My Gap Year

Hi
I'm taking a gap year before uni next year and was wondering whether my plans were simply outrageous etc.

My plan is to fly from the UK to Singapore and make my way back. I want to spend a while in SE Asia before traveling across China and taking the Trans-Sib (with stops) to Europe where I'll probably head to the Balkans for a bit and hopefully end up in Scandinavia hopefully Iceland (£ depending). Ill start in February 09 and plan to be back home in July.

My main concern is that due to the small size of my 6th form theres nobody I know taking a gap year who wants to travel with me - so I'm kinda on my own, and when I go (feb 09) I'll only be 18 and a half. Is this perhaps a bit young to be off on my own for 6 months? Do others travel and I'm just listening to my parents too much?

I'm thinking around £5000 for the whole thing... does this sound pretty reasonable? I haven't done any proper budgeting for this yet....

Finally are my plans just too much to do SE Asia, the trans sib and some of Europe in 6 months?

Joel

Your age doesn't matter, your maturity, common sense and street sense do. You'll have to make a realistic self-assessment of those or ask friends what they think. We can't assess them for you.

Your plan is ambitious for a first time traveller. Whether it is too ambitious or not is again hard to judge. I think many people would suggest starting in the shallow end of the pool so to speak rather than diving in the deep end.

It sounds like a dream trip, but is pretty hardcore for a first time traveller, regardless of age. I would love to do something like that one day. But I don't think I'd do it yet, and I definitely wouldn't have been ready after leaving 6th form.

What about just doing Asia this time, but flying back to the UK rather than going overland? Would that (or something along those lines) appeal to you? You could then do the big overland trip after uni. On the other hand if this is going to be your only chance to have a year out then follow your heart and do what you want to do. Just plan it well and make sure you have enough money!

You sound mature for your age, and ultimately you know best as to whether you're ready to take on such a huge trip, or if you should start off with something a bit easier!

6 months is a long time to be away just travelling around. It could turn out fine, the trip of a lifetime or it could be a nightmare for you.

Why not try booking 2 or more trips with recuperation back home in between.

Maybe one to Europe for a month or 2 & see how it goes, & then a do a longer return trip to Asia later using the experience you gained in Europe.

That's quite a hardcore route. You'll find Singapore even more advanced than the UK - when I did it in 2003 it was pricier too, I dunno what the status quo is now. Malaysia and Thailand are fine, very well set up for backpackers and travelling on your own will be no issue, there are thousands of backpackers.

As you move on it gets more and more alien. Laos and Vietnam are underdeveloped compared to what you're used to and also compared to the previous countries. Once you get into China (where I was back in November, my 31st country), it becomes harder still. It's exotic, but to the point where there is little familiarity. Even finding a menu outside of global fast food chains that is in English was difficult. The countryside was beautiful, the people very friendly, but almost nobody spoke english - it took the combined efforts of 5 people at Zhangjiajie airport (think Luton) to explain my flight was cancelled for 2 days (yes, days). The climate will vary from tropical in Singapore to Arctic if you take the trans siberian during winter (it runs all year), so that makes it tough to pack everything you'll need. This can be gotten around by buying and dumping kit along the way, but it costs of course.

I found China very rewarding, but the toughest country I've yet visited in terms of ease of travelling around and coping.

On the other hand. The budget you have got is pretty sensible but needs to be trimmed some - Singapore you can knock off in 2 days, Malaysia in a week, Thailand in anything from 2 weeks to 2 months, Laos 2 weeks, Cambodia 2 weeks, Vietnam 2-4 weeks, doing justice to the trans siberian is probably 3 weeks - that's about 13 weeks but that would be non stop and from time to time you'll simply want to stand still and do nothing, recover from a hangover, or just read a book in one place for more than 24 hours. The route and time period are fine, apart from the fact that Mongolia and Russia will be cold possibly, depending on what time you hit them.

The route though isn't the most well travelled for 18 yr olds, they tend to stick to Malaysia/Thailand/Singapore/Bali and then into Australia, NZ, Fiji, Australia, Canada, or a variation of the above. They're also much easier to navigate if this is your first time away from Europe and/or on your own (ie not with family). Just a thought, I don't want to put your fire out, but you need to know how rewarding yet how exhausting this could be.

PS See www.seat61.com for info about the trans siberian. There are two routes.

It sounds like an ideal length of time to concentrate on one area, like SE Asia as suggested above.

Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and even Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are all very straightforward to travel in, with a very well-worn backpacker trail. Every time I travel to these countries I meet 18 year olds travelling solo or in groups who have an awesome time in these places. In any case, you won't be alone for long as you will meet people as you go. You could fly into Singapore, make your way overland through Malaysia and Thailand, then work an anti-clockwise route through Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and back into northern Thailand (or clockwise, in reverse), before returning to the UK from Bangkok.