Gap years 'do not have to be big budget'

Gap years are not solely the preserve of people with large amounts of money in the bank, it has been claimed.

Robert Clagett, a former senior admissions officer at Harvard, told the New York Times that while some organised gap year programs are more expensive than others, there are opportunities for most people to travel overseas.

So while finance may be "a limiting factor" for some, people can still take gap years on a small budget.

Mr Clagett said that where money is an issue, gappers simply need to use their initiative and creativity to work around the problem.

"I know of one Middlebury student who spent a third of her gap year working at a monastery in North Dakota, a third working for a judge in Oklahoma, and the final third working in an orphanage in the Dominican Republic," he noted.

He explained how she found all three projects on her own, and since she was volunteering, most of her living costs were covered.

But for the majority of people looking to undertake voluntary work abroad, planning a trip through a gap year organisation is likely to be the preferred route.

The practical support and advice offered before and during the gap year is likely to be invaluable - particularly for inexperienced travellers - and enable them to enjoy a stress and hassle-free trip.

For more information on gap year planning.