Interval year travel - 间隔年旅行

Interval travelIt is a common activity in the gap year.

Of course, the interval travel does not take a year to travel. For those who have just completed high school, if they choose to postpone their university entrance by one year, travel is usually an important issue during the year. Some principles of interval travel can also be applied to the summer when the college entrance examination is over, the "unemployment state" after graduating from university, or even the "transition period" after a job hopping.

This article will discuss some tips for making longer trips with a lower budget, as well as options that are generally of interest to travelers during the intermission years.

Prepare

Pre-planning is very important. No matter your travel plan is big or small, you should put all other unrelated plans aside during this period. However, there are still some things you should pay special attention to and plan ahead:

visa

Please check with the relevant consulate or embassy in your country to determine whether you need a visa to visit the destination country, especially for a long time. Some countries have very detailed entry/exit laws, and visits for long-term accommodation are very different from visits for one or two weeks.IATA Visa Database[1], Provided by Delta Air Lines, is the best place to confirm whether you need a visa.

journey

It is necessary for travelers and their families to understand their own itinerary. If they know where he is, some parents will be more supportive of allowing their son or daughter to go abroad. In the event of an emergency and someone needs to contact you when you are away, and helps meet the parents’ instinctive needs to understand where their children are, the itinerary may be helpful. The itinerary describes the route of the journey or the journey or a suggested outline of one of them.

budget

If you travel to an area, check the cost of living there. If the local living prices are high, you may want to plan your spending budget more carefully and save some money before you leave. The lower the cost of living, the less you have to save, but you must reserve a reserve in case of emergency.

To consider opening a second account in your home country, you must allow your parents or close relatives to access the account. If you must go home early, they can withdraw funds from the account, which can be used to buy a return ticket for you.

Arrival and travel

If your gap year will involve several stops in several different countries and continents, you should check out the many budget tickets designed for long-term travel. Visitors in the gap year are usually calledBackpacker, And often get discounted travel. Examples include:

aviation

Open ended return ticketsIt can enable you to go home at any time within a period of time (usually a year, sometimes six months, at least 60 days). These are usually more expensive than regular discounted round-trip tickets, but are usually much cheaper than fully flexible/refundable round-trip tickets (or there are two ways, except for some one-way hard discount routes).

Open-jaw ticketAllows you to fly back and forth from a city that is different from your own, and may be worth the cost and time for you to return to your city; since the fare varies greatly, in the best case, the cost is actually two discounted round-trips The average and worst case scenario is that you can compare two one-way tickets. In these cases, it is always worth to compare and see for yourself.

If your travel plans are more ambitious than this, thenRound-the-world flightsMay suit your needs.

  • Most major airlines schedule flights for 330 days instead of the whole year.
  • Although discounted fares can usually be changed to get more time, most discounted fares have restrictions on their validity period (usually 30 or 60 days, sometimes 6 months), and usually result in a large increase in the fare. Change the cost above.
  • Another option for a one-way ticket is to buy two return tickets and "toss" the tickets for the second half of the year. Although this is completely legal, it violates the "conditions of transport" of many airlines and may mean the loss of frequent flight miles earned during the first half of the flight.
    • This may also be very convenient if your travel plan is open, but transit or visa rules require proof of follow-up tickets (or check the low-cost airlines in the area).
    • For traditional operators, the price of the middle part of the one-way ticket has never been "abandoned" or skipped, and it has not been officially cancelled, because the unshown part will result in the cancellation of the latter part. Early cancellation may not be allowed, and if allowed, a change fee or air fare difference is usually required. Low-cost airlines tend to be more flexible in this regard, and individual airlines verify their rules.
  • In some cases, for incumbent airlines, it is cheaper to purchase air tickets from developing countries and arrive at the destination from the airline or local travel agency instead of directly buying air tickets from the airline or travel agency. This is almost never the case with cheap operators.

railway

Long-term railway ticketFor backpackers and travelers. Sometimes these can make you cheaper than any local fare. For example in EuropeEurail(Eurail) Pass, Australian Backpacker Rail Pass [2], And for tourists in North America, seeNorth American Rail Travel。

Work

When tourists travel long distances, they may not be able to pay for the long-term living expenses; usually, tourists in the gap year hope to maintain their travel expenses through work, and the work options are often short-term or timed work. Unfortunately, working in other countries often requires a work visa. Under normal circumstances, it is quite burdensome for tourists traveling in gap years: you need to find an employer to apply for a visa, the visa cost is very high, and the employer must prove that they cannot hire your skills locally. And you must have work visa information that will be relevant to your tenure with the employer.

If you fall into the following circumstances, you may be able to work in other countries without a visa:

Gap-year travelers under 35 should checkWorking HolidayWith visa arrangements, you can arrive in a country within a period of time, usually 12 months, sometimes even up to 24, and have a short-term job. The purpose of the visa is to provide funds for your travel, and usually restricts your work, including: during the visa period, the working hours must not exceed a certain time, rather than long-term work for any employer, only in a specific industry Work, sometimes not in work that promotes career development.

These are usually mutual arrangements: your country will provide citizens of certain other countries with this type of visa, and other countries will also provide you with the same visa. Therefore, it is best to check with the diplomatic officials of your country to see if you have a reciprocal visa, and if so, go and see which countries you have signed.

SeeWork abroad,as well asTeach englishwithVolunteer。

Learn

Those planning the gap year will considerTravel and study, And it is also the reason for popularity. This is especially popular with school leavers, allowing them to take a year off before going to university without affecting their education. In many cases, taking gap-year courses abroad can actually improve your chances of receiving higher education in your home country. Normally, tuition fees will be charged for these educational courses. There are two reasons for this situation: first, many of these courses are run by private institutions; second, because international students rarely attract government funding.

service

Every tourist’s dream is a long journey-whether inEuropeFor three months, it was still a whole year of adventures all over the world. When considering long-distance travel, the first thing to realize is that traveling can be hard work. Travel is different from vacation. It is often more important than the job or school you left behind. Long-distance travel may involve dozens of new places, or only one or two long stays. In either case, the challenges of daily life will be encountered in the new environment; and these things are as simple as buying bus tickets or buying fresh vegetables at the grocery store. They need to be relearned, usually time and time again.

Before you go

  • Talk to other people And make a trip similar to the one you are planning. If you don’t personally know people with relevant experience, you can try dozens of online travel websites, which are full of stories about travelers’ travel experiences, covering all possible travel types.
  • Create huge plan information Read all the information about the area you are going to visit, there may be sights and places you don’t know. A rough presentation of your trip, there may be three or four target points and multiple ways to get the distance between them. You may not want to find that the local weather is not what you imagined, or that the travel manual is incorrect; therefore, you need to understand what you will encounter in the local two months.
  • Consider what you will do locally There are many things you need to consider, such as finding a local hospital to check, vaccinate and supplement prescriptions for doctors; buy air tickets, renew passports and obtain visas and other documents; check your overseas insurance and purchase additional if needed Travel insurance, etc.; don’t forget the time to contact friends and family too!
  • The longer you travel, the less things you need to pack This may seem counterintuitive, but it is true. You can carry one or two heavy items, but what do you want to prepare within a year? Please have a basic knowledge and understand what you can and cannot buy at the destination you are going to. During the 6-month journey, it is meaningless to bring your own toothpaste to Europe or buy a sarong at home to the tropics.
  • Be prepared for an uncomfortable journey You will often find yourself in a busy and cramped economy class environment, which may last for several hours, especially long air travel. If you want to reach the destination where you can enjoy the refreshing and scenic spots, please try to use high-quality travel pillows to support your head, use some earplugs to block children's noise, and use eye masks to block the sun, etc. Tourists can buy those cheap U-shaped pillows at the airport store; during a long-distance flight, your head will fall forward and your neck will stiffen.
  • Plan your travel activities Don't just visit the sights, you can do other activities. On a long journey, appreciateParisEvery church in orKathmanduEach of the temples will quickly make myself feel monotonous and boring. You can plan activities such as cooking, language courses or volunteer work to prevent you from becoming boring in your adventures.
  • Get in touch with the locals Maybe you have a local friend, or you remember a foreign student in high school or university, or you just found a local friend through a travel website; almost every local person is happy and welcomes foreign tourists Come to their hometown as a guest. This may be the case with the host family for a few weeks, or drinking coffee in their hometown or having dinner with the locals in a restaurant.

On the way

  • Prepare a travel diary You can write a diary to let you know what interesting things happened that day. Looking back on the journey of the past can bring back beautiful memories, otherwise these memories may be obscured by new attractions and experiences. Give yourself a period of time each day to write. Breakfast or before going to bed at night is a good time to review and reflect on all your achievements. In the future, your travel diary can be shared with friends who want to go to the local area as a reference.
  • Budget time and money to treat yourself In the local area, you will go to spend and buy things, and when you travel on the day, where and when you want to go; these plans should be drawn up first.
  • Vacation in your travels Together with travel partners: you can go to Southeast Asia to enjoy sauna and massage, or go to Europe to enjoy hot springs and taste local cuisine. Use a few hours of indulgence to recharge your battery during your journey. By planning a few days or a few hours a week, you can spend some time alone with your travel partner.
  • Change your style If you are an independent traveler, please try to be a tour guide. You will make new friends and find out new things about the places you are exploring. You can choose one or two days by yourself, and then go to find the route to be adventurous. Many travelers will buy a travel guide before going and stick to it like reading a bible; please consider providing a day to your travel destination (or participating in each other's travel) with fellow travelers. Spending a little more or less time in restaurants, restaurants and transportation in one night can make you see a whole new look of the city. Night owls may be surprised by what happens during the rest of the day, especially at the local market or just watching the morning commute at a coffee shop.
  • Learn a language Long-distance travel is the best time to truly understand the culture and its language. Even if you plan to visit several countries, choose the one you have been interested in and set as many learning goals as possible.
  • Bring your favorite things Do any activities locally. When you are traveling, being out for a long time may make you feel bored sometimes, find what you like, and pass it away in your free time. You can bring a guitar, play in the local park, or bring a chess game with the locals for a communicative board game. Maybe you can cultivate friendship with the locals; in any interest, you can become the backbone of your adventure. strength!
  • Get rid of the travel guide Please try to go to a new town (or new attraction) that you can't find in the book. You can ask the locals about any good new towns (or new attractions).
  • Exercise Exercise can help you maintain a good mood.
  • Associate During a long journey, if you are a single tourist and you will meet a friend of the opposite sex, you might as well try to socialize with him at this time.
  • keep in touch Every once in a while, you need to keep in touch with your family to let them know that you are having a good (or safe) life.
  • Know your travel partner After a long journey, people you don’t know around can become good travel companions for each other; you will recognize friends with different personalities and even their own strengths.
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