Which type of gap year traveller are you? Take the quiz – and see our pick of the best trips
Take the quiz to find out which sort of gap year adventure suits your personality best...
1. What are you looking forward to doing most now studying is over?
a) A big night out with friends
b) A lengthy ramble or a hike
c) Seeing something cultural - maybe a show or a gallery
d) Catching up with people
e) Working out or going for a long run
2. What are most pictures of on your Instagram feed?
a) Places I’ve been to
b) Trees, dogs or cats, the occasional guinea pig...
c) Faces
d) Things that inspire me
e) Me doing things
Why gap year travellers should leave the camera at home
3. Which of these holidays appeals to you most?
a) Island-hopping in Croatia
b) Bison-spotting in Poland
c) Staying in an Airbnb apartment in Paris
d) Helping with the olive harvest in Puglia
e) Surfing in Biarritz
4. What must you not travel without?
a) Nothing is essential - except, oh, a passport
b) Sensible walking shoes
c) A phrasebook
d) Paper and pens
e) Wet weather gear
5. What is most important to you in life?
a) Enjoying myself
b) Experiencing beauty
c) Being understood
d) Working towards something
e) Pushing myself
6. Your favourite teacher would probably describe you as...
a) Outgoing, opinionated
b) Free-spirited, thoughtful
c) Level-headed, gregarious
d) A team-player, conscientious
e) Energetic, dedicated
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7. What would you like to get out of a gap year?
a) To see as much of the world as possible
b) To get close to nature
c) To try living somewhere else
d) To give something back
e) To get fitter and - more importantly - better
8. On holiday, your host presents you with a plate of unidentifiable food, do you...
a) Think it might make a great story and try it
b) Ask what ingredients are in it before trying it
c) Ask if it is a traditional dish and try it
d) Try it and then offer a snack from your backpack in return
e) Try some to be polite then order a salad
Europe's best dishes | A country-by-country guide
9. What standards of accommodation appeal to you?
a) I don’t mind sharing with others but I like to move around and choose where to eat
b) Really, I just need to be warm and dry
c) I’d like to try a homestay with a local
d) I don’t mind sharing and am not fussy about food
e) I can share with others but ideally I’d like my own room
10. At 7am on a Thursday you would rather be...
a) Dancing as the sun comes up
b) On a trek, looking for monkeys
c) Walking to the market for breakfast
d) Planning the day’s tasks with fellow gappers
e) Packing up sports equipment and heading to a favourite spot
If you answered mostly A, you are a...
Hammock slinger
Finishing your exams means only one thing to you: freedom. The prospect of three more years of hard slog at university weighs heavy, so you are in the mood to just have fun and relax, thanks very much. An independent spirit, you are keen to explore the world on your own terms and would rather spend your savings on flights and accommodation than hand it over to an operator. You want to devise your own pleasure-seeking itinerary, though you don’t rule out a bout of paid work at some point. You are happy being spontaneous and staying flexible and, as a modern-day explorer, plan to update loved ones of your whereabouts via social media. You expect to use the internet, as well as word of mouth, to seek out fun in remote places.
Most likely to be mingling at a half-moon party in Koh Phangan (the next full moon party is not for a fortnight and you don’t know where you’ll be by then) or feeling smug that the Halong Bay trip you booked locally cost three times less than the person’s in the cabin next to you.
Summer fling: Interrail (0844 248 2481; myinterrail.co.uk) lets you explore any country in Europe by train with a Global Pass that can be used flexibly, with seven days’ travel within one month for ￡231.
Inbetweener: BUNAC’s (0333 999 7516; bunac.org) Work Australia Starter programme will set you up in Australia and help you hunt for paid work for up to 12 months, for ￡249.
Life-changer: STA Travel (0333 321 0095; statravel.co.uk) can build you a round-the-world flight with seven stops or more in popular countries, from ￡1,339.
Mostly B? You are a...
Wild child
As a nature lover, you were helpless while generations above you selfishly plundered the earth, disregarding all others who call it home. Now it’s time for your elders to step aside and let someone else have a go. Generation Z congratulates itself on being more environmentally aware than any other and, as a proud member of this tribe, you are keen to use your gap year to rebalance the scales in any way you can. Also, when you think about it, being surrounded by lush jungle, rainbow corals or vast African plains gets your pulse racing in a way that a city break just doesn’t. There is also a chance you might pursue a degree in biology or geography should you ever decide to come home.
Most likely to be chasing large spiders out of your hut in the Amazon rainforest or watching baby turtles hatch on a beach.
Summer fling: Oyster (01892 770 771; oysterworldwide.com) has a programme for volunteers wanting to look after bears at a sanctuary in Romania for between one and four weeks, preparing food and leading tours, from ￡1,025.
Inbetweener: Frontier (020 7613 2422; frontier.ac.uk) has a Marine Conservation and Diving programme in Madagascar with PADI training, that will see you helping to research pristine ecosystems for one week or longer, eight weeks cost ￡2,045.
Life-changer: Projects Abroad (01903- 708 300; projects-abroad.co.uk) has a Rainforest Conservation Volunteer Project in Peru that involves research work within an ecological reserve home to birds, monkeys, turtles and more, for one week or longer, ￡4,000 for ten weeks.
Mostly C? You are a...
Global citizen
You consider yourself a child of the world and like the idea of forging lasting, meaningful relationships with people. You’re also a fan of slow travel. You enjoy really getting to know a place when you visit - not just ticking off the sights but experiencing what it is like to live as a local. Learning a language will help you scratch beneath the surface of somewhere new. Maybe you could teach English to locals at the same time and earn a good wage. Or perhaps you could take on an internship in an industry that you have an inkling you might like to work in in future. These options appeal to your more sensible side as they might one day help you in your career (once you’ve figured out what that might be.)
Most likely to return with countless invitations to revisit new friends or be photographed being mobbed by grinning children
Summer fling: BUNAC’s (0333 999 7516; bunac.org) Intern Canada offers a law internship in Vancouver, focusing on legal aid and lasting 6-8 weeks during the summer, for ￡899.
Inbetweener: i-to-i ( 0113 205 4610; i-to-i.com) offers 12 weeks’ teaching as a volunteer in a private school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, including a TEFL course, for ￡826.
Life-changer: BUNAC’s (0333 999 7516; bunac.org) Intern and Work combination programme in New Zealand can last up to 12 months, with both a professional internship arranged (for example, three months at an architect firm in Auckland) as well as paid work, ￡899.
Mostly D? You are a...
Humanitarian
You’re a “people person” but that doesn’t just mean good with your friends’ nans. Different cultures intrigue you, you want to know what makes the world tick and would find the idea of adapting to a new way of life exciting. You’re bored by the humdrum comforts of home and - to be honest - a few hardships might do you good. You’re compassionate and, as your CV states, a “team-player”. Too much of the world is living in poverty and you can’t bear the thought of travelling without offering, at least for part of your trip, to volunteer and do something that might help. You also don’t mind playing your part, no matter how small, if you believe in something. You might eventually want to work in development, the civil service, education or politics.
Most likely to make friends for life within your team and return with the most inspirational stories
Summer fling: Camp America (020 7581 7373; campamerica.co.uk) offers all-inclusive packages for those wanting to work at a summer camp in the US over nine weeks for ￡778, including return flights.
Inbetweener: Raleigh International (020 7183 1270; raleighinternational.org) offers an Expedition programme in Nepal that, as well as going on a long hike beneath the Himalayas, asks volunteers to assist with water, sanitation and hygiene projects in two remote communities over a number of weeks, ten weeks requires fundraising of ￡3,450.
Life-changer: Lattitude’s (0118 370 4720; lattitude.org.uk) Project Asia will see you travelling as a team of volunteers across Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand over five months, performing community work, beginning with a placement in education in Vietnam, then taking on smaller projects chosen by the group, for ￡2,500.
Mostly E? You are a...
Thrill seeker
Now that the holidays are here you have a tendency to go feral, spending as much time outdoors as possible. You have an affinity for the natural world and your friends probably have difficulty imagining you ever getting an office job - at this point in your life anyway. You get your kicks from adrenaline highs and you probably enjoy staying trim. Now that you have the chance to go chasing the deepest powder or the gnarliest waves, you are itching to get out into the world and improve your skills and performance (while also having the time of your life). Who knows? As you can often be heard reassuring your parents, you might even make some money from following your passion by qualifying to be an instructor.
Most likely to come home and confuse people with talk about shredding and jibbers or at least, look a great deal healthier than when you left.
Summer fling: Oyster (01892 770 771; oysterworldwide.com) offers a Sports Coaching placement in Sao Paulo for four weeks. Volunteer who coach football, rugby or athletics at a youth centre then take Portuguese lessons, hit the beaches or explore the city, ￡995.
Inbetweener: Xtreme Gap Year (0203 286 7065; xtremegapyear.co.uk) has a Bali Surf Instructor course lasting between 8 and 12 weeks. You will stay in a shared villa and try for an instructor qualification from the International Surfing Association, as well as a lifeguard qualification, from ￡3,249.
Life-changer: Nonstop (01225 632 165; nonstopsnow.com) offers Ski Instructor courses in Canada, France or New Zealand that include work experience and career advice and take anything from 11 to 20 weeks, from ￡7,595.
The Gap Year 100 – our directory of the best travel companies
Have you been on a gap year? We'd love to hear your about experience – whether it was good or bad. Leave a comment below and tell us about your gap year and whether, upon reflection, it was worth it.