Staying Safe on Your Gap Year

A gap year can be great experience, however there is always an element of risk associated with travelling abroad. These tips will help you to ensure that wherever you go, whether you take your gap year in Argentina, or do a volunteering gap year in Australia, you will be as safe as possible, and have a hassle free gap year.

Things to consider on your gap year

If you decide to take a working gap year in Argentina, you will need to make sure that you have a passport or visa that is valid for working during your stay. The same is true if you decide to take a working gap year in Australia or any other country. The exact rules for working visas differ depending on the country you are going to, and the country you’re travelling from. If you’re travelling within the EU then the rules are more relaxed than if you’re going further afield.

Insurance is an important issue. Travel insurance for normal holidays is inexpensive, but may not cover you for longer travels, work, or adventure holidays. If you are planning on doing any extreme sports, for example, you will need to make sure that your policy will cover those activities.

You will need to look into vaccines well in advance of your date of travel. For a gap year in Argentina you will need to be vaccinated against Hepatitis A at the very least, and may also need a Malaria vaccine, depending on where you are travelling to. For a gap year in Australia, there is not such a pressing need for vaccines, but insect repellent is recommended.

Make sure that you have all your paperwork in order before you travel, and take several copies of your most important papers, so that if anything goes missing, you will not find yourself stranded.

If you can, take your gap year in Argentina with a friend or, for a working gap year in Australia, take advantage of the social options that the gap year organisers provide. These will help you to get to know other travellers, providing you with a support network that will be really useful if anything goes wrong.

While most of the popular gap year destinations are fairly safe, it’s always a good idea to take only the things that you know you will need with you. Don’t take expensive electronics or jewellery on your gap year. Argentina isn’t exactly renowned for having a crime problem, but tourists are perceived as easy targets in any part of the world, and there’s no need to risk ruining your gap year because of an avoidable theft. You don’t have to be completely paranoid, but a little awareness and common sense will go a long way towards ensuring that your gap year is a success.

Whether you choose a gap year in Australia, India, America, or Europe, you should pick up some great memories, and hopefully make new friends along the way too.

This post was written by Crispin Jones on behalf of Sport Lived, experts in gap year Argentina and gap year Austrailia travel. Crispin traveled extensively in his student days and writes his articles based on these experiences.