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Sunday, 14 March 2021

My Gap Year 2014-2015 (Plus Gap Year Tips)

Taking a Gap Year was a decision I took fairly late. From the age of 15, I'd wanted to study languages at university, so I knew I'd have a Year Abroad and all the travel and freedom that comes with it to look forward to. Therefore a Gap Year didn't really seem necessary.

However, my final year at sixth form college was a difficult one for many reasons, and choosing a university just wasn't a decision I was in the right frame of mind to take. And I certainly didn't feel ready to actually move out and start university. So taking a year out was the natural thing to do while I figured out what to do next and focused on things outside of studying for a while.

I hadn't really planned any of the year properly before it started, so it's no surprise that it didn't turn out how I'd imagined it would! It definitely didn't resemble the stereotypical image that most people have of a Gap Year - I didn't go backpacking in Southeast Asia, nor did I go and work in a bar in Australia. Despite this, it was still a great year, during which I achieved a few important goals in life and travelled to various places, including three countries I'd never visited previously.

So in this post, I'm going to break down the different things I did during the year, and I'll also share some tips on how to make the most of a Gap Year.


Work and Volunteering

My original plan was to spend the majority of the year working as an au pair in either France or Spain in order to practice my language skills and to experience life in another country. So after I'd finished my final exams, I applied for an au pair programme based in Spain that had been recommended to me. It was a voluntary exchange programme, and something I didn't believe you could be rejected for, and yet I ended up being rejected, which was pretty disappointing and humiliating. This put me off the au pair idea, which in hindsight was a good thing. (I actually ended up au pairing in France during my Year Abroad and had an awful experience, so it's not something I'd recommend doing.)

Afterwards I made a new plan, which was to find a job close to home for most of the year, save up money, and then travel somewhere new and exciting. Several of my peers were able to easily carry out similar plans, quickly finding work in supermarkets and shops, and then jetting off to places like Thailand and Australia. However, when I was a teenager, many things just didn't come as easily to me as they did to other people, and finding work was one of those things. Although I spent hours painstakingly working on job applications, I never heard back from most of the companies, and on the rare occasions that I did get an interview, I wasn't successful.

So it's fair to say that my Gap Year didn't get off to the greatest start! But in September 2014, things took a turn for the better. I realised that I needed to start doing something with my time - I couldn't spend the whole year constantly applying for and getting rejected from entry-level jobs. In the summer between my first and second years of A-Levels, I'd volunteered for a few hours every week at my local Red Cross charity shop, and so I decided to go back and volunteer there again, which I did once or twice a week from September through to January. This made a huge difference to my mental health, as I was getting out of the house, interacting with other people, and doing something with a purpose. The Red Cross is an amazing organisation which provides emergency aid to people all over the world, and it was really rewarding to play a small part in that process.

At the start of October, I decided to take on some further voluntary work and started spending one day a week helping out at my local primary school, which I continued with for the rest of my Gap Year. Not only was working there fun and rewarding, it was also very valuable work experience. It gave me a taste of what teaching is like as a career, and clearly I liked it, as I'm now working as an ESL teacher!

Volunteering was a great experience, but naturally I also wanted to save up some money too! Fortunately, in the middle of October I finally had some luck in this regard. I had heard about a local recruitment agency that offered various bits of work to young people, which I applied for and got accepted for! Soon I was working different jobs (mostly waitressing and cleaning) around the local area and earning my own money for the first time. Although I wasn't earning as much as I would have done with a stable full-time job, one of the advantages was that I got to try working in various places, including a university, a hotel and a golf club. I could also turn jobs down if I wasn't available, meaning that I had the flexibility to fit work around other things like travelling and volunteering. 

I was very happy to finally get my working life started, and luckily it had started just in time for me to have something to write in the "paid work" section of my UCAS application...


Education, Hobbies and Other Projects

As I already had my A-Level results, the process of applying to universities was a lot easier than it would have been if I'd done it a year earlier. I received unconditional offers for all 5 of the universities I'd applied for, and decided on Nottingham as my final choice (more on that later!)

There were a couple of other important goals I finally achieved during my Gap Year. One of them was passing my Grade 8 piano exam - something that I'd worked towards for 10 years. The other one was passing my driving test (and the Pass Plus), which was actually an even bigger challenge. Driving was another thing that didn't come as easily to me as it did to other people, but it was something I needed to do, as I lived in a small village without any public transport. Most people I know passed their test after a few months of driving lessons, whereas I needed nearly two years, so I definitely felt frustrated and demoralised at times. But when I finally got my licence, it was such a relief! It gave me the freedom to take on a lot more work with the recruitment agency, as well as to go and meet friends or go to the sports centre when I wanted. And although I've barely driven since 2015, I'm still glad to have the ability to drive, which may come in useful in the future.

During the year, I kept up with my French and Spanish studies, albeit in a much more relaxed and enjoyable way than during my A-Levels. I also had the opportunity to focus on hobbies, such as cooking, exercise, reading and watching movies.

But by far one of the most important things about my Gap Year was the fact that I got to spend lots of time with my cat Pickle, who was just the best cat ever. She died a few months into my first year at university at the age of 19, so I'm really glad I was with her for the majority of her final year. ❤


Travelling

One of the most exciting things about doing a Gap Year is having the chance to do plenty of travelling, or even living abroad. For me, the main focuses of my year were working, volunteering and learning to drive, so I never spent any extended periods of time travelling, although I did go on many great day trips and holidays. In hindsight, I don't think I was ready at the age of 18/19 to do something like working abroad or going backpacking on my own, and living at home was absolutely the right decision for me at the time. Part of me regretted a little bit that I didn't travel outside of Europe during the year, but I did visit various places around England, as well as five other European countries, and had some great travel experiences.

As this is a travel blog, it seems like a good idea to write a little bit here about some of the best trips I had! (Unfortunately, my photos are not the greatest - that's partly due to the Nokia phone I was using, and partly due to my own lack of photography skills at the time. I'd like to think I've improved a lot since then!)

July 2014: Slovenia and Austria
The first trip abroad of my Gap Year was a family holiday to Lake Bled in Slovenia, a country none of us had been to before. Although I was unlucky enough to be ill during the holiday and had to have an emergency minor operation there, it was still an enjoyable week. Bled is a really beautiful part of the world, with a fairytale castle and a little island in the middle of its lake, which we rowed to. 














One day we visited the picturesque town of Kranjska Gora and nearby Lake Jasna.






We also enjoyed exploring Slovenia's capital Ljubljana, a very attractive city featuring colourful architecture and a castle!








During the holiday, we went on a day trip to Austria, another country that I hadn't been to before. Here we visited Klagenfurt and Velden am Wörthersee in the Kärnten region. I didn't know it at the time, but I would end up living in the region three years later as part of my Year Abroad!








October 2014: Cannes, France
The second trip abroad of my Gap Year was to the city of Cannes in the south of France, where my Granddad used to live. Famous for its film festival, Cannes is a very flashy and expensive place, but it also has a beautiful beach. I spent a few days out there with my mum, and particularly enjoyed swimming in the sea.








October 2014: Sheffield and the Peak District, England, UK
Later that month I went up north with my parents to visit my sister, who was living in Sheffield. Then the four of us visited the Peak District National Park, including Chatsworth House, a stately home which has appeared in several films. Sadly, my picture of the house itself came out terribly, so here's one I took of the grounds.




November 2014: Birmingham, England, UK
Birmingham is the second largest city in England, so you'd think it would be something of a tourist destination. However, it's actually considered to be one of the ugliest cities in the country, so for most of the year no one visits! But at Christmas time, the city transforms into a winter wonderland, when the Frankfurt Christmas Market comes to town. It's the largest traditional Christmas market outside of Germany and Austria, and it really makes you feel like you've stepped into one of those countries. It was great fun to visit the market back in 2014 and to look around all the stalls selling things like gingerbread, beer and Glühwein. But I have to say my personal highlight was the singing moose (it's definitely a must-see)!





February 2015: Nottingham, England, UK
After I got into the University of Nottingham, I was invited to an offer holders' day to get to know the university better. I'd already visited the campus on an open day the previous year, but this time we stayed overnight and did some sightseeing in the city centre. Nottingham is not exactly known for being the most attractive city in the country, but it does have some interesting sights including Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem (the oldest pub in England), the Robin Hood statue and Nottingham Castle.








March-April 2015: Valencia, Spain
One of the two biggest highlights of the year was my trip to Valencia in Spain. I spent a week studying Spanish at a language school and stayed in the home of a really nice lady (and a sausage dog!), so it was quite an authentic Valencian experience. I had every afternoon free to go sightseeing, which I enjoyed a lot, as the city is very beautiful.














One of the most interesting parts of Valencia is the City of Arts and Sciences (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències/Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias). It's a cultural and architectural complex, consisting of various museums and exhibition spaces, that looks incredibly futuristic and makes you feel like you've stepped into the year 3000!











May 2015: Blenheim Palace, England, UK
One of the most elaborate palaces in England is Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. Both its interior and its exterior are incredibly grand, and the grounds of the palace are also very picturesque. I had a great day out there with my parents, and I'd love to go back again in the future.








June 2015: London, England, UK
I think my favourite day trip of the year was when I went to London to visit the Olympic Park. Here I swam in the Aquatics Centre, which is one of the best swimming pools I've ever been to (and surprisingly cheap). It was amazing to swim in the same place where the Olympic Games had taken place three years earlier. The Olympic Park is also a great place to walk around, as it's so futuristic and interesting to look at.







August 2015: Bruges, Belgium
The other main highlight of my Gap Year was my trip to Bruges, also known as Brugge. I'd never visited Belgium before, and it had been one of my dream destinations for many years, so I decided to use the money I'd earned from my work with the recruitment agency to take my first proper solo travel trip. I travelled there by Eurostar and then spent the next few days exploring the cobbled streets, canals and museums of the city. It's definitely one of the best cities I've ever visited; the architecture is so beautiful and it has a real fairytale atmosphere. I really hope to return there in the future.





















September 2015: Newark Park, England, UK
Newark Park is a nice National Trust property in Gloucestershire, which features a pretty Tudor house surrounded by the Cotswold countryside. I went there with my parents towards the end of my Gap Year, and remember meeting a very sociable peacock who lived on the estate!







September 2015: Nice and Cannes, France
I finished my Gap Year travels with another foreign trip, returning to the south of France with my mum. We visited my granddad in Cannes again, but this time we stayed in the nearby city of Nice. Unfortunately, I was ill while we were there and had to spend a whole day staying in the hotel room. However, I recovered by the end of the holiday, and we had a really nice day exploring the historic centre of Nice.















 

Gap Year Tips

The great thing about doing a Gap Year is that it can be whatever you want it to be! Unlike a university Year Abroad, you don't have to fulfill any specific requirements, so you can choose what you want to focus the year around. However, one thing I would definitely recommend is to have some idea at the start of what you want from it. It probably won't go entirely to plan, but that's part of the fun! 

Here are a few of my tips on how to make the most of your Gap Year:

  • Decide on your goals for the year. Most people associate Gap Years with travel, but they don't have to revolve around travel (though I do think it's nice to take the opportunity to see a bit of the world). They're also a great chance to achieve other milestones. For example, a lot of people leave school with no work experience whatsoever, so a Gap Year is a ideal time to start building up a CV. You can also use the time to work towards other qualifications, whether that's passing your driving test or getting a vocational qualification. I did my TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) certification after graduating from university, but come to think of it, it would be the perfect thing to study during a Gap Year, as it opens up a world of job opportunities to you, even if you don't have a degree.
  • Be wary of scams! It goes without saying that when you're looking for work or volunteering opportunities, particularly abroad, you're likely to find plenty of scams online. In addition to this, there are other offers, which while not illegal, may not be exactly what they seem. I think au pairing is particularly bad for this; although many au pairs have a great experience, there are also a lot of horror stories out there. Unfortunately, it's inevitable that some host families will be exploitative and will demand that the au pair does a lot of work for very little (or no) pay. So it's important to make sure you research any job offer carefully before committing to it, and if you have a bad feeling, it's best not to pursue it any further.
  • Consider volunteering. It's not easy for everyone to find paid work, so volunteering is a good alternative. Often volunteering opportunities are more interesting than the job opportunities that 18 and 19 year-olds can realistically aim for, and they can be a great way of finding out if you'd like a career in a particular sector. And of course they'll give you experience that will help you to find paid work in the future. 
Finally here's a list of a few organisations that might be useful: 
  • Blue Stamp Travel. Previously operating as Halsbury Travel, this organisation offers work experience, language school courses and home-stays in France, Spain and Germany. I used them to book my Gap Year trip to Valencia as well as several other trips before and since.
  • The TEFL Academy. This is the best organisation if you want to get TEFL qualified. Their Level 5 TEFL certificate is reasonably priced, can be completed online, and is officially recognised by both the UK and US governments.
  • Angloville. This is another organisation I worked with after finishing university, but I think it would be a great thing to do during a Gap Year. It's a volunteer programme that's mainly based in Poland and other Eastern European countries, during which you help people to learn English through conversation practice. In return you get free accommodation in hotels of varying quality, a city tour at the start of the programme, and another tour halfway through the programme. Each programme lasts a week, but if you like, you can join two or more programmes together and get to know various regions and countries. It's a very full-on experience involving long hours of talking, but it's a lot of fun!

Overall, I really enjoyed my Gap Year, and when it ended, I felt like I'd done pretty much everything I'd wanted and needed to do in those 15 months. It wasn't the most adventurous year in terms of travel, but to be honest, I wasn't really ready for major travel adventures. 

Fortunately, three years later I definitely was ready! From 2017 to 2018 I undertook a Year Abroad as part of my languages degree, during which I lived in both Europe and South America, and travelled on a very regular basis. It really was an incredible experience in many ways, and I plan to write a series of posts here on this blog about the highs and lows of a Year Abroad and how to plan an amazing one!

Sunday, 28 February 2021

Travel Tips: My Top Ten Nature Destinations

I've realised it's been a month since my last post, and the time certainly hasn't passed quickly... This third lockdown has felt interminable, and I can't wait for it to be over. And although I've been keeping busy working, studying for a further teaching qualification and making some updates to this blog among other things, it seems like every day is the same at the moment.

Now, more than ever, I'm really missing travelling and exploring new places. But given that any kind of travel is off limits at the moment, all we can do is dream and reminisce. So that's why today I'll be writing about the most incredible places of natural beauty that I've been lucky enough to visit.

I love visiting cities, and have previously written about some of my favourites. However, I also really enjoy seeing different types of natural scenery, and that's something I'm looking forward to doing again when it's possible. But as we're still waiting for that day to come, I'm going to make a list of my favourite nature destinations for future travel inspiration!


The Niagara Falls, Canada and the United States


Image by Pixabay from pexels.com

In 2010, I went on an amazing holiday with my family to my mum's birth country, Canada. While we were there, we stayed in the cities of Toronto and Montréal (where my mum was born) and we also went on a day trip to see the Niagara Falls. There are actually three waterfalls that make up the Niagara Falls: the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side (pictured above), the American Falls on the U.S. side, and the Bridal Veil Falls, also on the U.S. side. We sailed around them on the Maid of the Mist boat ride, which was a spectacular (and very wet!) experience. It's truly one of the most incredible places I've ever been to, and I'd love to go back there one day.

The Atacama Desert, Chile



















The Atacama Desert is the world's driest non-polar desert and is mainly located in the far north of Chile, with some parts extending into Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. I visited the area with my boyfriend Claudio in January 2019 and was really impressed by the variety of nature to be found there, both in terms of landscapes and wildlife. For me, one of the most beautiful parts of the desert was the Altiplano (pictured above) with its volcanoes and lagoons. We were lucky enough to see vicuñas there! I also really loved Laguna Chaxa, a lagoon on a salt flat where lots of wild flamingos live!

Read more here!


Valle del Elqui, Chile



















Another beautiful place in the north of Chile is Valle del Elqui, located in the Coquimbo region. This green valley surrounded by the Andes mountains is known for the production of Pisco, Chile's national alcoholic drink. It's also famous for being the birthplace of the Nobel Prize winning poet Gabriela Mistral, and for being one of the best places in the world for stargazing. I went there on a road trip with Claudio in November 2019, and we had a great time exploring the area. It's a very peaceful and enchanting part of the world.

Read more here!


Algarrobo, Chile



















One of the most popular seaside towns in Chile is Algarrobo in the Valparaíso region. It's known for being home to one of the world's largest swimming pools, but it's also famous for its nature and wildlife. Interesting sites to check out include the wetland nature reserve Parque Humedal El Membrillo, and El Canelillo beach, which is surrounded by a pine forest. But my favourite place has to be Islote Pajaros Niño (pictured above), an island where different species of birds live, including pelicans and Humboldt penguins! It's possible to take a boat trip around the island to see them relatively close up - an amazing experience!

Read more here and here!


Cajón del Maipo, Chile



















Just a short distance away from Santiago, you can find Cajón del Maipo, a very scenic area in the Andes mountains. It's the perfect place to get away from the noise and crowds of the city for a while and enjoy some time in nature. The most famous part of the area is Embalse El Yeso (pictured above), a huge reservoir filled with bright blue water, which is a stunning sight to see. Cajón del Maipo is also a great destination for seeing wildlife, as plenty of wild ponies and goats live there!

Read more here!


The Maule Region, Chile



















As you can tell by this list, Chile is one of my favourite places for seeing nature! Maybe I'm biased as it's where I used to live and where I'll be moving back to as soon as possible, but it's undeniably one of the best countries in the world in terms of diversity of landscapes. One place I enjoyed visiting while I was living there was the Maule region in the south-central part of the country. Here I saw Laguna del Maule (a lagoon with a volcano underneath), Cascada Invertida (an inverted waterfall), and many eye-catching rock formations. I'd definitely like to return to the region in the future to see some more sights there.

Read more here!


Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve and Siete Lagos, Chile



















The final Chilean destination featuring on this list is an area in the Valdivia province of Los Ríos region in the south of Chile. When I was studying in Santiago, I took a trip to Huilo Huilo Biological reserve and the Siete Lagos (seven lakes) circuit, which was one of the most memorable parts of my Year Abroad. Here the scenery (and the weather!) is so different to the centre of Chile, and is almost the polar opposite to the north of Chile. It's hard to believe that the Atacama Desert is in the same country! The landscapes in the south are much greener, with lots of lakes, forests and waterfalls to admire, including the incredible Salto del Huilo Huilo (pictured above).

Read more here!


The Lake District, England, UK



















Probably the closest thing to the south of Chile in the UK, is the Lake District national park in the north of England. Obviously you can find plenty of lakes here, including Lake Windermere (pictured above), the largest English lake. But what surprised me when I visited last year was that there were also several forests and waterfalls, which I really enjoyed seeing. It wasn't an area that I'd particularly thought about visiting before, and I actually only ended up going there because of the pandemic keeping me in the UK. However, I liked the holiday a lot more than I expected to. It's a very tranquil and picturesque place.

Read more here!


Montanejos, Spain



















In both 2015 and 2016, I went to Valencia, Spain to study at a language school in the city. On the second occasion I was out there, I went on a day trip with the school to Montanejos, a small town in the Castellón province of the Valencian Community. It took about an hour and a half of driving on twisty-turny roads through the mountains to get there, and by the time we arrived, I felt very sick! But the horrible journey was worth it, because it was a great place to spend the day. There were beautiful clear blue pools created by hot springs, and the area was surrounded by mountains. Actually the water from the "hot" springs was in fact cold, but that didn't matter, as it was the height of summer and very hot. I had a very relaxing day there, swimming in the pools and taking in the amazing scenery.

Lake Jasna, Slovenia



















During my gap year in 2014, I went on a family holiday to Lake Bled in Slovenia, a really picturesque part of the world. One day we went on a trip to Austria, where we visited the Kärnten region. (Little did I know that three years later I would end up living there!) We had a great time exploring what, at the time, was a new country for me, and then on the way back to Bled, we stopped off in the small Alpine town of Kranjska Gora, just over the border. Close to the town are two artificial lakes known as Lake Jasna, which are surrounded by imposing mountains. It was a beautiful place that somehow managed to stand out in a holiday filled with beautiful places.

Read more here!



In conclusion, spending time in nature is so important, especially in today's modern world, and I think this is something that many of us have come to appreciate over the last year. Unfortunately, it's not currently possible to go and explore new areas of natural beauty, but it's definitely something we can look forward to in the months and years ahead. I've already written about my dreams of seeing nature in countries like Australia, Costa Rica, Turkey and Norway, and I'd also love to visit places such as the Iguazú Falls, the Galápagos Islands and Torres del Paine when I'm back in South America. Hopefully I'll be able to tick off at least one or two items on the list later this year!

In terms of travel in general, there's been some positive news recently in the UK. If the situation continues to improve, non-essential travel around the country will be allowed from April 12th. It will be really nice to have that bit of freedom back again and to be able to explore places old and new. But for the time being, I'll be continuing writing posts like this one, until I can travel again. The first thing I have planned is to get to London to sort out my work contract and visa, and explore some of the outdoor areas there!

Check out the rest of my Travel Tips here!