When planning your trip make sure you sort out the basics you need to survive aboard before you go. Here’s our essential list:
Insurance:
Travel insurance is vital. Depending on how long your trip is, most annual policies won’t cover a Gap Year and you will need a specialised policy. Do shop around and use comparison sites as the prices vary widely. Points to be aware of:
- Most insurers won’t cover you if the FCO or your equivalent government body advises against visiting a destination.
- Check if you will be covered for hazardous activities. For example, if you are in Asia driving a scooter (one of the main causes of accidents) probably won’t be covered. Many popular sports will also need additional cover – diving, rafting or bungy jumping etc.
- Make sure you take a copy of your policy with you and email a copy to yourself in case you lose the paper copy.
Health:
Check out the health status of your destinations in advance. We’re not just talking COVID, many gap year destinations may be malarial, have endemic dengue fever or a high rabies risk. The best site to check is Fit for Travel. Remember, some vaccines take up to 6 weeks to work and many need two shots. You will also need to carry a record of your vaccines with you – yet again it’s worth emailing it to yourself too.
Money:
When travelling, you can lose out when exchanging money and it’s inadvisable to carry too much cash. One way round this is to buy a pre-paid currency card before you go. They get you better rates at ATMs and exchanges, allow you to keep track on your spending and they can be topped up by others in an emergency. Compare costs at moneysavingexpert.com.
Safety:
Many popular Gap Year destinations can be politically unstable. Check the status of where you are planning to go with the Foreign Office website. It’s also worth checking as you travel as situations can develop at speed. The website also gives very useful general travel advice.
Visas:
Always check what visas you will need for each country with that country’s embassy in advance. Some visas still need to be organised in advance and it’s important to note that the amount of time you can stay in a country is visa dependent. Post COVID, doing a border run (crossing a border and then returning with a new entry stamp) to extend your stay in a country may not be viable. It’s also worth finding out which cities you can organise visas in and plan your trip around them.
Upload documents:
Make sure you upload as many documents you can in case you lose anything on route. We think it’s essential to email yourself the following:
Passport, any pre-booked visas, driving licence, insurance policy, all flight and accommodation bookings, vaccination certificates plus useful and family contact numbers.
Staying in contact:
Mobile phone costs can be huge when travelling. It’s often worth buying a local sim if you plan on staying in one country for a while and make sure you phone is unlocked before you go. Global sim cards can also work out cheaper – check rates on moneysavingexpert.com. Make the most of internet based calls from WiFi hotspots and make sure you download when your phone is online.