The Things All The Best People Do On Their Gap Year

The Gap Year. Or should I say the “Gap Yar”? However, you pronounce it, whatever your background, the gap year is a once in a lifetime opportunity. (Unless you become a tenured professor – in which case you can have as many sabbaticals as you like.)

 

It’s a year in which you have to opportunity to do practically anything you want. So what are all the best people doing on their gap year? And can you do it too?

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Traverse Bolivia’s Death Road

 

Bolivia’s death road was made famous on the BBC’s Top Gear. Clarkson, Hammond, and May tried and failed to make it across in their cars.

However, the road makes for some of the most stunning scenery in the world. The most famous part is the 64 km stretch between La Paz and Coroico.

Over the years, the stretch has gained something of a reputation for being dangerous. But this is because the people using it are often driving like maniacs.

Along the route, you’ll see snow capped peaks and traverse the iconic La Cumbre Pass.

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Become A Ski Instructor In Canada

 

If you’re a big fan of skiing, going on a ski instructor course in Canada is probably your idea of heaven. Canadian ski resorts are some of the best in the world.

High up in the northern hemisphere, many resorts have powder all year round.

What’s more, much of the Canadian wilderness is still pristine, putting it at an advantage over it’s US counterparts.

The course will instruct you on how to teach others to ski and board. And they’ll also prepare you for extreme situations, such as an avalanche.

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Do The Mongol Rally

 

As far as epic charity events go, this is one of the most exciting. The idea is to drive from London to Mongolia by car. Oh, and it’s a race.

The course is about 10,000 miles long. But there isn’t a set course. You have to choose which countries you want to go through and what route you want to take. Will you go south through Turkey and on through Iran? Or will you risk going through Eastern Europe and Russia?

It’s a rally in a sense, but the vehicles aren’t usually fit for the job. Usually, they choose an old second-hand car which is falling apart at the seams. It’s all part of the fun, apparently.

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See The Northern Lights

 

The Northern Lights are the result of the solar wind interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field. The field lines channel incoming solar radiation to the poles.

What seems like a boring exercise in physics leads to some of the most spectacular skies in the solar system.

The best places to see the northern lights are in the north of Canada and the north of Scandinavia. You want to make sure that you’re well inside the arctic circle for the full effect.

Visiting the northern lights is a good activity to set aside for your gap year. They’re notoriously unreliable, so you want to have a lot of time set aside just in case they don’t perform on arrival.

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