It's that time of year when most people get itchy feet - especially those who have chosen to go for a gap year instead of heading straight to university.
But many may never have travelled alone before, and a few will, understandably, have no idea where to go or who to arrange their trip with. A couple will even have a bit of a battle on their hands to persuade their parents that flying the nest really is a good idea.
So, for those of you who fall into the latter category, Huffington Post UK has teamed up with Lonely Planet to bring you an extract from 'The Big Trip', which has a chapter aimed specifically at gap-year students.
"So maybe your parents aren’t so keen on you going away for months on end. They’re probably making noises about going to university, settling down or getting a good job in a bank. They really need to move on. Here are our best arguments to stop them fretting and get them shelling out for airline tickets:
- PROTECTIVE RESEARCH If you can tell them about the place you’re visiting, it can be reassuring. Everyone’s going to freak out when they don’t know where someone’s going, but if you can explain your itinerary it will seem more real. Helpful facts (‘They all speak English.’, ‘There’s more than 30,000 tourists every year and they all seem okay.’ or ‘It’s one of the safest cities in Central America.’) can also be useful. You can even get them to read a few chapters of this book so they can see you’re taking this trip seriously.
- GET INVOLVED Get your parents to help out with the planning and show them a detailed itinerary – they can even check progress on your blog. Show them you’ve got a budget and you have a time limit on the trip. You can always change itineraries later, but let them know when you do veer off the itinerary to save the grey hairs and panicked phone calls.
- PHONE HOME Create a schedule for phoning home, texting or whatever (there are more tips in Part One, p70). Make sure it’s reasonable (calling every hour is crazy but only ringing once a month could lead to parental tears) and stick to it.
- ON COURSE Prove you’re committed to the trip by doing a course. Learning to speak a language, taking a first-aid course or even picking up some basic travel skills are all good ways to show that you’re taking this seriously.
- INSURANCE IS REASSURANCE Show them you’re prepared for the bad stuff by getting good travel insurance that will cover any emergencies.
- CAREER BUILDING This is your trump card. Explain that this trip could help your career and point to a few people whose careers have been helped by travel."
As to deciding who to book your trip with, the recent Golden Backpacker awards honoured the best companies in the travel industry.
Organised by TNT magazine, the ceremony highlighted which organisations provided the best experiences, meaning both potential travellers and parents can have peace of mind. Winners included Contiki being voted favourite big tour operator, favourite worldwide tour operator Intrepid Travel and STA Travel as favourite travel agency.