So far in our gap year planning feature we’ve covered a whole heap of topics – from where to head to what to pack.
But there’s one majorly fundamental question which we’ve yet to ask. A question which can shape the entirety of your journey – who do you travel with?!
Whilst kicking about in LA I decided to get fully involved in the mass media and entertainment that attracts so many people – after looking through my options I narrowed it down to Universal Studios, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Disneyland.
Feeling relatively flush and having a good amount of time on my hand I decided to hit up all 3!
First up I decided to head to Six Flags.
LA and Hollywood is the place where people descend to follow their dreams and hunt for stardom – this lust for fame has turned the city into an eclectic mixture of culture and people.
From the wannabes that never quite made it to the global superstars.
And it’s this magnetism for recognition that makes LA such an intriguing place to visit. It’s home to many icons of the media created world we live in – both landmarks and people.
As a traveller you enter a wonderful community of people from around the world – people from all manner of backgrounds, cultures and age groups.
And with an abundance of people comes a whole new train of thought to tap into and experience. You’ll find throughout your travels that people have a huge range of opinions and knowledge – some you’ll want to hear, some you won’t, and some you don’t have a choice in!
Living Free, Byron Bay
It’s exactly a year to the day that I first rolled into what would become my main home in Australia – Byron Bay. So what would be more fitting than a picture from those first few days that encapsulates the free living, hippie ideology that makes this small beachside town such a major stop on the backpacker trail? So here are my original Byron Crew – Frank, Sammy, Ben, Myself, Kerri, Katie and Dan skinny dipping at Broken Head – good times!
Once you’ve decided where you’re heading, how you’re getting there and how you’ll be carrying your life around you’ll need to start deciding what you actually need to take with you!
When preparing for my trip to Oz I passed a kit list – a kit list which had originated sometime before it got to me, had been rewritten, edited, edited some more and then I added and took away some additional items.
Base Camp, Fraser Island
The above shot was done on my last night on Fraser Island. As with most of Australia the stars are uber bright in the night sky – but especially so on Fraser due to the lack of light pollution. So I setup the tripod and decided to backdrop it against our base camp for the trip – tents, tarps and 4×4’s! For me it sums up the beauty of Fraser Island – tranquil, remote but with a dash of carnage thrown in!
Over the last week or so the news has been filled with the civil unrest in Cairo and across Egypt. We have been bombarded with the usual media images of make shift hospitals and tales from locals on both sides of conflict.
What made this more poignant for me though was the fact one of my life long mates and fellow travellers Luke was currently on a working holiday visa teaching in Egypt, living in Cairo city centre. Luckily he’s back on UK soil now so I caught up with him to ask how it all went down in his eyes and if it’s altered his perception of travelling the middle east.
If you go into any travel agent or speak to any person who has travelled themselves then the main defining feature of planning a gap year will almost certainly come back the same – money.
Despite what you may believe about the ethos of backpacking money is a central part. Without it there aren’t any flights.
Without it there aren’t any parties.
Without it there isn’t going to be a gap year!
Litchfield National Park, NT
This is one of the images from the last leg of my West Coast campervan trip. Before heading to Darwin we spent a few days in the spectacular landscape of Litchfield National Park – where rock wallabies, awe inspiring views and swimming in waterfalls are in plentiful supply! If you’re in that end of the world make the effort to check it out.
Cat Nap, Ecuador
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