On Monday we kicked off a series of blog posts looking at the main regions that attract gap year adventurers. Having started close to home with a look at Europe, today we turn our attentions to North America and East Asia.
North America
Like with heading to Europe, a gap year in North America represents a bit less of a culture shock than heading to other continents. Or so you might think. While the language is the same, and many of people’s reference points are the same (switch on a TV and there’s a good chance you’ll be familiar with what’s on), in many different, imperceptible ways the US and Canada will represent a truly exciting change of scene, whether in the form of vast, open spaces or skyscraper-packed metropolises.
Things you can do: an epic road trip that is free of many of the backpacker clichs of locations such as Australia and Southeast Asia; working with a BUNAC visa (Canada only); working with kids at a summer camp.
An ideal destination for: people who are looking for a decisively new cultural experience while not having to come up against a language barrier.
Maybe not for you if: you’ve been inspired to take a gap year by the almost mythical tales of backpacking hedonism that people who head to Australia, South America and Southeast Asia come back with, North America may prove a touch reserved for your tastes. Working opportunities in the USA are also fairly limited.
East Asia
Now we’re getting into the more exotic end of gap year travelling. Really we’re not doing justice to the full range of the diversity of a region spanning from the Indian subcontinent to the shores of Indonesia and Japan here, but in truth there’s probably not enough blog space in the world to explain the full breadth and depth of its magic. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for shrines that date back millennia, a totally different way of life and fellow travellers from all over the globe, then there’s something here for you.
Things you can do: volunteering in conservation, teaching and healthcare; backpacking in exploring diverse cities and natural landscapes by day and travelling by night
An ideal destination for: people who are looking to travel to a completely, utterly different society while sharing the experience with fellow travellers.
Maybe not for you if: you are looking for a gap year experience that doesn’t take you quite so far away from home and doesn’t require extensive preparation in terms of injections and itineraries.