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I met my destiny on the dock of the bay, in the midst of a Caribbean Christmas party. The stylishly preserved Nelson's Dockyard was established by Britain in the early eighteenth century as a base for its navy. Once home to a young Horatio Nelson, the harbour is now a prominent stop for racing, cruising and super yachts.
Jamie – who was having an extended mid-life gap year – had just helped deliver a yacht from Europe and was trying to decide what to do next. I was partying like a woman possessed, desperately trying to obliterate an eighty hour corporate working week from my consciousness.
When I returned to the UK I put my house up for sale and began the tortuous process of extricating myself from my job. A year later I'd given up the expense account for a life afloat with Jamie. 10,000 miles and seven years later we have just celebrated Christmas in Cochin on our yacht.
+1 268 481 5021
I was undecided on how to proceed in life and resolved to substitute spiralling brain bashing with the endless plains of Patagonia. Not only a place to find consolations in a downturn it is also a place of ravishing history and tradition. Antoine, the French-born ranch owner I was working for had all that comes with the stationary soul-seeker archetype one imagines finally ends up at the very end of the world, no more illusions to be chased and cheap land to be bought. I found him through WWOOF, an organization that offers volunteer opportunities on farms all over the world – most of their farms are organic with close ties to the local community, WWOOF farmers usually sustain life through small scale farming and selling arts and crafts in town. The icy steel of Antoine’s gaze was not set on the table in front of him, but addictedly fixed to the horizon, the colt in his belt lining a constant reminder that we were ploughing the land of the Sundance Kid. I never saw the Sunday market, and the closest I got to arts and crafts was when I patched together that one pair of denim I came to treasure as my own flesh. The uneasy restlessness I had felt in that other so abiding world of the West was shot dead and trampled down by the wild herds of llamas that migrate on these endless steppes. Working with my bare hands, escaping the sedating luxury of technology and convenience saw me not only discover some of the most beautiful landscapes of what truly is a New World, but crossing the desolate and untraveled Pampas, I also galloped through the unexplored lands within.
I lived in Santa Cruz province in Argentina for three months, doing all sorts of jobs, sometimes accompanied by nothing but the starriest skies of the world and what you are telling yourself is not a puma but the distant sound of an American V8. There are so many ranches that have a bed and a horse for you if you wholeheartedly chip in. Check out WWOOFs homepage and get lookin’! The membership fee is almost symbolic and goes to a collective cause. Gauchos are stubborn but welcoming and always ready to share a mate of mate and their all-remedious humour with you. Although I strongly recommend staying for some time and working, ranch owners usually encourage you to spend at least two weeks with them before packing up. Are you only passing through Antoine and the neighbouring ranch owners also offer to take you around on horse back for up to weeklong trips at a set fee.
Quickest way to get there is by plane, other options being the sleeper bus (where the options are many and although slow, it is comfortable). Airfares are not appalling and Aerolineas Argetinas and LADE are good options. To get to Gobernador Gregores, do as I did. Fly to Rio Gallegos, hop on the bus towards El Bolsón and wake up happy in Gregores about 8 hours later. Taxis are available from the bus station if you need to be taken out to any of the farms. Taxi drivers know the surrounding ranch owners by name, but out of courtesy I advise you to contact them before hand. Spanish is not a must, but you may at times feel panicky without it.
Marc Antoine Calonne of Estancia Santa Thelma
www.santathelma.com/
World Wide Opportunites on Organic Farms
www.wwoof.org/
Air Carriers:
Aerolineas Argentinas
www.aerolineas.com.ar/home.asp
LADE
www.lade.com.ar/
Sleeper Bus:
www.viabariloche.com.ar/
Vamos Spanish Academy is a language and cultural school based in Buenos Aires. It is an absolute hidden gem, the staff are fantastic and very helpful. We took a Yerba Mate workshop, a cultural workshop and they organised a tango class for us. They arranged bike tours too but the weather did not permit - something for next time.
www.vamospanish.com
Coronel Díaz 1736, Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
+54 11 53520001
Google map: bit.ly/o8idJu
I spent one summer from university living in the Thai countryside, right on the Burma border with the Karen people. A team of us was there to help the village build a clean water supply system so clean water could be pumped into the village for the first time. It was an experience I will never forget. If you are looking for a volunteer abroad opportunity for a summer or gap year ... look no further.
www.karenhilltribes.org.uk/
+44 (0)1904 612829
Wherever you go in the world on your gap year, my advice would be to not just flit from place to place but to stay in the places you enjoy the most for as long as you can to really get a sense of the people and place - you'll appreciate it way more. You can do this by finding a job in the local community that can fund your stay and future travels. If you speak English, then teaching is the obvious option, or work on a farm or whatever you like (see organizations like WWOOF, or meet locals by coach surfing). Also, take one set of smart clothes for when you're away, you never know what you might be invited to (I was invited to a wedding in India by the headmaster at the school I was working in). Finally, avoid the agencies if you can, organizing it independently is cheaper and gives far more options and freedom.
WWOOF: www.wwoof.org/
CoachSurfing: www.couchsurfing.org/
A year in Malawi was my best year ever, from teaching, to diving, to horseback safari ...
My best tip for someone doing a gap year would be don't rush! Go and live in another country, make it a base and travel from there. It saves stressful planning before you know the country, carrying heavy bags everywhere, more travelling options - lifts with people you meet going somewhere that you can't get to by public transport. Saves expensive flights from country to country - so many options to travel over land! You can meet and make lots of new friends not just people to say hi to but forever friends.
I did mine with Project Trust and lived for a year in Malawi. My year was a brilliant mix of working, teaching, playing, learning and travelling, getting to know Malawi and seeing some of the best sights in South Eastern Africa and meeting amazing people!
www.projecttrust.org.uk/
+44(0) 1879 230 444
It's a job that anyone with a degree can do. It's well paid and easy. It'll give you an insight into one of the most enigmatic countries in the world and will change your whole perspective on the consumer society.
Because Japan has just started teaching English in Elementary schools, they are crying out for native speakers.
I always feel a little nostalgia when I return home from Coll. I've been twice and on both occasions it has been truly special. Not only is the island beautiful (perhaps because it is so isolated) but the locals on the island are so welcoming. I think its the simplicity of the place which captures my love for the Island. And you feel a sense of belonging there. On top of this, my reason for visiting has caused my admiration for the place to grow as it is where the charity Project Trust are based. It is this organisation which are allowing me to spend a year out in Thailand taking on projects in both teaching and orphanage work at the age of 18. Therefore I associate Coll with the positive prospects which I would not have received had they not have existed. Visiting the Island is all part of the Project Trust experience yet I would urge anyone to visit. Be it the Coll show, the golf tournament, Ceilidh dancing, fishing competition or beach football, there is certainly enough to keep you occupied. Or whether you fall more for the tranquil side which Coll offers: the unbelievably picturesque beaches, the wild flowers, rare birds or sea life you can find complete escapism here. Need I say more...
www.visitcoll.co.uk
Google map: bit.ly/qTzZeV
www.projecttrust.org.uk/
Shane Henwood and his beautiful family run the local YHA hostel in this little hidden gem of a fishing town. Shane runs a super cheap tour which includes surfing with his surf champ brother in law, cliff jumping, bush walking and sailing- finishing up with a proper Aussie barbie of course. Total highlight of my gap year in Oz - Yamba is not very well known, but all the better for it!
www.yha.com.au/hostels/nsw/byron-bay-surrounds/yamba/
26 Coldstream Street, Yamba, NSW Australia 2464
(+612) 6646 3997
Google map: bit.ly/o15yJp
Just got back from 6 months in South America and the single most valuable item in my rucksack was a tupperware box. I saved so much money by cooking enough food the night before to last for lunch or supper the next day. It also meant I could go further off the beaten track by not worrying whether I would be able to buy lunch as I would have a healthy portion of pasta in my rucksack. It was also really good for transporting sachets of salt, pepper, herbs, tea bags etc from hostel to hostel.
It certainly isn't the most exciting thing but having a tupperware box made massive difference.
All over the world!
Find yourself in Peru in the rain? Want something to help keep you dry? Find that people keep laughing when you ask for a poncho?
There's a reason. Although the word "poncho" means the same in most South American countries as it does in the UK, in Peru it actually means condom.
So it might keep you dry, but you'd have to stretch it a lot.
In what must be the most densely populated city for mopeds in the world, hiring one here is a no brainer. Even if you haven't ridden one before, a quick figure of eight in the car park and the hire place are suddenly satisfied to let you loose with your own 200CC bike. Just try not to be one of those gap year tourists covered in bandages on day two thanks to an inevitable crash.
All over the city, and for that matter, all over the country and indeed most of South East Asia.
We spent six months in South America and one of the highlights was the amazing wildlife in Ecuador. You don’t have to spend a fortune going to the Galapagos. We saw humpback whales on a boat trip off the coast at Puerto Lopez, as well as turtles, frigate birds, blue and red footed boobies and tropical fish on Isla de la Plata. Our trip to the Cuyabeno Reserve in the Amazon jungle was fantastic – we stayed in a great lodge for a bargain price and saw monkeys, tree frogs, tarantulas, scorpions, pink dolphins, caimans, anacondas, sloths, toucans and much more.
Whale and Isla de la Plata tour: Machalilla Tours, Puerto Lopez. Siona Lodge, www.sionalodge.com booked with www.unforgettableexp.com
At 2,847m high, it was no easy task climbing Volcano Villaricca but it was definitely one of the highlights of our gap year in South America. I did wonder if we would make it to the top, the last part is ice and we wore crampons, but the views and the sight of lava in the crater made this an experience not to be missed. The way down is much more fun as you slide through tunnels in the snow. Don’t miss the hot springs ‘Los Pozones’ in the evening, it definitely eased our aching muscles.
Andesmar on O’Higgins 480, Pucon: www.turismoandesmar.com
One of the highlights of my travels in South America has to be cycling Death Road. After leaving La Paz, the ride begins at 4,700m above sea level and the first 25km is downhill on tarmac so you can really build some speed up. After that the road is a narrow, windy, dirt track clinging to the cliff side with massive sheer drops but fantastic views. As you descend the vegetation becomes greener and more jungle-like and you rapidly begin to lose layers as it gets hotter. It is the world’s most dangerous road, but luckily it is mainly only bikes that use it now, and it is so much fun.
Downhill Madness, La Paz: www.madness-bolivia.com/downhill
The last week of my gap year in India I took a night train to the isolated, desert region of Kutch, India near to the Pakistan border has been home to the most beautiful hand crafted creations for centuries; everything from weaving to Bandhani (tie-dye) to embroidery to pottery work. Kala Raksha; a trust dedicated to the preservation of the traditional arts has been working for the last 20 years alongside artisans of the region educating them in design and colour etc; allowing them to collaborate with urban design students and to travel, for the first time in their lives to other areas of India- Mumbai and Delhi to see other exhibitions and to create their own. The Kala Raksha Trust creators and artisans can tell you their stories and all about their art. There small shop is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be surrounded, to touch and to take home the most beautiful, most special, directly from the incredibly skilled villagers hands; pieces from the most beautiful suf and kharek style embroidery table cloths to naturally, root dyed salvar kamizes.
Kala Raksha, Sumrasar Sheikh, a village 25 km north of Bhuj.
www.kala-raksha.org
As part of my gap year, I had an amazing opportunity to work with Save the Rhino Trust in Namibia. This organisation works on a shoestring to conserve the unique desert-adapted black rhino, in one of the largest and most inaccessible regions of the world. You can go out with the trackers by Landrover, on foot or even on camel, one of the best ways to get across the mountainous Kunene region. There is nothing more special than spending the day wandering through a boulder strewn moon-like landscape in search of mythical looking creatures, then relaxing around a fire at night under the African sky. Unless of course it is knowing that it is all for a really important cause.
www.savetherhinotrust.org/
www.wilderness-safaris.com/safaris/camp/camp_detail.jsp?camp=2183&gallery=true
Studying Spanish at academia has been one of the highlights of my trip through Argentina and Chile. After four weeks I ran out of time, so I had to move on, but the place was so cool! The staff made you feel at home and I met many other travellers in gap-year situations similar to mine. I am still in contact with my two teachers who have been excellent professionals and very helpful in planning my trip.
www.academiabuenosaires.com
Calle Hipólito Yrigoyen 571, piso 4, CP 1086, +54 11 4345 5954
Google map: bit.ly/r1FJ3P
Samoa maybe little known as a tourist destination, at least in comparison to its neighbour Fiji, but it has stunning scenery and prices are some of the lowest in the South Pacific making it perfect for anyone on their gap year. Taufua Beach Fales is as close to paradise as you can get on a gap year budget. Sleeping in traditional open Samoan fales (wooden platforms on the beach) you wake up to the turqoise sea lapping metres from your fale. Food at Taufua is excellent with meals varying daily and including some excellent fresh fish. Don't forget to sample the excellent cocktails during happy hour! The vibe here is really relaxed and everyone is friendly. It is full of backpackers from all parts of the world and everyone is here to relax, do some snorkelling and have a good time.
Some people on their gap year come to the Lalomanu area to help reconstruct it after the devastating tsunami in 2009. The whole of Taufua Beach Fales was wiped out. Construction work continues and people wishing to give something back to the community are most welcome there.
Take the public bus (around £1) for the three hour trip from the airport to the beach fales. These buses are old Bedford trucks with no windows and wooden benches. It is definitely an experience and really get's you settled in to 'Samoan Time'.
www.samoabeachfales.com/
Taufua Beach Fales, POBox 2299, Apia, Samoa
(+685) 844 1051
Google map: bit.ly/oHXWA5
We spent 12 months in 2009 and 2010 travelling around southern Europe in our VW campervan. On our blog is a full list of all the camp sites we stayed at, as well as other useful information for anyone planning a similar trip and lots of photos of the beautiful places we saw in Italy, Slovenia, Austria, France, Spain and Portugal.
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