-run probably yes, but the current economic downturn may see the return of some temporary barriers. One thing’s for certain and that is that gap years will not be just for the rich and young. The ‘Gap Yah’ cliché had some truth to it 20 years ago but no longer – and not in the future. Increasingly, employers are looking for character and attitude in addition to qualifications. They want confidence and the ability to communicate across cultures. In a survey for gapyear.com in 2011, 63% of UK human resources professionals said that a constructive gap year spent volunteering or gaining work experience overseas made a job application stand out. In the future it will be less a question of whether you can afford to have a gap year and more whether you can afford not to have one. But even more important than finding a job is finding the right way to live. We may smile now when we think of those bearded guys and beaded girls catching the bus to India. But they wanted a genuine experience. They wanted to grow as people. That is what gap years are about and always will be.

safety first TIM FENTON HAS BEEN MUGGED BY THE POLICE IN MOSCOW, STALKED BY A BEAR IN YOSEMITE AND CHASED BY A HURRICANE WHILE SAILING THE ATLANTIC. NONE OF THAT MAKES HIM ANY SORT OF EXPERT, MORE LIKELY THE OPPOSITE. IF SAFETY IS A CONCERN FOR YOU OR YOUR PARENTS THERE ARE, HE SUGGESTS, A FEW THINGS TO DO THAT SHOULD EASE THE ANXIETY.

ne of the great benefits of a gap year is the confidence you build by getting outside your comfort zone and notching up some new achievements. Life throws new things at you and, up to a point, the more of those you’ve caught and dealt with, the easier it gets. But that’s unlikely to be your main thought when you’re pushed against a wall by a man with a knife in a Bangkok backstreet or realise the bus that’s carrying you down a Peruvian hillside is not going to stop before it meets the rock-fall that’s just appeared around a bend. And if some of that sort of thing worries you, how do you think your parents feel? Life is not without risk. The trick is to manage that risk. And learning to manage risk is like learning most other skills; it’s best not to start at the top. If you’ve never put a bet on a horse, don’t start by staking your pension. One step at a time is the way to take it and the same goes for travel. The problem, of course, is that a gap year is a big step up. If you’re doing it straight after

school, your experience is unlikely to consist of much more than a few festivals and the odd week’s solo travel. But you can still plan your year so that the less risky stuff comes first. Start in a country where you speak the language. Book accommodation or a tour or even a package including transfers, a few nights in a hostel and a tour before you go. All of these will help you meet people and minimise unknowns. When you first start exploring cities, try to do it with friends. Don’t get too drunk. Don’t dress or act like you have money. Don’t get lost and if you do, try not to make it obvious. This all may sound a bit tame. But danger can come from seemingly innocent sources. The first time I ever travelled abroad alone, I flew to Greece. My flight was delayed. By the time I arrived at the airport the trains I’d planned to take into Athens had stopped and the only alternative was a very slow bus. When I got to the hostel, it was shut. I was exhausted. I headed for the one thing I could see that I recognised in Athens, the Acropolis. There, somewhere in the hillside park, I found a small cave and went to sleep in it. Nothing happened but it wasn’t the best situation to get into. It’s not just about keeping your eyes open but also thinking ‘what if?’ After crime, the next thing most gapper parents worry about is disease. Planning ahead is the key here. Eight weeks before you go is the absolute latest for starting to get jabs. The Foreign Office website

( w w w. f c o . g o v. u k ) o f f e r s t h e m o s t comprehensive and up-to-date advice. Remember also, that as you’re going to be away for some time, getting your teeth and (if necessary) eyes checked is worthwhile. If you do wear glasses, you’ll need a spare pair. Another good advice site is that of the Australian government (www.smarttraveller.gov.au). The third big danger is the one that most people forget but probably worries me most, and that is road traffic accidents. According to the World Health Organisation, more than a million people die on roads every year and another 50 million are injured. That’s more than are killed by malaria. Road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for young people. Countries with some of the highest proportions of deaths per road user include the Cook Islands (with a ratio ten times that of the UK), Egypt, the Gambia and Tunisia. For each country you visit, you should know who to contact if you’re injured in an accident. More cheerfully, the danger posed by busy roads makes getting off the beaten track a relatively safe thing to do. Finally, if a mindful approach and the various online checklists are not sufficient, you can buy specific safety training. Objective Travel Safety (www.objectivetravelsafety.com) has a good reputation and there are others. For parents, a gap year is another painful stage in the process of letting go. They should be pleased you have the confidence to travel. Show them your plans and make clear that you’ve thought through the consequences of a few s i mp l e t h i n g s n ot happening as they should. You never know, they might even offer some a d v i c e t h a t ’s worth having.

the art of travel

photography TRAVEL AND PHOTOGRAPHY GO TOGETHER LIKE FALL IN NEW ENGLAND, SPRINGTIME IN PARIS OR FOG ON THE THAMES. SEEING AMAZING NEW THINGS AND TRYING TO CAPTURE THEIR ESSENCE WITH A CAMERA ADDS A WHOLE NEW QUALITY TO THE EXPERIENCE OF TRAVEL. GAPYEAR.COM’S HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHER CORMAC SCANLAN SHARES HIS PHOTOS AND WISDOM WITH US. HE SAYS THE FIRST THING TO GET RIGHT IS YOUR HEAD...

really love photography. I love taking photos, I love visiting photography exhibitions and I love talking about photography with friends, but as with most creative activities, I find my inspiration and drive comes in bursts. I’m sure photographers of all skill levels will agree that sometimes it can be a real struggle to find the inspiration to get those killer shots. It’s sometimes taken for granted, but inspiration truly sits at the heart of all great photography and, for many keen photographers, this is where much of the value of travel lies. Beautifully vivid magazine shots of Indian markets may inspire others to visit, but the inspiration to take those great photographs will have undoubtedly come from the fascination and sense of wonder the photographer felt when he or she was there, amid the bustle and shouting and smells. This is the symbiotic relationship that exists at the heart of travel photography. Travel inspires photography and photography inspires travel.

thinking ahead It’s probably fair to say that I’ve never been one of life’s natural planners but when it comes to travel photography, there is definitely value in forward-thinking; especially if you’re only planning a short stay. Run an internet search for destination advice on almost any location and you are likely to find a wealth of useful information, but it is also likely to be quite generic. Advice specifically written for photographers is surprisingly thin, so if you want to find the best photo spots it will probably require some good, old-fashioned manual research. If you are serious about taking good photos, plan your trip with photography in mind. Finding your way to those famous photo spots overlooking the Grand Canyon or Machu Picchu is generally easy to do with little or no planning, but an adventurous traveller looking to capture post-civil war urban decay in the former Yugoslavia, or a budding photojournalist hoping to immortalise the essence of village life in SubSaharan Africa, is unlikely to succeed without planning ahead. Perhaps the easiest approach to location scouting is to simply look at where other photographers have taken great shots. One way to do this is to browse through online photo galleries and travel magazines and look at the captions. Glossy travel magazines will offer more professional shots but are generally costly, so buying a stack of new issues probably isn’t wise.

Look for second hand ones in charity shops. This is a great way to find inspiration. Working out where the photos were taken relies on the accuracy of the photo captions. Some magazines are good for inspiration, but caption accuracy tends to vary. For sound commercial reasons, magazines rarely offer much that pushes the boundaries, but the aspiring amateur can afford to take more risks. Geotagging is the process of adding map references to photos. Geotagged photos should carry the information you need to get to the exact spot on which the picture was taken. Many photo gallery sites will also show you the photograph’s Exif data. This is very useful for learning how to recreate a particular style. Exif data contains all of the technical information about a photo, so you can see for yourself which camera and lens were used to take a photo and even the aperture and exposure settings used by the photographer.

‘Turn on your inner artist; explore, interpret and capture the place in your own unique way’ The point of photo research should, of course, be to find new destinations that will inspire you, not to find pretty pictures to recreate. When you arrive at your well-chosen destination, turn on your inner artist; explore, interpret and capture the place in your own unique way.

getting in the zone If you are serious about getting good photos, you need to become one with your camera. If you don’t feel you know how to use your camera properly, figuring everything out while travelling might mean missing great photo opportunities early on in your trip, something you are likely to regret later. Spend time learning how to use your camera at home and practise using it in different situations and with different light levels. Even if you know your camera inside out, a few weekend photography excursions

near to where you live should go a long way to ignite your photographic inspiration before you go. Time might be tight when you are travelling, so deciding what to shoot may require some strategy. Some iconic shots will be obvious. Look through your lens while standing in front of the Taj Mahal, gazing upon the beautiful symmetry of its architecture perfectly reflected in the water, and you’ll no doubt find yourself composing a classic shot that many generations of tourists and photographers have taken before. There are of course many reasons why this has become a classic shot, so line it up, take your own version, and then move on to something a little more outside-the-box.

taking pictures of people Photographing people up close takes a bit of courage, which can be difficult at first. Starting off with some easy subjects is a pretty good tactic. Bartering with market vendors and getting them to allow you to take a portrait as part of your offered price is a bit crafty, but quite effective. Save introducing this till the end of the barter; you’ll eventually accept their final price, but only on the condition that they let you take their picture. Unless you want a portfolio focused on the market vendors of the world (which might actually make a nice little project), you’ll need to build courage quickly and become confident asking people if you can take their portraits. Look and act the part, respect others’ wishes but don’t be down-hearted by people saying “no” and don’t let the time constraints around each individual portrait cloud your longer-term creative development. Learn from each shot and try new angles and techniques with each new photographic subject. Patience and hard work will pay off over time.

think like a travel photographer Imagine the (not at all uncommon) scenario of standing among a large group of photographers, shoulder-to-shoulder on a tropical beach; all looking out on a tranquil sea, all trying to get that perfect image of the setting sun reflected in its calm waters. Try as you might, your shot probably isn’t going to be the best of them, and even if it is, there are likely to be dozens of other photographers with an almost identical shot. Simply taking ten or twenty steps backward and looking down the beach might reveal a highly photogenic scene; scores of photographers, lenses glistening in the blaze of the setting sun, all looking out in wonder. Originality in photography is often about seeing the trees that make up the wood. I’m a firm believer that with the right balance of skills and inspiration a decent photographer can take a great photo of almost anything, from the most grandiose of skyscrapers to that mundane pile of nails in your dad’s shed. Your own interests and photographic style will play a big part in determining what you shoot as well as the way you shoot it. If you have a well-honed style, then be sure to do what you do best, be that finding amazing textures, composing minimalist landscapes or capturing urban decay. Travelling will of course give you great scope to do these things, but try not to get too hung up on staying consistent with what you’ve done in the past while you’re away. Think like a travel photographer. Imagine you haven’t paid for your own trip. A magazine such as National Geographic has hired you and sent you to your destination. What kind of brief would they give you? I mean it, actually think about it… It might seem a bit childish to play ‘make believe’ in this way (and I guess it is), but the ‘thought experiment’ does serve a purpose. Taking a few minutes to reflect on this myself, it is clear that the kind of destination photographs travel magazines favour tend to be vivid and bright.

The best photojournalism always tells a story. The most memorable portraits are those that are emotive, capture the essence of a person’s mood and contain some clear cultural identifiers. Simply taking the kinds of shots that would inspire you to travel is definitely a good place to start, but it is worth taking a moment to note that the kind of shots a skilled photographer might covet aren’t always the same shots a potential traveller might appreciate. Truly great travel photography should be photographically brilliant while also able to appeal to a general audience that lacks, for the most part, the technical knowledge required to appreciate exactly what makes it so good.

‘Originality in photography is often about seeing the trees that make up the wood’ The true art of travel photography is not in simply learning how to take photos when travelling, but in aspiring to create images of far-away places that get a reaction, that inspire photographers, travellers and nontravellers alike.

enjoy yourself Above everything else, make sure you have a great time while taking photos on the road. No matter how much you love photography, if you are taking a gap year to go travelling, you’ll probably come home with regrets if every travel memory you have engrained on your conscious mind has been made while peering through a viewfinder. If you are travelling for a prolonged period, taking time off from the camera can be every bit as important as driving yourself to take photos. Sometimes the best inspiration comes from just relaxing and enjoying the wonders of life and nature, just so long as the camera is always to hand when you need it. It’s very easy to get obsessed with getting the best shot wherever you go. At times you’ll learn to love this obsession as it drives your photography to greater and greater heights, but you’ll also need to learn when to cut your losses and move on. If you only have a few days to spend in Rio de Janeiro, and you end up spending all of your time in its outskirts trying to get interesting shots of life in the Favelas, you’ll miss out on seeing the likes of Christ the Redeemer, Copacabana Beach and Sugarloaf Mountain. Chances are that if you are travelling on a gap year, you are going to visit places you’ll probably never get the chance to go back to, so snap happy! When not in travel photographer mode it’s fine to shoot hundreds of average shots which just capture memories for your own benefit, as long as these don’t end up in your travel photography portfolio. Do the touristy things, too. Get strangers to take pictures of you standing in front of iconic buildings, get snapshots with nice people you meet on your travels. Make the most of the experience. Enjoy yourself. Have a great time, take a wide variety of pictures and don’t forget to share your travel photography with the world on your return – ideally via a gapyear.com gallery. Good photography is more art than science; and what is the point of art if you don’t share it with the world? For more of Cormac’s photography visit www.cormacscanlan.com.

Sunset over Darwin, Australia Taken by Louise Denton gapyear.com/members/Denton32/

Art on the Road Taken by Jen Whittingham gapyear.com/members/Jennifer101770/

Flying High in Canada Taken by Courtney Clark

gapyear.com/members/cclark92/

Ganges River, Varanasi, India Taken by Dan Plante gapyear.com/members/travelndan/

Peyto Lake, Alberta, Canada Taken by Caroline Knox gapyear.com/members/Caroline-/

Photo of Ed Sheeran by Jen O’Neill

an interview with

ed sheeran MILD-MANNERED GUYS FROM SLEEPY SUFFOLK IN RURAL EASTERN ENGLAND DON’T OFTEN MAKE IT BIG IN THE POP WORLD. ED SHEERAN IS THE EXCEPTION. HIS DEBUT ALBUM REACHED THE TOP OF THE CHARTS, HE’S CLOCKED UP MILLIONS OF HITS ON YOUTUBE AND HE’S DOMINATING RADIO PLAYLISTS AROUND THE WORLD. HAS HE CHANGED? HAS HE SUCCUMBED TO THE ROCK’N’ROLL LIFESTYLE? AND HAS HE BECOME A MAJOR LABEL POP PUPPET? ANDREW TIPP FOUND OUT....

t’s a cold Friday morning and I’m on the phone with ubiquitous singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. At gapyear.com we’re into music as much as most gappers, and when the chance came up to interview one of pop music’s hottest stars for our brand new magazine we couldn’t pass

it up. “I’m probably the least rock’n’roll person in the rock’n’roll industry,” Ed admits. “I gave up drinking and smoking, I’ve got a long-term girlfriend and I usually go to sleep after shows, so I’m a bit boring...” I’m chatting to Ed about life on tour. I am both disappointed and impressed that he has not succumbed to a hedonistic, non-stop daily routine of narcotics and nubile fans. It sounds like it’s more a case of a post-gig cuppa and an early night? “Yeah, pretty much.”

great expectations We’ve been keeping tabs on Ed Sheeran since 2008 after seeing him in one of those ones-towatch muso pieces where the ones-to-watch usually end up slogging away for a few years before giving up and becoming ones-no-longer-to-watch behind the counter in Caffé Nero. But seeing him up on stage four years later, enthralling a fanatical crowd with his own brilliantly mashed-up blend of loop-pedalling, folk-twiddling, rap-summoning pop with conscience and attitude, it’s safe to say that Ed’s future doesn’t lie submerged in frothy lattes. Ed sounds confident, assured and relaxed. As he should; he’s now a bona fide pop star. He’s appeared on Jaime Foxx’s radio show in LA, played huge charity concert slots twixt Michael Bublé and Lady Gaga and topped the charts around the globe. Elton John even gave him a call to say he was a fan. Did Ed ever foresee this success? And does he care about hit singles? “Of course I care,” he says. “I’ve t hou g ht ab out being successful for years, but I never expected to have ‘big hit singles’, ever. I always pictured myself as being more of an album act. So this is really, really cool. Really nice.”

ready for lift-off It was after signing to major label Atlantic things started to take off in a big way for Ed. Was that down to him or them? “I kind of proved before signing to Atlantic that I didn’t need to be on a label,” he says. “The reason for going to Atlantic was to take it to the next level and use their connections and experience to get on Radio 1 and get good press and, yeah, just have some funding behind me.” Ed is pretty adamant that throwing money at promotion doesn’t equal success. He’s adamant twice, actually, because the first time he goes through a tunnel and I lose him. “A label can’t build you a fanbase,” he says. “You have to do that yourself. They can only give you the tools to do so.” But while a label can’t build the wheels of success, Ed admits the behemoth record label helps to oil the cogs. “The connections and experience of pluggers and press people; it’s important,” he says. “As a 20-year-old unsigned guy you can’t have a relationship with the guy at Radio 1, or the number of the girl that books Jools Holland or whatever it is.” So label influence helps, but it’s no good

just having their power behind you. Or even just being talented. You have to be prepared to grind out a following. You have to be prepared to play every night. Or potentially more often than that. “I put on a free show at Barfly in Camden for the fans as a kind of thank-you,” Ed says. “I didn’t expect that many kids to turn up, but in the end a thousand turned up so I played three 45-minute shows indoors and then another show outside after the place closed.” Seriously, how cool is that?

building the momentum The groundswell of support on the ground for Ed has been mirrored by even crazier momentum online. After hundreds of nights gigging and years of work promoting, Ed started getting noticed on YouTube. But he knew he wasn’t just another disposable zeitgeist sensation after he got raves for his simple, soulful man-and-guitar rendition of The A Team on Later... with Jools Holland a few months later. “It was a really, really good experience,” he

says. “It goes out to half a million people, so, yeah, it was very surreal.” It’s pretty weird hearing someone chat so normally about such epic stuff. It all makes me wonder what marks Ed out from any other talented, hard-working musician. “I’m not different, I’ve just come along at the right time,” he says. “Ten years ago there was a flood of singersongwriters.” But what is he doing that’s different? What’s been crucial to his success? “Taking risks is important,” Ed says. “I haven’t compromised anywhere. I’ve just done what I wanted to do, which is pretty cool. But I don’t think I’m doing anything particularly different, my approach is part of what people are doing now; putting stuff on iTunes and promoting it with Twitter.”

social network power Ah, yes. Twitter. Ed has hundreds of thousands of followers reading his tweets, most of whom are genuinely proper fans. It’s like having the power of a whole magazine circulation in his pocket, and he’s used it to killer effect.

‘A label can’t build you a fanbase; you have to do that yourself. They can only give you the tools’

“I have a lot of friends in London that are promoters that want me to play their nights,” he says, “and I do that still as a favour. But because I’m on a contract with a booking agent I can’t necessarily tell people where gigs are, so I’ll book a gig and give clues on Twitter and people will work it out.” Outside of his own sold-out UK tour, Ed spent much of last year tearing up the festival circuit. He put in a total of eight performances at Glastonbury – including a headline slot on the BBC Introducing stage – and he played the Obelisk stage at the Latitude festival in his home county of Suffolk. “Playing at Latitude was so weird,” says Ed. “I’ve been there loads just as someone in the crowd.” The thought of playing to a live crowd of 10,000 – maybe more – must be pretty mind-bending? “It is strange, but it shows you’re doing something right.” That’s an understatement.

running down the clock We’re almost out of time. In fact, I think we’ve overrun. Ed is probably late for the next journo or national TV interview. We quickly cram in some stuff about his debut album, +, which came out last September and went to number one shortly afterwards. “We recorded it at my friend Jake’s studio in Surrey,” he says. “It was lot of fun, it’s kind of home for me. It’s not really plush, it’s just right. It was fun to sit down and record every single song I wanted to.” But before he went, I wanted to get a handle on Ed’s advice for budding songsmiths and musicians looking to follow in his footsteps. He thinks about it for a moment. “Keep writing songs. Keep playing,” he says. “Listening to people you know and respect can be constructive. But if you listen to criticism from people you don’t know it’s often not. I mostly just listen to my manager, my dad and myself.” And just like that, our session is done. Time will tell if Ed can be more than a one album wonder. But he’s signed a six-album deal, and I hope in five years we’re talking about how amazing his third record is and how bored of headlining festivals he’s become. Something tells me we just might. So the interview is over. Ed is catching another plane to play another show in another country. He’s going to belt out some hit singles. He’s going to play music he’s never compromised on. If enough people turn up he might play the gig all over again outside. And then he’ll drink some tea. That’s rock’n’roll enough for me.

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planning your

gap year THE EASY PART IS DECIDING YOU WANT TO GO TRAVELLING; THE HARD PART IS PLANNING YOUR TRIP. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IS OFTEN INFORMATION OVERLOAD; THERE’S JUST SO MUCH OUT THERE. BUT RELAX. YOU’VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE. WE PRESENT TO YOU THE GAPYEAR.COM TRIP PLANNER.

hether you fancy an adventure tour around Australia, camping through Canada, hiking in the Himalayas, volunteering in Vietnam or even working abroad, we’ve got it covered. So, what’s first? Well, you need a ticket, preferably a round the world ticket. RTW tickets are awesome. They’re one of the cheapest ways to see the world and perfect for first time backpackers and travellers. They may look complicated, but they’re really not. An RTW ticket is a round the world ticket that literally takes you round the world. All you have to do is: 1. Choose all the places you want to go and things you want to do. Check out all the blogs and boards on gapyear.com. There are so many places – Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, India, South Africa, etc. – and so many things to do – trekking, surfing, bungee jumping, etc. 2. Work out how long you want to spend in each country – three months in Australia, one month in New Zealand, one month in Thailand, two weeks in India, two weeks in South Africa or whatever. Buy an RTW ticket from a specialist outlet – we recommend our sister company Round the World Experts. 4. Pack your bags – you’re lucky we’ve included a handy little packing list at the end of this trip planner. 5. Go and have the time of your life. 6. Come back, brag to your mates and make everyone jealous with a photo gallery on gapyear.com. A round the world ticket is basically a series of pre-booked single flights that take you to wherever you want to go, over whatever period of time you want (one month to 12 months) – it’s completely up to you! Most first-time backpackers from the UK go anti-clockwise as it means they can do the easier destinations of the US, Pacific

Islands, New Zealand and Australia before the slightly more difficult destinations of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries in South East Asia. It also means doing the more expensive destinations first, leaving the cheapest for when you’re skint. So, you’ve decided on where you want to go and you’ve booked your ticket. What’s next? Why not go to gapyear.com and find a travelmate? The travelmates section is the place to make new friends. The gapyear.com messageboards are where to go for advice and answers. You’re also going to want to know about where you’re travelling, so it’s worthwhile investing in a guidebook and doing some online research. You don’t want to get to a country, put your hand up to say hello, and offend a group of locals, so it’s best to know where you’re going and what you’re doing. It’s really important that you have the time of your life. There’s a world of opportunity out there – just go out and experience it! Take lots of photos, write about your experiences, blog your adventures, and come back with a whole different outlook on life. So, the ‘Planning Your Gap Year’ trip planner. Use it. Abuse it. Draw on it. There are lots more downloadable planners on gapyear.com. So plan your gap year; it’ll be a trip you’ll never forget.

planning your round the world route Working out where you want to go on your gap year is one of the most exciting and fun bits of your whole trip. This is the time before decisions or compromises. This is about the pure joy of wondering where on Earth you want to go. This is where it all begins. The whole world is right there; all you need to do is join the dots. You’ll probably notice that we’ve scribbled a couple of real life round the world routes you could do and what you

could see. There are hundreds of potential routes you could take, and that’s before anyone starts tailor-making a trip just for you. Once you’ve tried drawing your ideal trip you’ll realise that to see everything is logistically impossible, and the time will come to prioritise and make some decisions: do you want to see the Amazon in Brazil or go overlanding in Africa? Do you want to bungee jump in New Zealand or trek through Thailand?

Whether you’re searching for inspiration or have a route in mind, our friends at Round the World Experts can help. They don’t just do flights, they can also help you book tours, hostels and other travel products. The routes shown above are two of their most popular, but many more routes can be found on gapyear.com. Your adventure is just beginning.

the red arrow route

the green arrow route

London » Nairobi make your own way to Johannesburg »

London » Rio de Janeiro make your own way to Buenos Aires »

Perth » Sydney » Christchurch make your own way to Auckland »

Lima » Santiago » Auckland » Sydney » Perth » Tokyo »

Fiji » Los Angeles » New York » London

Bangkok make your own way to Singapore » London

This is Round the World Experts’ See Africa trip (from £1,766). It’s an amazing way to explore the culture, nature and wildlife at the heart of Africa before heading down-under to experience Australia, over to adventurous New Zealand, through Fiji and then on to the US.

This is Round the World Experts’ Career Breaker trip (£2,989). It’s an incredible journey taking you through the exotic streets of Brazil, the sexy capital of Argentina and the hub of Peru before heading through beautiful New Zealand, amazing Australia and up through magical South East Asia.

your gap year

checklist PLANNING A GAP YEAR CAN BE CHALLENGING. THERE’S A LOT TO THINK ABOUT; REMEMBERING THINGS LIKE BOOKING YOUR FLIGHTS, PHOTOCOPYING YOUR PASSPORT OR GETTING YOUR VACCINATIONS CAN BE A HEADACHE. THAT’S WITHOUT EVEN THINKING ABOUT THE PACKING; YOU’RE CONSTANTLY PACKING, UNPACKING, REPACKING, CHECKING THAT YOU’RE FINISHED; THEN REALISE YOU’VE FORGOTTEN YOUR TOOTHBRUSH… THE GAPYEAR.COM PLANNING CHECKLIST IS HERE TO GET YOU STARTED!

one year to go

This is our 12-month guide to planning and packing for your travels. We don’t claim it to be the definitive list; you don’t have to do all these things and you don’t have to take everything. But we think it’ll help you plan your gap year adventure and avoid turning up at the airport without a plane ticket. Or a backpack. With a year to go boarding that plane seems like a long way away. You won’t need to worry what socks you should take, but this is the ideal time to get most of the logistical stuff out of the way:

three months to go

It’s time to seriously start thinking about looking after yourself on the road. You’re going to need insurance, prescriptions and medical stuff. Here’s our suggestion of stuff to take: Buy my travel / health insurance Plan for any prescription medicine I need Sort out spare glasses / enough contact lenses to cover my trip Begin compiling toiletries – contraception, sanitary towels / tampons, toothbrush (with toothbrush cover), toothpaste, floss, shampoo / conditioner, deodorant, soap, razor, sun cream, aftersun / moisturiser, flannel, sink plug, make up, make up remover, lip balm, cotton buds, nail clippers / file, tweezers, insect repellent (DEET 50%), bite cream / bite zapper, comb, hair bands

Get inspired! Go to gapyear.com! Check my passport will be valid for the duration of trip Book an NHS appointment to find out what vaccinations and medicine I need Learn what health documents I need to take (Do I need a yellow fever certificate?) Look into getting an International Drivers licence from the Post Office or elsewhere By now your gap year is going to start feeling like it’s actually going to Start saving and fundraising to finance my awesome trip! happen! This is when you need to really concentrate and make sure you’ve bought and packed all the essentials and personal items you really need to hit the ground running. Remember; what you don’t pack, you buy. Many travellers just take the bare essentials, buying everything Your trip will still seem pretty distant with six months to go, but you they need once they’re out there. You need to work out a happy balance really want to be in full preparation mode right now. Remember, plan for you. And remember, once you’ve done this, you can start getting plan plan. It’s now that you want to think about buying your backpack really excited. Like really, really excited… and what’s going to go in it. Decide what tech I want to take – iPod / MP3 player, e-reader, Your backpack is your home. It’s your snail-shell. And much like a camera / video camera (+ batteries, 8GB memory card, films, snails-shell you will take care of it and its contents, loving each and cables, tripod), mobile phone, netbook, spare batteries, solar every item that is housed in it. A good weight to be carrying is between chargers, external HD, USB stick (8GB), plug adapter (check 10-12kg. Experiment before you go and pack your bag a couple of which type you need beforehand), cheap digital watch times to find out what fits where. After a while packing will become Pick what general travel stuff to pack – travel towel, sleeping bag so automatic that you won’t even know when you’re doing it. That’s the liner (for the occasional dirty bed), eye mask, ear plugs, travel theory anyway... pillow / squishtie pillow, travel wallet / money belt, waterproof cover for bag Buy my backpack / travelpack Remember personal items, such as torch / head torch, sunglasses, Buy my round the world ticket hat (cap / bandanna / beanie), alarm clock Look for tops – t-shirts / strappy tops / vest tops (5), Add some miscellaneous things like books / magazines, playing longsleeve top, fleece, hoodie, waterproof cards, safety pin/sewing kit, duct tape, bin liner, pen and paper, Start buying bottoms – trousers (2), sarong (2), skirts (2), dresses diary / journal (2), short shorts (2), boardies (3), leggings Make multiple copies of all my documents; keep one set in day Begin compiling underwear! – pants / boxers / knickers (7), and one in my backpack socks (3), bra (3), bikini (4) Make sure I have debit / credit cards to use Think about footwear – flip-flops, trainers / hiking shoes / Take out US$200 as universal currency sandals (3 pairs of footwear max) Start my travel blog Start building my medical kit – plasters, bandages, safety Arrange departing drinks with my mates pins, wipes, antidiarrhoeas (Imodium), painkillers, etc ‘Sort out’ relationship status Get my sleeping bag (or just the liner if I’m going to somewhere Reassure parents / family I will stay in touch. (And I will!) hot and humid)

a few weeks to go

six months to go

Here are some more ideas, but give us a call to let us create your Big Adventure trip. Or try our online Journey Planner at www.rtwexperts.co.uk to design your own Round the World trip in 3 easy steps.

Round the World Flights Cross-Country Classic 6 centres

flights from

£999

London » Shanghai (overland) Hong Kong » Brisbane (overland) Melbourne » Los Angeles (overland) New York » London

World Wanderer – Student/Youth Fare 7 centres

flights from

£1139

London » Hong Kong » Bangkok (overland) Singapore » Bali » Sydney » Queenstown (overland) Christchurch » Fiji » Los Angeles (overland) Las Vegas » London

£1209

London » Los Angeles (overland) Vancouver » Auckland » Tokyo » London

Flights, overland, volunteer, hostels.

£1315

Revel Around The World

London » Beijing (overland) Hong Kong » Melbourne (overland) Sydney » Auckland » Los Angeles (overland) San Francisco » London

American Adventure 4 centres

flights from

£1125

London » Bangkok (overland) Singapore » Brisbane (overland) Sydney » Christchurch (overland) Auckland » Fiji » London

Hikers Trail 7 centres

South Pacific Safari 6 centres

London » Johannesburg » Perth » Sydney » Christchurch (overland) Auckland » Fiji » London

10 centres

flights from

£1664

See Africa 9 centres

flights from

£1766

London » Nairobi (overland) Johannesburg » Perth » Sydney » Christchurch (overland) Auckland » Fiji » Los Angeles » New York » London

Fee FREE flight changes with the Travel Butler.*

Call 0845 344 7667

Flexible tour dates with our Adventure Passport.

www.roundtheworldexperts.co.uk

new zealand an epic

experience like no other...

ALTHOUGH THROWING YOURSELF OUT OF A PERFECTLY GOOD AEROPLANE 15,000 FT ABOVE THE GROUND MIGHT NOT SEEM MOST LIKE THE MOST SENSIBLE IDEA, SKYDIVING IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE SAFEST AND MOST AWESOME ADRENALINE ACTIVITIES YOU CAN EXPERIENCE ON YOUR GAP YEAR. BUT WHERE CAN YOU DO IT? WHAT’S SKYDIVING ALL ABOUT, ANYWAY? AND IS IT EVEN FOR YOU? GAPYEAR.COM’S ANDREW TIPP SPOKE TO NEW ZEALAND’S NZONE SKYDIVE TO FIND OUT MORE.

t takes a certain kind of person to leap from an aircraft into thin air. It takes guts, courage. You won’t be alone, though; most likely you’ll be harnessed to an experienced ‘jumpmaster’ – some of whom have skydived more than 21,000 times. However, you will be fighting your most basic instincts of self-preservation. “For some 60 seconds you plummet toward the ground at 124 miles per hour,” says Ann-Louise Riddell of NZONE Skydive. “That’s terminal velocity!” Luckily, you’re not merely thrown out of a plane without training. Riddell explains that when you sign up to skydive with her you’re assigned a tandem instructor, attend a pre-jump briefing and are talked through a demonstration outlining what happens from aircraft exit to landing, as well as what procedures will be completed even before you make your way on to the plane – all very reassuring. What actually happens on the skydive itself? “It takes approximately 25 minutes for the ascent, as the plane circles the surrounding area providing spectacular views of the entire region,” explains Riddell. “Upon reaching the desired altitude the instructor attaches the passenger to his harness, then checks and adjusts their frap hat, goggles and gloves...” When the pilot signals the time to exit the aircraft, the instructors position themselves at the edge of the door. “It’s then time for the instructor and passenger to make the ultimate leap of faith,” says Riddell. Presumably, it’s also the time most people begin to panic and perspire? “There are only two to three seconds of pure terror,” she claims. “It’s between the moment you launch yourself from the plane and the instant your body reaches terminal velocity.” The tandem instructor then deploys the ‘drogue’ parachute; a device that stabilises the joined jumpers during freefall. “Freefall time from 15,000 ft is approximately a minute,” says Riddell. “At altitude 5,000 ft, the instructor deploys the main canopy and there is a relaxing flight under canopy for about five minutes back down to the ground. “It’s a dreamy end to an extreme adrenaline fix!”

north to south More than one million tandem skydives are made every 12 months, and there are skydiving centres all around the world. However, New Zealand – with its beautiful mountains, lakes, rivers and mind-blowing natural vistas straight out of epic fantasy – is one of the most popular places to skydive on Earth. “Every year there are 75,000 skydives in New Zealand,” says Riddell. “At NZONE Skydive in Queenstown we’ve jumped over 180,000 people in the last 21 years, making us one of the most experienced operators in the world.” There are more than 20 skydiving outfits in New Zealand, but having started out back in 1990, NZONE – operating between their two drop zones of Rotorua in New Zealand’s North Island and Queenstown on the South Island – are one of the oldest and best established. There’s something very natural about how adventure, adrenaline and New Zealand combine to make the perfect place to skydive. Nestled amid towering volcanoes and built around boiling mud pools, blowing geysers and steaming lakes, the town of Rotorua is home to the Maori and known as both a geothermal and cultural hub, with loads of adrenaline activities. “And Queenstown has been deemed ‘The Adventure Capital of the World’ by some,” Riddell tells us. “It’s the birthplace of both tandem skydiving and bungee jumping in New Zealand.”

sharing the experience By dropping people out of planes for more than two decades NZONE have accumulated lots of experienced instructors. Ricky Anderson, 24, has been skydiving with the company for six years. What keeps him jumping out of a plane day after day? “It’s a job that’s easy to get out of bed for in the morning,” he says. “And in a word, it’s fun!” Based in Rotorua, Ricky reckons the appeal of skydiving is pretty obvious. “It’s one of those childhood dreams so many people have: being able to fly,” he argues. “This is the closest way to living that dream.” When you go skydiving you can opt to add on a bonus jumper to film your experience. Ricky worked as one of these videographers before getting his tandem rating a few months ago. “Going from camera to tandem is a different buzz all together,” he says. “Camera is the extreme side of it where you fly around and go on fast canopies. Tandem is more about sharing the experience – there is someone else there and you get to palpably share their excitement.” Ricky loves the community skydiving creates and how there’re always new people to engage with. His advice for new and anxious adrenaline seekers is simple: “Just relax!” he urges. “A lot of people ruin their skydive by not relaxing. The key is to give in to what’s happening, to relax and enjoy.” It all sounds awesome. But how does all that equipmenty stuff work, you know, to make sure you don’t feel a bit… flat at the end of the jump? “Tandem skydiving requires equipment with several differences from normal sport skydiving rigs,” says Ann-Louise Riddell. “All modern tandem skydiving systems use the drogue parachute, which is deployed shortly after leaving the plane in order to decrease the skydivers’ terminal velocity.” It all sounds a bit technical, but reassuringly safe. “This is necessary for proper parachute deployment,” Riddell says. “It lengthens the duration of the skydive, allowing the skydivers to fall at the same speed as any videographers.” And what’s the other main kit stuff involved? “Tandem skydiving

systems also use larger main parachutes to support the additional weight of two passengers,” Riddell explains. “Tandem parachute rigs are equipped with a main and reserve parachute.” Now that’s reassuring.

paying the price So what can you expect to pay for your high altitude plane exit? Well, prices for a tandem skydive start around £130, rising to about £220 depending on what country and height you chose to jump from (jump altitudes typically range from 9,000 ft to 15,000 ft). Are a few precious minutes of falling with style worth the money? The consensus seems to be: basically, yes. “There are a few things you just can’t miss when you go to New Zealand, and skydiving is definitely one of them,” says Malin Broberg, a Kiwi connoisseur of extreme high altitude adventures. “I’ve done skydives all over the world, and this was without a doubt the best,” Broberg claims. “The scenery is amazing; I can’t think of a better place in the world to do it. To start with you get the amazing snow-covered mountains and the beautiful lake beneath you, but to top it off you get an amazing crew working to make sure you get the best experience possible!” And it’s not only veteran jumpers that seem to dig NZONE. Skydiving virgins seem to love them too. “Since I was experiencing skydiving for the first time, I wanted a good feel for their people, their processes and their equipment,” says Aggie, an American first-timer who goes by just the one name. “They did not disappoint.” Aggie seems to have been impressed by the company’s set-up. “My jumpmaster, Nikki, had completed over 8,000 jumps,” he says. “Their facilities were well organised, their system was simple and all of the equipment they use looked brand new.” His adds: “If you decide to do it and you can make the money work, jump from 15,000 ft. You get a minute of freefall, and your pictures and video will be like nothing else you can get in the world.”

teach english, see the world and

coach football

ARSENAL IN THE COMMUNITY’S UP-AND-COMING GAP PROGRAMME IS SET TO GIVE VOLUNTEERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND A GAP YEAR WITH THE CLUB, GAINING COACHING EXPERIENCE AND SPENDING TIME OVERSEAS IN A NUMBER OF INCREDIBLE LOCATIONS. ARSENAL IN THE COMMUNITY SHARE A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAMME WITH US...

f sport is your thing and you’re looking for an off-the-shelf gap year, the programme run by Arsenal FC is definitely worth a look. Arsenal in the Community is now accepting applications for the Arsenal Gap Programme, which kicks off in August. Over one year, the Programme gives you the chance to gain valuable coaching experience and spend up to seven months overseas with Arsenal Community Partners in countries such as Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Israel, Indonesia and Barbados. The year is split into three parts. From August to December participants are based in London developing coaching skills and gaining relevant qualifications including FA Level 1 and Teaching English as a Foreign Language. This period also involves two days a week practical coaching in local schools. In January comes the first opportunity to work abroad with one of the programme’s

community partners. The first placement runs until April. A second runs from April to August. In order to cover the costs of the qualifications undertaken during the programme there is a charge of £500 plus a returnable deposit. In addition, participants have to pay for their own flights abroad. Accommodation, food and in-country transport is provided by the community partner. Participants living outside London should be prepared to travel in to the capital at peak hours during the first phase of the programme. Joe Stolerman and Henry Milton recently returned from a gap year internship in Kenya. Both found it an inspiring experience. “Some of the people we met were just incredible,” said Joe. “The welcome we got was extraordinary. Everyone was so enthusiastic about getting to play football.” Henry said: “I am definitely going back to Kenya. People were saying ‘you don’t realise how important this is going to be, they are

‘Spend up to seven months in countries such as Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Israel, Indonesia and Barbados’ never going to forget these days or you guys’. It’s incredible.” Candidates must be at least 17 when they travel abroad. The current programme has 21 participants. Some previous participants have gone on to secure part-time coaching work with Arsenal FC. l To apply or for more information, contact John Olaleye on 0207 704 4159 or email jolaleye@ arsenal.co.uk.

a commercial feature from

peru beyond the beaten track in

WARRICK HOWARD IS ONE OF GAPYEAR.COM’S LONGEST-STANDING MEMBERS AND CAN OFTEN BE FOUND IN WHATEVER DISCUSSION THREAD IS BUZZING LOUDEST. HE LOVES SOUTH AMERICA. THERE ARE NOT MANY OF ITS DUSTY ROADS HE’S NOT BEEN DOWN. IF YOU’VE DONE THE TOURIST SPOTS AND NOW WANT TO REALLY GET UNDER THE CONTINENT’S SKIN, WHO BETTER TO ASK FOR ADVICE?

he Rio Carnival, the Inca Trail, the Galápagos Islands, Iguazu Falls – these are the places that come first to mind when you think about travelling in South America. Their images adorn the walls of hundreds of thousands of backpackers now safely home. And they’ll stay in their memories for the rest of their lives. If you’re interested in finding out more about these sites, then pick up any guide book on South America and have a read. If, however, you’re interested in discovering some of the more unusual sights that South America has to offer, then allow me to lead you down a path strewn with poisonous snakes, wild cats, spiritual temples, local tribes and mind-bending beer. It’s probably not the first path your parents would have chosen for you, and I can’t guarantee it will lead to anything you’ll want to put on your CV, but I can assure you you’ll have an awesome time. So, to where I start this adventure: Peru, and more specifically Máncora. This place is often overlooked by backpackers but it’s a great place to lose a few days. When the Spanish first landed in Máncora, they thought they’d found paradise; a few nights out here and you’ll probably be agreeing with them. It’s a simply phenomenal place to party, and after a few jars of Pisco Sour the locals are more than happy to join in. Imagine an Ibiza chillout after-party. Máncora has the same vibe all night long but without the blokes chewing on their own faces. Being on the beach, there’s also the chance to try a number of water sports, like surfing, scuba diving or sun-worshiping. You could easily spend a couple of months in Máncora, snorkelling the various dive spots by day, and having fun in the bars and on the beaches at night. If you can bring yourself to move on from paradise, then there are plenty of other surprises to be unearthed in Peru. One of the biggest surprises for me was that I found that Iquitos is not the best place in South America to go into the jungle. Sounds like a ridiculous statement, doesn’t it? After all, that Lonely Planet guide your friends have been smashing down your throat for the past few months clearly states that Iquitos is the gateway to the jungle. Surely they can’t be wrong? Yes. Yes. At least I think they can. While a Lonely Planet book is invaluable on a trip around South

America, you should take the term guide book literally. It is a guide, not a gospel. Listen to other backpackers who have been there and done it; you might find yourself discovering a world beyond the books. If Peru is the only country you’re visiting in South America, then a trip to Iquitos is mandatory. You simply cannot miss out on seeing the jungle. If, however, you’re visiting other countries, then I would skip Iquitos and go into the jungle somewhere else. And that gives us time and money to leap straight to the beating heart of Peru – the city of Lima. Some would argue that the heart of Peru is the jungle; the ancient civilisations, the tribes and the majestic river. But I know that I have never felt more alive than in a grimy salsa bar in Lima, surrounded by local men and women, all dancing with a passion and a heat that would make a young Peter Stringfellow blush. Even today, if I close my eyes, I can feel the thin bit of hot, damp linen that was all there was between me and one particular girl. That’s what living is. Lima is a metropolis. It hums with activity. You could easily lose yourself for days in the colonial architecture and museums, or the modern shopping centres, or the surfing beaches. Still, many backpackers dismiss Lima and use it solely as a stepping stone to get to Cusco or Nazca. This is a real shame as Lima has made a massive effort to entice tourists. Miraflores is another fantastic place for backpackers. Grab a turrón from a street vendor and sit with a coffee or (more likely) a Pisco Sour and watch the world go by. Once the sun begins to set, get hold of one of the locals who have come to surf, and find out where the nightlife is going to be that night. From there, sit back and let yourself be carried off into the very heart of Lima’s after-hours establishments. After your hangover subsides, you could head over to Cerre de Pasco if you’re passing that way. There’s not a great deal there for your average backpacker, but it’s an authentic little mining town that offers a glimpse into true Peruvian life. It also sits around 14,000 ft above sea level, making it one of the highest towns in the world. Leaning back with a beer, gazing around, it feels like you’re on top of the world. It’s one of the experiences that really sticks with me when I think back on my time in South America.

ow do you top sitting on top of the world? Well, heading for Cusco is my answer. Now, I realise that when people hear the word Cusco they immediately associate it with the Inca Trail. It is true that Cusco is the starting point for all Inca Trail treks, but you can find out more about that elsewhere. Instead, I’m going to explain why Cusco is one of my favourite places in South America. Cusco has become a kind of Mecca for backpackers. The problem with travelling in South America is that you don’t encounter other travellers with anything like the frequency you’ll have got used to in places like Thailand and Australia. So, when backpackers do come together in large numbers in South America, they really come together... if you catch my drift. There is no shortage of bars, restaurants and clubs in Cusco, all aimed solely at giving backpackers a chance to catch up and share their experiences and stories, all while clutching a cold bottle of Cusqueña, the local beer. If you needed any further proof of Cusco’s party potential, check out the not one but two Irish bars in the centre of town. Case closed. And as well as all that, there’s architecture that would make Da Vinci weep and local people who will bend over backwards to make sure you get the very best of their little town; all you have to do is ask. Once you’ve had enough of other backpackers and daily hangovers but are still thirsting for a taste of real Peru then jump on a bus and head to Arequipa. This town sits down on the border with Chile, out in the desert. While it does have some

tourist appeal, with churches and old colonial architecture dotted around, my reason for going was to get a taste of Peru in the most literal sense. As Arequipa isn’t overly frequented by tourists, you tend to find all kinds of traditional Peruvian foods on the menu, from llama leg to guinea pig. I can understand that some people might have reservations about eating animals you’d only ever meet in a pet shop or petting zoo in the UK, but these are animals that have been on the menu in Peru for generations. Guinea pig, I can assure you, tastes a lot better than it looks sitting in the corner of your girlfriend’s bedroom pretending to be something more than a glorified rat. Sadly, it’s difficult to recreate the dish back in the UK. The staff at my local pet store were less than obliging. Make sure you fill your boots while you’re in Arequipa. From Arequipa, the last stop on my alternative tour of Peru is the little town of Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca. This place is well worth a visit as it successfully manages to offer both a boozy backpacker scene and enough culture to impress that French fitty you met on the bus and told you were a curator at the British Museum. The lake itself is incredibly clean, probably due to the fact that it’s one of the highest in the world. Take a pedalo out on to the water and see for yourself. A word of warning though, the lake is very, very cold. I’m talking balls-into-ribcage cold. And with that enticing image, my meandering tour of Peru comes to a close. We stand on the Bolivian border, ready to plough headfirst into the Amazon jungle wearing nothing but swimming shorts and a pair of flip flops. It’s at that point we realise we’re face to face with an anaconda. Still, that’s a story for next time...

the mississippi

blues trail IF THERE’S SOMETHING YOU LOVE IN LIFE, BE IT ART, MUSIC, HISTORY OR WHATEVER, COMBINING IT WITH TRAVEL CAN ADD UP TO MORE THAN TWICE THE FUN. TRAVEL WITH A THEME AND A PURPOSE AND EVERY STEP COUNTS AS PROGRESS BOTH ALONG THE TRAIL AND INTO THE HEART OF WHATEVER IT IS THAT FASCINATES. FOR FANS OF ROCK AND BLUES MUSIC, THE CLASSIC TRIP IS THAT FROM NEW ORLEANS TO CHICAGO. ANNA CHEN PUT THE PEDAL TO THE METAL.

t was the ducks that did it. Even they had their own musical accompaniment: the King Cotton March by John Phillip Sousa, as it happens. Any trip worth remembering will have its own soundtrack, one that stays with you long after the souvenirs have gathered dust. It could be the tracks you loaded onto your MP3 player or, if you’ve the sense to escape the private tourist

bubble, a local favourite or two. Photos often languish unloved on the hard drive and the mere mention of holiday snaps usually prompts embarrassed shuffling. But slipping on a CD immediately evokes the sensory best of your adventure. And where better to collect those musical memories than along the American Blues Trail? It’s along this scrubby highway that you can follow the musical history of an entire people; from tragic beginnings in slavery to the creation of perhaps the greatest popular art form of the 20th century. From what’s left of sleepy, sensual New Orleans in the Mississippi Delta in the south after Hurricane Katrina and the developers got through with it, to the speedy urban setting of Chicago on the banks of Lake Michigan 930 miles away in the north, the Blues Highway is one of the richest cultural journeys you can make. Along the way, you’ll encounter African American music legends John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Bessie Smith, Billie Holliday, Sam Cooke, Charley Patton, Willie Dixon, plus, of course, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. I did this by car, taking in all the main centres along Highway 61 in little over a week. A leisurely fortnight would have been ideal and if you can manage longer, well, lucky you.

The invention of the cotton gin in the late 18th century made slavery in the cottongrowing Deep South, including the Mississippi Delta, more profitable than ever. When the Civil War brought an end to slavery, it was replaced by sharecropper poverty and vicious Jim Crow laws as the chief source of misery. A generation of young African American men left the plantations for work in the cities. The easiest escape was jumping the train north to St Louis and Chicago.

‘The blues highway is one of the richest cultural journeys you can make’ The blues had grown out of field hollers and spirituals. Musical instruments were improvised out of any materials that fell to hand. Thus the diddley bow was born out of a piece of wire strung between two nails hammered into the porch. Guitars and harmonicas could be bought cheaply from catalogues and stores. The luckier ex-slaves got work in the heavy industries of Chicago. Many took their instruments with them and used them to earn extra dollars or just to feed their souls. When you take the Mississippi blues trail, you are following in the footsteps of these refugees and early pioneers of jazz and rock. So load up your MP3 player with blues goodies and get ready to roll.

memphis Situated on the banks of the Mississippi River at the crossroads between Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas, Memphis is the exact centre of the land that gave birth to the blues. Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and Jim, the runaway slave, would have sailed past on their raft on their way to freedom. There’s a slogan you’ll see emblazoned pretty much everywhere: the Mississippi Delta “begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel (in Memphis) and ends on Catfish Row in Vicksburg.” You can probably get a t-shirt with it printed on. Stepping into the Peabody Hotel on Union Street conjures up Tennessee Williams, mint juleps and a hundred variants of barbecue sauce that have me drooling even as I write. This homage to the original Peabody, which closed in 1923, was rebuilt two years later in the style of the Italian Renaissance, with all the grandeur of the Deep South but with ethnic minorities. Having endured more declines than Blanche du Bois, its faded fortunes were finally revived in 1981. If you can’t afford to stay here, you can still enjoy the bar that did brisk under-the-counter business during prohibition. But it won’t be the plush surrounds or the travertine marble fountain that amazes you. Time it right and you’ll witness a sight that has had tourists crowding the lobby since the 1930s. Every morning at 11am, the poultry wrangler known as the ‘Duckmaster’ escorts one mallard drake and four hens from their penthouse Duck Palace (cost $200,000) on the Plantation Roof, into the elevator and down into the lobby where they

waddle in line to the fountain to frolic for the rest of the day until bedtime at five o’clock when it all happens in reverse. Reader, I have watched movie star Nic Cage on the balcony watching the duck parade below, as spellbound as any other out-of-town visitor. That’s how weird and wonderful it is. If watching this makes you hungry, then you’re in the right place. Southern soul food is another one of the delights of this region. Several blues maestros own music venues which serve only local fare. If you head for B.B.’s (owned, by B.B. King) on Beale Street, a famous centre of African American music, you’ll get great food and music in the same hit. Forget burgers. We ate cornbread, Jack Danielsmarinaded steak, gumbo and a rack of ribs smothered in sticky BBQ sauce until we were stuffed silly. All washed down with the weak brew which the locals joke gets its flavour from the Mississippi water it’s made from. If that doesn’t satisfy you, you can try the Elvis Presley restaurant that replicates the menus that ultimately killed the King. Speciality: a loaf halved lengthways and fried in butter, filled with bacon fried in butter with peanut butter, jello (jam), mashed banana and, probably, another knob of butter. Add a carton of clotted cream and this would be my idea of heaven, even if my heartburn would be hell. Elvis was a local lad who made good after venturing into Sun Studios, round the corner from Beale Street, and catching the ear of Sam Phillips. For 12 bucks you can take the studio tour and see where legends such as Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash were made. I have a snap of me singing into the very same Epiphone mic (or one just like it) that Elvis would have used. If you have time, get over to Graceland, Elvis’s famous mansion home. It’s a lot

smaller than you imagine. And who knew you could spend half a million dollars in Woolworths? A sadder story is that of the other King. It was at the Lorraine Motel in downtown Memphis that Dr Martin Luther King was shot dead on the balcony outside his room by racists eager to keep black people in their place. There’s some controversy attached to the building as it was a home for the wretched poor when the decision was made to turn it into a state-of-the-art museum. While the shell has been preserved and King’s room encased in glass, the area behind has been completely rebuilt and the residents evicted. The exhibits include a bus like the one in which Rosa Parks, an African American woman, refused to give up her seat for an able-bodied white man. That started the Montgomery Bus Boycott and galvanised the Civil Rights movement, of which King later became a leader. It’s worth seeing but you may first want to speak to Jacqueline Smith, the last of the motel residents to be evicted, who’s mounted a lonely protest outside for the past 20 years. If your musical tastes are wide, you could make a detour to Nashville, home of the po’ white folk equivalent to blues: Country and Western. Otherwise, head south towards New Orleans and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

clarksdale After 60 miles, where Highway 61 meets Highway 49 just outside Clarksdale, there’s a junction steeped in myth - the biggest one in the whole mythology of music. It’s where the young musician Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in order to gain his supernatural guitar skills. It gained him fame, glory and sex for a few years before the devil called in his marker and Johnson was poisoned by the jealous boyfriend of a woman he was seeing. The Crossroads of legend turns out to be several places in the real world as there are different intersections all telling you you’re crossing 49. We were stymied. It’s not like you can trust the gigantic crossed guitars at one of them - even if X does mark the spot - as this was smart advertising for a local business. My advice: pick a place and meditate. It was all invented, so you might as well join in. As long as you locate the crossroads deep in your soul… Squealing like a porker that’s caught a whiff of BBQ sauce, I nearly crashed the car when I spotted the Riverside Hotel just outside town. This is where singer Bessie Smith’s magnificent lungs breathed their last. Before it became a hotel, it was hospital for black people.

Smith should rightly be referred to as ‘legend’ rather than mere singer, but we are now in an area renowned for legends. Throw a rock and you will hit a spot that had something to do with one, whether it be Ike Turner, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Duke Ellington or Robert Nighthawk. They all stayed at the Riverside.

‘The Crossroads of legend turns out to be several places in the real world’ There must be ley-lines or a spooky alignment of the planets or maybe they put whisky in the water. Whatever it is, I want some. Clarksdale is a small town - maybe one and a half horse’s worth. But what a history. I stood staring at the tiny single platform station where mile-long cargo trains trundle past on the Illinois Central

Railroad, very slowly but never stopping. I readily imagined the desperate young men hopping a train north. Across from the station is the Ground Zero Blues Club: perhaps the most famous of the juke joints, part-owned by Morgan Freeman. Outside on the sidewalk, one of the kitchen staff sits on an old armchair for a smoke. Inside, it’s a large square room with a small stage at one end with barely room for a four-piece, and a bar running down the side. We drank bourbon and ate ribs followed by peach cobbler and felt like we were in music heaven. Clarksdale’s Delta Blues Museum documents the town’s amazing history and is run by volunteer heroes. Star feature is Muddy Waters’ shack from Stovall Farms where he was a sharecropper before finding fame and fortune with his axe. Son House and Charlie Musselwhite were local lads who also have their own sections in the exhibition. Three miles from Clarksdale, the Shack-Up Inn is one of the most unusual places I’ve ever stayed at. Occupying a slice of the old Hopson Plantation where the early cotton picker was trialled, it’s an unconventional hotel complex made out of real sharecroppers’ shacks, giving

cultural historians an authentic glimpse of the environment that produced the blues. Some might call it misery tourism but there are skint creatives out there looking for a quiet place to think and compose: patrons include Morgan Freeman, Samuel L Jackson, Charlie Musselwhite and the late Ike Turner. None of the cabins are luxurious, although they contain the requisite bathrooms, fridges and fans, and many come with keyboards and sound systems. Try sitting on the porch in the torpid heat of a southern evening, drinking a cold beer with Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf or Waters playing in the background. Ah, magic. Apart from the mosquitoes. They’re just maddening.

st louis Short of time, we miss New Orleans - home of dixieland jazz and all things Creole - and head back north through Memphis to St Louis, best known for ragtime jazz and a major stopover for the black exodus of the 1920s and 30s. The only obvious landmarks are the Gateway Arch on the West bank of the Mississippi, looking like half a monument to McDonalds, and the gorgeous rail terminus. Union Station’s huge vaulted ceiling is more cathedral than railway

station and was once the biggest in the world. It is now a luxury hotel. We spent our evening at B.B.’s Jazz, Blues and Soups, a smallish joint which stayed open until 2am, and served pleasant food to some cracking live music.

chicago Driving to the Windy City of Chicago, the spiritual end of the Blues Highway, we struggled to find any of the great blues radio stations we’d listened to in the car at the start of our journey. The further north you go the angrier and meaner become the jocks and commentators. The architecture of central Chicago is fabulous: a snowy Gotham of art deco and waterways. We stayed in the Essex Hotel on Lake Shore Drive fronting onto Lake Michigan, in the four-mile part of the city destroyed in the Great Fire of 1871. The rebuilding took place during the wealthiest period in America’s history, when skyscraper construction had just been made possible. No wonder it looks amazing. Except, that is, for the Essex Hotel which looks like something constructed in the Essex of Romford and Southend. Luckily, we were on the inside looking out. The best way to see the sights is to take the tram, touring the El railway, Sears Building, Wrigley Field stadium, the waterfront, Oprah Winfrey’s modern tower

Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Just one last music stop: Buddy Guy’s Legends, serving some of the best food I have ever eaten. Jambalaya, gumbo, frogs legs, ribs, catfish, crawfish ettouffée… mmm, excuse my drool. If you’re lucky, you may even get to see the man himself perform.

block and the fairground underneath. Complete the musical odyssey by taking a cab down town to Chess Records. Willie Dixon, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley; all the blues giants recorded here. From here rippled out the revolution that created bands like the

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game ranging animal work in south africa SOUTH AFRICA IS HOME TO SOME OF THE MOST DIVERSE, DANGEROUS AND AWE-INSPIRING WILDLIFE IN THE NATURAL WORLD. BUT WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO REALLY EXPERIENCE IT? HOW CAN YOU VENTURE BEYOND THE TYPICAL NATIONAL PARK MERRY-GO-ROUND? ANDREW TIPP EXPLORES WAYS OF GOING DEEPER THAN THE USUAL SAFARI TRAILS BY LOOKING AT GAME RANGING EXPERIENCES IN THE FAMOUS KRUGER PARK REGION WITH AFRICAN CONSERVATION EXPERIENCE.

eing a wildlife ranger in Africa must be up there on the list of what we want to be when we grow up. African Conservation Experience’s Ellen Sziede agrees. “It’s right alongside being an astronaut, pop star and doctor. Most of us grow out of the other dreams, but every year a number of die-hard dreamers decide to take a serious look at what it would be like to be a game ranger, and they embark on a wild adventure in South Africa,” she says. It’s true, there’s a certain child-like wish-fulfilling magic to the idea of working, studying and living among magnificent creatures like elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes and rhinos. It’s like something out of The Jungle Book or an adventure reminiscent of David Livingstone. However, for 42-year-old professional game ranger Martin Bornman there’s an alternative argument for why someone might volunteer to don his iconic khaki get-up. “The natural world is disappearing fast,” he says, “and this could very well be one of the last decades when large free-ranging populations of

mega fauna can still be viewed.” Whether you’re drawn to the idea of realising childhood fantasy, motivated by the more grown-up recognition of a shrinking natural landscape or simply after an interesting ecological experience, it’s fair to say that learning to be a game ranger is both an unusual and quite brilliant way of getting closer to South Africa’s living, breathing natural treasures.

‘This could very well be one of the last decades when large free-ranging populations of mega fauna can still be viewed’

getting properly immersed

So what does learning to be a game ranger actually involve? “The course itself is a jam-packed two-week programme,” explains Ellen Sziede. “It’s based in a private wildlife reserve in the Greater Kruger area, and designed to give a thorough introduction to the wildlife and ecosystems of South Africa.” Basically, the work of a game ranger requires a comprehensive understanding not only of the cool wildlife, but also the environment you work in. And if you’re learning about the environment, the best thing to do is properly immerse yourself in it. “While some topics are presented in fairly formal lectures at camp, a lot of the learning takes place in the field,” says Sziede. “Bush walks, game drives and night drives are therefore a big part of the course. This is when everything you learn in the classroom comes to life and tests you. It’s a real challenge.” She adds: “It’s one thing having a lecture about common trees in Africa and how to behave in the proximity of large and dangerous animals; it’s altogether different actually finding yourself surrounded by a herd of elephants while walking through dense bush with acacia trees ripping your lovely new khakis to shreds.”

life-enriching experience

Throughout the course, the sights, sounds and smells of the African bush become more familiar to learner rangers as they assimilate the knowledge and experience of the programme. They recognise the tracks left by a wide range of animals, spot rare birds and even correctly identify a species by studying dung. Lovely. Hennie Van Deeventer, 45, is African Conservation Experience’s head ranger and instructor, and the man responsible for bringing all these subjects to life. Whether he’s teaching budding rangers about identifying dangerous snakes, the use of spotlights on game drives or animal habitats, Van Deeventer is passionate about the course’s impact. “The course is life-enriching on all levels,” says the head instructor, who has more than two decades of experience in the field. “The job and placement allow a sense of freedom. It’s an almost spiritual experience, with a profound sense of making a difference.” Fellow full-time ranger Bradley Black, 33, agrees that the course enjoys a special place among wildlife projects. “The course opens people’s eyes to a world that few modern humans get to see,” he says. “I love having that positive influence on people.”

a different perspective

We’ve heard from the pros, but what of the aspiring game rangers, the adventurous souls eager to swap the comforts of home for a fortnight of dust, heat and bush in South Africa? What do they have to say about the concept of the programme? Sam Browett, 21, signed up for the game ranger course last July. “I went out to discover South African conservation from a different perspective and the project was perfect,” he says. Browett, who is from Ireland, was in his second year of studying zoology and environmental biology when he decided to apply to the African Conservation Experience programme. Like most of those signing up he’d never done anything like this before, but was looking for a way to get real experience in working with wildlife. What would he

say to anyone interested in the programme? “Go with an open mind and enjoy every moment of it,” he says. “Before you know it, you are back home, wishing to go back to Africa!” Another course enthusiast is Londoner Sunil Lath. He completed the ranger programme last September, and says: “After years of thinking about working with African wildlife I finally took the plunge by joining the programme. Through the course I began to understand the flora and fauna I was immersed in, and found appreciation for our delicately balanced environment. “ For Lath, 28, the course was not merely a quirky holiday or career booster, but a genuinely life-affirming experience. “Not only did it help me explore career options in the industry, it brought out my adventurous spirit,” he says. “Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by a herd of more than 100 elephants, go tracking a clan of hyena on a night game drive or learn to handle and shoot a rifle? It was my best ever wildlife experience.”

african bush romance

While there is an exam at the end of the course, the real graduation and baptism of fire is the sleep-out in the bush. Dinner around the camp fire and sleeping under starry night skies might seem like the pinnacle of African bush romance, but there is a serious, responsible side to this adventure too. “Although most participants in the game ranger courses have never been to Africa before, at this point in the course you have learned a lot, so during the sleep-out everyone is tasked with taking turns to keep watch,” explains Ellen Sziede. “This requires you to keep your eyes and ears sharp, as you are very much responsible for the group’s safety.” It sounds pretty intense. Sziede agrees, saying: “The sounds of hyena out on a nocturnal prowl are only too real, and they are not the only predators out there... It can be daunting, and it probably won’t be the best night’s sleep you’ll get, but it’s a night most will remember for a long time.” After two weeks of immersing yourself in the African bush you’ll leave with a thorough understanding of the environment you’ve lived and learned in, as well some life-long friends. But the journey doesn’t have to end there. “One of the most rewarding ways to solidify everything you’ve learned is to continue on to a more practical conservation placement,” explains Sziede. “Many participants join rangers and researchers at a wildlife conservation project for a few weeks. It’s a great way to put your new-found skills to the test.” While the game ranger course won’t be for everyone, if you’re looking to get off the beaten track and experience the wildlife of South Africa in-depth, up-close and away from the typical tourist trails, this might well be the best two weeks of your life.

further information

Feeling inspired? If you are keen to take that first step towards sampling the life of a game ranger you can find more information on the game ranger page of African Conser vation Experience’s website, which can be found at bit.ly/zuvSQj. The cost is from £1,545.

diary of a south american

volunteer AREQUIPA IS A BEAUTIFUL, OLD COLONIAL CITY IN THE SOUTH OF PERU. IT SITS NEARLY 2500M ABOVE SEA LEVEL BUT STILL HAS A SKYLINE DOMINATED BY THREE TOWERING VOLCANOES. IT’S PERU’S SECOND CITY, A PROMINENT STOP ON THE TOUR ITINERARIES. IT IS ALSO HOME TO SIGNIFICANT POVERTY. TINA THORBURN IS HELPING BUILD A RESERVOIR FOR DRINKING WATER AND TEACHING WITH THE UK-BASED GLOBAL VISION INTERNATIONAL (GVI), AND HER DAYS START EARLY…

onday, the alarm rings. It’s 6am. But I’ve been awake since 5.30. The sun here is bright, and enters my room and warms my face. I’m up to shower and pack my bag for the day. Gatorade, tick. Hat, tick. Sunscreen, tick. By 7am I am sitting at the dining table talking weather with my host mother. Martha is an older lady, who hugs me every time I see her. She is just a delight. We live in a nice part of town with her two beautiful grandchildren, Madeline, seven, and Geraldine, 10. Breakfast is consistent, and delicious. Two little sandwiches, one with egg, always, and the other with cheese or pate. A glass of orange juice and fruit. Banana, apple, orange. It’s a big breakfast, but much needed. It takes me 30 minutes to walk in to join the other volunteers. I’ve come to love this walk. It’s my thinking time. I cross the Rio Chile, a brown gushing river that flows through the centre of the city. I dodge cars and sputtering busses, finally arriving at the Casa, the hotel where GVI is based. Early morning at the Casa is a flurry of helloes, collecting packed lunches and last-minute preparations. By 8am we’re in the bus on the way to the water reservoir site. The tanking team includes: Kevin, a boisterous young Canadian who never fails to make me smile; John, a witty paramedic from the north of England with an irresistibly infectious laugh; and Jeff, an older retired Englishman, who never ceases to surprise me with his great stories. Finally, there’s Maria, the GVI staff coordinator, a sweet young Peruvian

woman with a heart of gold and patience to match. In cities all across the developing world, migrants arrive from poor rural areas hoping to make a better life for themselves and their families. They set up home, often in inhospitable areas, building little cinder-block houses usually, at first, without electricity or running water. Arequipa is no exception. We’re building a water tank in a pueblos jóvenes or Young Town. The bus driver drops us at the bottom of the hill. Every morning we have a ritual. We sit down half way up the hill and slather on sunscreen and don hats and working shoes. Really, it’s just a way to break up the walk. At this sort of altitude, walking soon gets tiring. Once at the site, further up the hill we meet the two local masons who are helping us build the reservoir. Both men are hard-working locals full of jokes and laughter. From here we can see the green valley where the cattle graze and the river runs. As the valley curves up to the hills that surround it, it becomes a dirty brown, and dusty. This is where we work, surrounded by dust, dry dust. The first week we just dig. We dig a trench 2.5m wide by 2.5m long to the depth of 50cm. At the corners we go to 80cm. In theory this is easy: shovel, dig, move dirt, dig, move dirt, right? In reality our site is essentially 50% hard rock which we have to break up with pickaxes. It’s back-breaking work. By the second day, I have blisters everywhere and my muscles ache to the bone. As a tag team we carry up dozens of buckets of sand, gravel and water.

Kevin and I play a word game to keep us cheerful. You can carry a full bucket of sand and laugh at the same time but it takes effort. By the second week we are mixing cement. We mix it on a flat area just below the site and carry it up. Slop, a bucket doesn’t go far, slop, cuantos más (but how)? How many more? As we cement the reservoir so we cement our friendships. I can honestly say that my tanking team was like family. I actually love those guys. Something about hard manual labour, the hot sun and a shared interest in making the lives of these people easier draws us together into a tight, happy team. By week three, the final week, we are helping the masons render and then, last, we paint. Jeff was an apprentice painter for five years when he was younger and makes easy work of the intricate design I’ve suggested. By Friday we have a beautiful bright blue 10,000l water tank. We stand back and stare, and smile. The tank will supply local houses. In most pueblos jóvenes, water is available only via one little tap at the bottom of the hill. And that tap is often dry. Water is not guaranteed here. Every day we see school children standing by taps filling their bottles or buckets and carrying them, slowly, up the hill. Our reservoir will change that. The supply will be constant – the sort of thing I used to take for granted. Digging reservoirs is dirty work. Sunscreen and sweat bind the dust to my skin. I have hat hair and terrible t-shirt tan lines. Betty, my lovely Peruvian Spanish teacher, with whom I spend two hours most afternoons, doesn’t seem to mind. Her home is a place of learning and kindness. By 5pm I’m walking home. It’s a chance to think. Dinner is ready and I wolf it down between telling Martha about my day in my poor Spanish. By 8.30pm I’m clean, in bed, reading. Arequipa’s nights are loud, the car horns honk,

there’s music pouring from another house and the dogs barking. But I’m exhausted and asleep by 9pm. I thought digging reservoirs was hard work, until I started teaching. The mornings are the same: sunshine, packing, breakfast, walk and think. At the Casa we collect fruit for the schools; 30 bananas for one; 40 for another; 50 for another. We pile into the bus and drive south through fields until till we arrive at my school. I teach three-to-five-year-olds. There are 31 of them, one Senorita Carmen (a Peruvian teacher) and one me. I still remember my first day. I was like a deer caught in car headlights. I’ve had no experience teaching or controlling kids. It’s not that long since I was one. What do I do? How on earth am I going to remember all their names? My first week was exhausting. Instead of coming back dirty and tired, I would return just plain tired. Once home, I had to plan the next day’s lesson and then do my two hours Spanish. Soon, I’d learnt all the children’s names and, inevitably, had grown to love them all. Berly was a four-year-old bundle of energy. He listened intently and gave the best hugs. We were told not to have favourites but he was mine. At 9am we round up the kids from the little playground, siéntate, por favor! (sit yourselves down, please) and start class. English, art or just numbers and colouring in. It’s tough. There are three-year-olds who can just about hold a pencil, there are five-year-olds who know their numbers in both English and Spanish and a bunch of four-year-olds somewhere in between. By 10:30pm they are all bursting to move. Playtime! At 11am we wash hands and have fruit break. GVI gives each kid a piece of fruit a day. It costs US$26 per kid per year to do this, and it makes a great difference to their health. Sweets and fizzy drinks are much cheaper. After fruit break we colour-in or practise numbers. At noon, lunch arrives. Each day one of the parents prepares lunch. The ingredients come from GVI. The kids each get served a portion, some wolf it down and head outside to play, others need to be spoon fed. By 1pm the kids are gone and I’ve cleaned the classroom. Before I know it, the month is over and so is my time in Peru. I came to Peru to help create a fresh water supply and to teach. What I didn’t expect was to be taught compassion, unconditional love and patience. I left with calloused hands and a heart bursting for the kids I taught and the people who’ll use the tank. Thank you kids, thank you GVI and thank you Peru.

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WITH THE UK ECONOMY CONTINUING TO STRUGGLE AND THAT OF AUSTRALIA DOING EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE, IT’S NOT SURPRISING SO MANY UK GAPPERS PLAN TO SPEND SOME OF THEIR TIME AWAY WORKING DOWN UNDER. BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 30 IT’S NOT DIFFICULT TO GET A WORKING HOLIDAY VISA WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO EARN CASH TO FUND FURTHER TRAVELS, PICK UP SOME USEFUL LIFE EXPERIENCE AND REALLY GET TO KNOW ONE PARTICULAR PART OF AUSTRALIA. HERE, IN THEIR OWN WORDS, FOUR GAPYEAR.COM MEMBERS RECALL THEIR TIME WORKING IN OZ.

Waitressing

Hostel rep

Melissa Alam-Taylor, 21 (Bury, Manchester)

Kate Anderson, 23 (Southport, Merseyside)

y adventure began in September 2011 when I finished university and worked to save up money so I could go travelling for the next year with my boyfriend Steffan. We flew into Queensland at the beginning of November 2011 and rented a car to drive from there to Sydney. It was a great journey

and we saw just a glimpse of how beautiful Australia is. We were recommended to stay at

decided to make my journey to Australia as I had just finished my degree and decided I needed a year out before I had to join the grown-up world. I was at uni when I got an email from a company called BUNAC and decided to head off to the meeting to find out what it was all about. Before I knew it my visa was organised and the flights were

booked, I arrived in Sydney in July 2011 and my adventures began.

Sydney Beachouse YHA in Collaroy, so we headed there and just fell in love with the area.

A week in Sydney exploring the sights and hunting for jobs lead me to jump on a plane

The hostel helped me get my tax file number and bank account set up on my first day.

to Brisbane with a group of people who were also travelling with BUNAC. We found a cute

Steffan arranged to get his white card (a requirement for construction work) and picked

little apartment and I got a temp job working at a bar at a two-week festival. After those

up a labouring job immediately. I got straight on to the job hunt and on my second day

funds ran out I decided to make the move again, this time on my own. The next hostel I

was offered a full-time waitressing job at a restaurant on Dee Why beach. The restaurant

booked into had a vacancy for staff. How lucky! I applied and got the job.

was brilliant to work in. I earned enough money to pay my rent, buy food, party and still have money to treat myself.

Five months later I’m still happily working as a hostel rep in an awesome hostel in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast.

I really couldn’t believe just how easy finding a job was, I’d heard stories but doubted

Working in a hostel is the most perfect job for someone who is on their travels; you

it really could be that easy. We are now definitely living the good life Down Under. We

get to meet so many interesting people and visit the most amazing places as a way of

surf in our spare time and enjoy the luxury of being so close to such nice beaches. We

exploring the local area so you can let all the guests know what is good! However, the

came to Australia with a small amount of money and so working here is paying for us

travel is not the best thing about this job – the best thing is the people you meet and the

to travel, which is great. Australians are so friendly; the people I work with have shown

friends you make.

me the coolest hangouts and the best shops. The hostel has been a great place to meet people like me and it feels like home. Australia really is awesome. I will be sad when I leave.

I’ve realised how much I am able to do on my own. The feeling of independence is something I’m going to take away with me for the rest of my life.

Working Holiday Visas for Australia The UK and Australia have reciprocal agreements so any British citizen aged 18 to 30 can get a working holiday visa (WHV). They cost AU$270 (£180) and allow you to work for 12 months from the date you arrive. Anyone over the age of 30 will be denied a working holiday visa. You can extend the visa and obtain a second working holiday visa if you can provide evidence that you undertook 88 days of agricultural work (for example, fruit picking) in Australia during your first year. However, you can’t work for the same employer for more than six months. Australian authorities check every one in four visa applications, so don’t be tempted to claim you’ve worked when you haven’t. To be issued a working holiday visa you

need proof that you can support yourself AU$5,000 (£2,200) is advised. You can apply online for a working holiday visa and it only takes a couple of hours to complete. You can leave and re-enter Australia using this visa as many times as you like during your year. However, if you permanently leave Australia without staying for the full 12 months you cannot go back, say, a year later and use the remaining months of your visa. Once your visa has been approved you will be told what you need to do. Basically, your passport will be stamped when you arrive and you’ll have a year before you have to leave. Simple really. Everything is tagged electronically so there’s little paperwork to worry about.

TV producer

Fruit picking

Emma-Jane Bunning, 32 (Islington, London)

Alex Wilkinson, 24 (United Kingdom)

’d dreamt about living in Australia for 10 years, but left it until the month before I turned 31 – which is the cut-off point – before I applied for my working holiday visa. Given that I fly by the seat of my pants, I quit my job in the UK, rented out my flat, booked the golden ticket and arrived Down Under with just one day to go. I came out

on a wing and a prayer, with a couple of grand, a rucksack and a place to stay through a

y first week of fruit picking was a bit of blitz as I decided to go straight into it at the height of summer just one week after arriving in Australia. I hadn’t adjusted to the heat. We were working in the far north of Queensland and the first week

could not have been tougher. Coming straight from Cairns after spotting an advertisement

friend of a friend. At home I work in TV but imagined it would be hard to find a similar job.

in a travel shop for fruit pickers, we packed our bags and headed inland to the wonderfully

However, I’d managed to line up a meeting with one of the big channels, albeit foolishly

remote town of Atherton.

for the day after I arrived. Wired with jet-lag, I talked the interviewer’s head off and worried after that I’d scared her half to death.

We arrived on a Sunday evening just in time for everything to be shut. Luckily, we had the Monday off to get supplies sorted for the farm work extravaganza. I picked pumpkins,

I also signed up with a recruitment agency and a couple of days later I got a job as

mangos, lychees, avocados, as well as doing various farm tasks like clearing fields of rocks.

a childcare assistant in a local kindergarten. Walking past the beach on my way to work

It’s not all been work. The surrounding area is filled with great natural sights, so much

every day felt a million miles from home and the London Underground commute. I loved

so that you can pretty much just drive in any direction and find somewhere beautiful to

it! Two weeks later I was offered a TV producer position at a children’s channel, moving

spend the day. Atherton tablelands offers lots to see, including lakes,

from Sydney to Melbourne for the job. It was one of the best of my career so far; not only

waterfalls, scenic walks and forests. While in Atherton I have met

because my experience went further in Australia, which meant more responsibility and

many great people as we switch farms on a weekly basis.

opportunities, but my salary almost doubled, meaning I’d saved enough in a few months

Meeting people at the farms and in the hostel is a lot of fun.

to travel for eight solid weeks. I leave Australia with fond memories, great stories, best

It’s felt a lot like university to me – meeting a diverse

friends, invaluable work experience and money in the bank. I’d waited 10 years to get

range of people all like-minded and happy to get along

there but it was the time of my life and was well worth the wait!

together.

fast train to

somewhere 40 YEARS AGO THE RAILWAY OPERATORS OF EUROPE GOT TOGETHER TO CREATE A PASS THAT MADE IT SIMPLE AND CHEAP TO TRAVEL AROUND THE CONTINENT BY RAIL. NOW, WITH BETTER, FASTER, CLEANER TRAINS, IT’S ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO SEE THE ‘OLD WORLD’ AND THE PERFECT OPTION FOR THAT ONE OR TWO-MONTH SHORT GAP. OUR MAN WITH A WELL-THUMBED TIMETABLE IN THE PRIME CORNER SEAT IS PAUL ANDERSON.

ne of the best things about travelling Europe by rail is that it can get you to the most obscure places. Rather more years ago than I care to remember, my then girlfriend and I bought some InterRail tickets and headed south until the track ran out – in Sicily. We ended up in a small hill town, Rendazzo, for no better reason than it was the other side of Mount Etna on a branch line and it looked like it might be somewhere to chill. We pitched our tent on some pasture just

outside the town – and it turned into three wild days of partying with local youths who thought it just splendid that these eccentric Brits had wandered into their backyard. Late last summer, older but no wiser, I spent a fascinating week in Vlissingen (aka Flushing) in the Netherlands, a port-cum-resort that has seen better days. I was there because my dad had been a soldier in the Allied force that liberated it from the Germans in 1944. It was an important place in his life and I wanted to see what it was like. I got there in

a day. Harwich, Hook of Holland, Rotterdam, Rosendahl, then on to a local train. I was enjoying beer pickled herring overlooking the North Sea as the sun went down. And so I could go on. For most of the years that it’s existed some of my best travel experiences have been courtesy of an InterRail pass. I’ve not yet done Scandinavia, but I’ve covered most of the Low Countries, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and quite a bit of eastcentral Europe.

A lot has changed about European train travel since I started. Much has got better. There is now a high-speed railway network that covers much of continental western Europe. Big journeys no longer take so much time, and the new trains are more comfortable than the old. Hook of Holland to Berlin, Berlin to Budapest, Paris to southern Spain or southern Italy in the old days were not journeys to be undertaken lightly. The trains were slow – to get anywhere much further than Paris or Amsterdam from London involved an overnight train – and they were often dirty and cold.

The train is now a real competitor on speed and convenience for air and road for scheduled travel between major centres up to 400 miles apart. Railway stations tend to be in the middle of cities rather than an hour’s journey away on crowded buses or the underground (and that’s before you add the time spent checking in luggage and going through security). You don’t have the hassle of traffic jams or the stress of driving. But the benefits have come at a price. The efficiency and convenience of highspeed rail travel have increased demand, and the train operators in most countries have responded by putting up prices. In

‘Some of my best travel experiences have been courtesy of an InterRail pass’ If you were lucky on an overnight trip, you bagged a compartment for you and your companion and, for no extra cost, spent a few blissful hours horizontal and maybe even got some sleep. If you were unlucky, you spent eight miserable hours with a sullen family whose piles of baggage left you no legroom and whose presence ruled out the possibility of even a moment’s shut-eye. If you were truly unlucky, you got the same family in a couchette, for which you’d paid extra. After 12 hours of constant use, the toilets would be disgusting. And the worst of the food was execrable. France, Italy and Spain boast some of the best restaurants in the world. 20 years ago, they were also world-beaters at appalling railway catering. Today, it’s all squeaky clean – or most of it is. There are still stations that feel as welcoming as police stations in countries expecting imminent revolutions – Gare du Nord in Paris, Rotterdam Centraal and Barcelona Sants in my own experience in the past year – and there are still filthy trains and inedible sandwiches. But longdistance European train travel has gone up-market. It’s more and more like travelling on a mid-range airline: all booked seats, chichi nibbles and designer beers at the bar. Very luxurious, very convenient and very efficient. The modernisation of Europe’s rail network has brought massive benefits.

days gone by, you could jump on pretty much any train with a valid ticket or an InterRail or Eurail pass. Not so today: most high-speed services now require you to pay a supplement for the experience (though they sell much cheaper tickets if demand isn’t up to expectations). This makes an InterRail or Eurail pass a bit less of an automatic choice – especially if you have a clear idea of where you want to go and when. If, for example, you wanted to travel from Britain to the south of Italy and then explore Sicily for three weeks – maybe even take in Rendazzo – you would be foolish not to look at getting advanced discounted rail tickets for the main bit of the trip (or even get a cheap flight to a southern Italian airport) and then buy local tickets rather than shell out on a pass. On the other hand, if it is a short gap that you’re looking for and the flexibility to stay or go as the fancy takes you is important, InterRail or Eurail remain the best option. InterRail was how my generation of Brits discovered Europe, sleeping on trains and taking it very slowly. Today, it’s faster and cleaner but getting the best value is trickier than it was. Still, that’s net progress. Me, I’m planning my next trip. To Geilenkirchen in Germany, as it happens. Look it up: big battle 1944-45; easy to get to by train. I’m t h i n k i ng of a we eke nd i n Maastricht or Aachen on the way…

tips for rail travel in europe Plan your journey Even if you’ve got a long-term continuous global European rail pass, you need to plan where you’re going and when before you set out – even if you change your mind while you’re away. Trains run to timetables, and they take time to get from place to place. At very least work out which trains you’ll need to catch to visit the places you want to visit. The Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable is updated monthly. You can buy it online at www.europeanrailtimetable.co.uk or find it at your local library. Another invaluable resource is the Thomas Cook rail guide Europe by Rail, edited by Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries, which is full of suggestions for routes and useful tips. Set a budget The first thing to think about is the cost of tickets: does it make more sense to buy individual tickets or get a rail pass (and if the latter, which one)? But that’s not all. You are going to need to pay for at least some accommodation – you’re unlikely to want to travel overnight every night, and spending nights on station platforms is no fun. And you’re going to need to eat and drink. Bear in mind that some places are a lot more expensive than others. You can survive for a week in Bulgaria on what you’d need for a weekend in Paris. Pace yourself If you want to see more than the insides of railway carriages and stations, make sure you allow time to see your destinations. A day in any major European city isn’t enough even to get a taste of what it’s like: you need to go for three days at least. If you gobble up the miles on night trains, you’ll miss the scenery on the way. And longdistance train travel can be exhausting: more than two days at a time on board trains without a break is quite enough. Book places to stay You’ll find that cheap places to stay are available pretty much everywhere in Europe if you look in the right place – but it’s generally a good idea to book at least one night’s accommodation in advance in each of your major destinations. In some popular cities – Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona – it’s probably sensible to sort out accommodation for the whole of your stay beforehand. Remember, there aren’t many convenient campsites in cities. Don’t take too much stuff You can take more on a train than on a plane – but you don’t want to be lugging a giant pack around with you. Stick to the bare minimum you need for your trip, just as you would if you were backpacking on a round the world tour.

what sort of rail ticket? Trains are an easy way to get around Europe – but it can be a real headache deciding which ticket to buy. Not so long ago, if you planned a long journey or series of journeys by rail in Europe, the obvious thing to do was to buy a rail pass (InterRail for Europeans, Eurail for everyone else). Today it’s a bit more complicated. Many highspeed train services now charge supplements to rail pass holders – and if you know exactly where you want to go and when, you’ll probably find it cheapest to book individual tickets for your journeys in advance. It’s amazing the deals you can get if you plan ahead. Of course, if you want to travel all the way round Europe by rail, want the flexibility to go where you want and when, or don’t mind either paying high-speed train supplements or travelling on slower trains, a pass could be just what you need. In other words, you need to do research before you buy. InterRail To get an InterRail pass you need to be a European resident – but, bizarrely, it won’t be valid in your country of residence. InterRail passes come in several forms. Global passes cover nearly all of Europe west of the former Soviet Union. One-country passes cover single countries (with Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg counting as one). The global pass is available as a continuous pass (for 15 consecutive days, 22 consecutive days or for one calendar month) or as a flexi-pass (allowing travel for five days in a ten-day period or 10 days in a 22-day period). The advantage of a continuous global pass is that it allows you to go where you want, when you want – but they are more expensive than flexi-passes, and a flexi-pass might make a lot more sense if you’re planning a trip that involves spending a few days in each of your destinations. One-country InterRail passes are all flexipasses covering three, four, six or eight days in a month. If you want to visit a single country and want the freedom to choose where and when to travel, a one-country pass could be just what you need: there’s plenty to keep anyone occupied for a month in any European country. But if you know where you want to be and when, you might well find it cheaper to buy individual tickets in advance. There are now so many options for InterRail tickets that the only sensible thing to do before deciding which – if any – is best for you is to browse the InterRail website, www.interrailnet.com. But to give you some idea, the classic 30-country global pass that allows you to travel second-class every day for a month is now £371 for under-25s, £561 for 25-60s

and £506 for over-60s. The most expensive pass on offer is a first-class global pass valid every day for a month, which will set you back £859. At the other extreme, £31 will buy you three days’ second-class travel in the course of a month in Serbia or Turkey if you are under 25; the same deal is £49 if you are 25 or over. Eurail Eurail passes are slightly different from InterRail passes. You have to be a non-European resident to get one – and several countries that are covered by InterRail are not in Eurail (the UK, Poland, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Turkey) . As well as global and one-country passes, Eurail offers select passes covering three, four or five adjoining countries and regional passes covering two. Global passes are available as continuous passes (covering 15 or 21 days, a month, two months or three months) or as flexipasses (10 or 15 days in two months). All but Eurail global passes are flexi-passes. The Eurail pricing structure is complex, and you need to visit its website, www.eurail.com, to work out whether it’s for you. A 23-country under-25 global pass will set you back anything from US$582 (for 10 days’ travel over two months) to US$1363 (for unlimited second-class travel over three months); the nearest equivalent tickets for over-25s are US$895 and US$2094 respectively, though you get to travel first-class. Regional and one-country passes are cheaper. As an under25, you could travel for three days in a month in Slovenia for US$51 (over-25 price US$74), though bigger countries cost more and you have to get a regional – two-or-three-country – pass to take in France or Germany. As with InterRail, what’s right for you depends on where you want to go and how much freedom you need to choose when you travel. Individual tickets In some European countries – Italy and most of eastern Europe – even tickets bought on the day of travel are cheap. But in most of Europe you need to book in advance to get the best deals. The easiest way to do this is online, using the Rail Europe website www.raileurope.co.uk or, for journeys through Germany, the Deutsche Bahn website, www.bahn.co.uk (in English). The disadvantage with buying individual 60 tickets in advance is that they usually commit you to travelling on a particular day or a particular train. The great advantage is that you can get tickets at a fraction of the price you’d pay on day of travel or for a rail pass. The best deals are available three months in advance – but note that Eurostar seats can be booked four months before you travel.

bitten by the rail bug? By far the most useful online resource for anyone planning to travel by rail in Europe is a fanatstic website by a hardened rail traveller, Mark Smith, who goes under the name of The Man in Seat Sixty-One â&#x20AC;&#x201C; here at www.seat61.com. A former railway manager, he has spent his life travelling the world by rail, and his website is stuffed full of the best advice on how to get just about anywhere you might want to get â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and not just in Europe. He has a devoted band of followers, and the site is such a success he now does it full-time.

8 great girly tips for

beautiful travel WHEN IT COMES TO BEING BEAUTIFUL ON THE ROAD, GIRLS TEND TO HAVE A FEW MORE THINGS TO THINK ABOUT THAN GUYS. HOW MANY PAIRS OF SHOES DO YOU NEED TO PACK? AND CAN YOU FEEL SEXY WHEN YOU’VE BEEN ON A BUS FOR TWO DAYS? GAPYEAR.COM MEMBERS CLARE MAHER, GEMMA KNIGHT, HANNAH SIMMONS, KATIE FINN AND ALEXANDRA QUINTON HAVE SOME BRILLIANT HINTS, TIPS AND SECRETS THAT CAN MAKE TRAVELLING AS A GIRL A WHOLE LOT EASIER.

Don’t let your make-up melt. Here’s a fun fact for you: Make-up melts, especially lip balm, which turns into some kind of weird, molten substance. At the risk of sounding like the back of a food packet, store it in a cool, dry place. Maybe even, when you’re stopped, a fridge. Then your make-up can function as a nice, refreshing face cooler too.

Streamline your wardrobe. When you travel it doesn’t matter if you wear the same dress for every party or the same combination of tops, shorts and skirts for several months because you’ll be wearing them in a different place each time and no one will notice. Remember that by bringing fewer clothes and purchasing items while you travel you’ll actually be helping the local economy – a perfect clothes-shopping excuse!

Take one really beautiful pair of panties. When you’ve been on a bus for two days, sleep deprived, greasy haired and desperate for a shower, it’s well worth knowing that despite all that, lurking somewhere underneath your sweats and hoodie is underwear that makes you feel truly, truly gorgeous. Invaluable when you’re trying to summon the confidence to be sociable with a bus-full of fresh-faced fellow travellers.

Make the most of your bra. Bras with sewn-in pockets for chicken fillets or demi pads have always been great for one obvious reason: their delightful ability to immeasurably boost your… confidence. But these handy little compartments also make a great place to keep a few notes of emergency cash so that, should you ever find yourself lost or stranded in unfamiliar climes, you’ll always have enough to get back to your hostel.

Remember to bottle it. Full-size bottles of shampoo, conditioner and other products are big and heavy, and you can easily avoid carrying all this bulkiness with you. While many pharmacies now sell ‘travel size’ bottles, it’s easier and cheaper to collect some little bottles of your own (old pill bottles, hotel samples, eye or ear-drop bottles – even contact lens pots, face cream tubs and lip balm containers) and fill them with as much of each product as you’ll need.

Stock up on razors. Not every country is set up for smooth legs and shaved armpits. Razors in China, for example, are few and far between. While this is fine if you’re a fan of the natural look, it’s obviously less fine if you’re not. If you’re spending a long period of time in a country like China that prefers its women ‘rustic’ or to use alternative beautification tools, it’s perhaps advisable to take a decent supply with you.

Limit your footwear. You probably only need three or four types of footwear: flip flops for beach and hanging out at the hostel, ballet pumps or casual flats for comfortable clubbing or city visits, trainers or walking shoes or boots for hiking and similar activities; and if you’re planning on visiting fancy restaurants or clubs or an office one pair of heels / smart shoes – although if you need the latter remember you can probably buy them in countries where you’d need / want to wear them.

Just go with the flow. Don’t stress out about what you look like and what you’re wearing. You’re travelling to see the world, not for the world to see you. Enjoy feeling comfortable no matter what you wear or how you look and just experience the incredible countries you visit. It can take time to lose that inhibition but once you do you will find your travel experience so much more rewarding.

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tech check! SO, BY NOW YOU KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING AND WHAT YOU’RE DOING. YOU’VE GOT AN AWESOME PLAN, MONEY IN THE BANK, A FEW TICKETS BOUGHT AND YOU’RE JUST LOOKING TO SORT THE FINAL DETAILS. AH. BUT WHAT ABOUT SOME GADGETS? YOU’RE IN LUCK. BASED ON OUR GENUINE BACKPACKING EXPERIENCES, WE’VE SELECTED A FEW DINKY DEVICES WE KNOW WILL EASE YOUR LIFE ON THE ROAD.

the secret money belt

Not only does this belt look cool but you can stash away your money in a secret compartment, too. It even holds your trousers up. You fold your emergency cash up and zip it into a secret compartment. It will protect your cash from pick-pockets and thieves. If you do lose a bag, it will mean you’ve enough to make it back to the hostel or police station. Hardly anyone you meet on the road is out to get you. But there are exceptions. It’s a sad fact that there are people who want to nick your stuff. That’s why you should err on the side of caution and stay safe, and that includes your money too. Don’t flaunt your cash, hide it away in your money belt. Cost - £13.99 bit.ly/wzSjr6

the kindle

Released late in 2011, Amazon’s most recent Kindle is smaller, lighter and cheaper than previous models. What’s not to love? It’s a pleasure to read and robust. You can store up to 1,400 books, which is exactly why it’s perfect for travelling. No longer do you have to lug seven books at any one time in fear of running out of something to read. You can have all the books you want right at your fingertips. Just remember to charge it up. You can even read it in bright sunshine on the beach or in a dark dorm. The battery lasts for up to a month, making it perfect for long bus rides or waiting for a flight. Just remember not to swap it for a paperback. Cost - £89 bit.ly/wK8B8v

the travel hammock

Backpacking often means sleeping on a beach or roughing it under the stars. But why sleep on the ground when you can sleep in a hammock? This ultra-compact travel hammock rolls up nicely to fit in your backpack, is lightweight and packs away into its own small drawstring bag for storage. Cost - £12.99 bit.ly/wthayb

also check out... travel ear plugs

head torch

travel watch

When someone’s snoring in a dorm room at 4am you’ll be thankful you’ve got a set of travel ear plugs. Always carry a spare set just in case you lose a pair. And lending them out is a great way to make friends. bit.ly/yWyxBN

Perfect for reading late at night in a dorm room or on a bus or a train. A head torch is also great for rummaging around your bag late at night. They don’t need to be expensive either. After all, you’re not using it for caving. bit.ly/zPO19P

A watch will make sure you don’t miss those planes or trains - but there’s no need to take your Rolex. A simple travel watch is all you need. The more colourful, the better. Some of these even glow in the dark. bit.ly/vZIUTs

SO YOU’VE BEEN BITTEN BY THE TRAVEL BUG AND WANT TO TAKE A GAP YEAR, BUT YOU’RE OVERWHELMED BY IDEAS, QUESTIONS AND FEAR? THANKFULLY GAPYEAR.COM IS ON HAND WITH SOME OF THE BEST TRAVEL ADVICE ONLINE. OUR COMMUNITY IS FULL OF EXPERIENCED BACKPACKERS READY TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH PLANNING YOUR BIG TRIP. HERE IS A SELECTION OF THE GREAT SUGGESTIONS AND TIPS YOU CAN FIND ON THE GAPYEAR.COM MESSAGE BOARDS...

How do I start planning my trip?

Do I need to get ‘off the beaten track’ to be a ‘proper’ backpacker?

“There are all sorts of considerations that will affect your trip. Start by making a list of

“Even as a massive advocate of independent travel and avoiding tours, I would never

the places you really want to see, then consult a map and work out a feasible route. Then

recommend totally random destinations to new travellers. There’s a reason that Thailand,

work out what your budget is and see if you can do everything. If not, gradually cut

Australia and Fiji are so popular with first-time travellers, and that’s because they offer a

down on your choices. Usually people from the UK choose a ‘westernised’ place to start

chance to dip your toes in the travelling water.” - Warrick Howard

so they can get into the travelling lifestyle before going to the more challenging places.”

“Being ‘adventurous’ doesn’t necessarily mean going to countries that hardly anyone else

- Kristian Godfrey

has visited; it can also mean having a positive mindset and willingness to experience new things and to immerse yourself in a new culture completely alien to your comfort zone.”

Where do I start with volunteering?

- Nisha Kotecha

“There are some very expensive volunteer programmes out there, but with a little time and effort you can find some good value and worthwhile projects. Don’t be scared to ask a

How do I stop my parents freaking out about me travelling?

company how they spend your money. Do your research, make sure you know where your

“To keep my parents from freaking out I wrote down all my debit/credit card details and the

money is going and find out if the programme is ethical and beneficial.” - Clare Maher

telephone numbers to contact if they got lost, photocopied all my insurance documents and my passport and printed consulate details for all countries I was visiting. I gave this all

Should I worry about travelling alone?

to my mum and I think she then felt a bit more in control.” - Emma Ilsley

“I just got back from my solo round the world trip and can honestly say you have nothing to worry about. As long as you are willing and able to introduce yourself to complete strangers you will have no problems meeting people. Remember that everyone is in the same boat, so they are looking to meet people too.” – Daisy Ashworth

Will my relationship survive if I go backpacking? “When I got back home from travelling I felt completely different about my relationship. We eventually broke up, even though when I left to go

“At first I was worried about travelling alone, but then I realised it could actually be

on my gap year I couldn’t have imagined ever feeling that way. I’m not

a really great experience. It’s an opportunity to greatly develop your social skills,

saying this will happen to you, but travelling can change you, and if there

make great new friends whom you wouldn’t otherwise have met.” - Zina Daid

are any strains in your relationship the distance will exacerbate them.” - Amber Mezbourian

Will I be safe travelling in South East Asia? “I’ve travelled around this region as a lone female, and never once felt unsafe or threatened in any way. Obviously, you have to use common sense; don’t walk around with wads

Is it a good idea to quit my job to go travelling? “I got my pension statement the other week and it stated that I would

of cash hanging out of your pocket, or walk down dark, deserted alley-ways at night.”

be working for another 45 years before I retire. Take a gap year, see the

- Louise Denton

world, have the time of your life. When you come back you’ve got 40-odd years to find another job and sort out what exactly you want to do with your

Can I go travelling if I’m in debt?

life.” - Pamela Armstrong

“I think it totally depends what kind of debt it is. You might have tons of student debt,

If you’ve got any questions about

but if you’re not earning above a certain threshold you won’t have to pay any of it back.

backpacking, travel or anything else

However, if you’re going travelling with debt that you have to pay off monthly from credit

gap year related and want to talk

cards or other loans that’s different. You have to be careful with this and be sure not to dig

to experienced backpackers, join

yourself into a deeper hole. Travelling is a great dream, but it’s not worth bankrupting

the gapyear.com community and

yourself.” - Nikki Jones

jump on the message boards.

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