Travelling abroad is growing in popularity and has been for decades. The media makes countries all around the world seem like they are in our living rooms and we are feeling an insatiable need to visit these places in the flesh and experience the sounds, smells and feelings that emanate from them. The costs of flights and insurance are dropping, along with accommodations and travel sites. The travel industry is booming and fast becoming more competitive. People of all ages, classes and denominations are taking to the road not just the rich and fortunate.
One form of travel that is becoming increasingly popular is the ‘gap year’. The time taken off between schooling and tertiary education whilst young adults are still relatively free of responsibility and don’t yet have families to provide for. This is an ideal time to spread your wings and explore and at such an age, the wonders of travelling in a foreign country impact on the traveler so much harder.
Being young and traveling, however, do pose a major problem – funds. Unless your parents are rolling in it, then you’re likely to have to fund your own travels and whilst, in the ‘old days’, the way to do it was work and live at home while you save like crazy before taking off on a big trip, things have changed. A gap-year traveler can now relocate to a city of their choice (the wise decision would be somewhere central like London) from where they can work and save and travel all at the same time. Living in a foreign country is as good as, if not better than, passing through on holiday. Getting to settle in for a few months and really meet some locals and make some true friends opens avenues you would never imagine and you’ll experience that country and its people in its most honest form.
The fear of not finding work in a far off land is probably what stops most young travelers (whether on a gap year trip or not) from leaving the comforts of home without a lot of money but there are so many opportunities around the world for people on working holidays. If you are interested in clerical and non-manual work opportunities and you don’t have a degree, you will always find an abundance of jobs such as waiting, bar tending, administration (which will open up more clerical jobs), retail work and the like. If you have a degree or work experience, joining a few recruitment agencies once you settle in and getting temporary or permanent contracts is a breeze. Alternatively, you can find work which offers training as a part of the package and gain a new skill. Agencies online will help you with your visas, flights and even your accommodation.
Just remember that when you’re abroad, it’s important to ‘go with the flow’ – say ‘yes’ to opportunities that may surprise or scare you. Let your horizons be broadened and your keep your mind open to grow. Downunder Travel Insurance can provide you with affordable travel insurance whilst working overseas.