Get backpacking

If you're looking to go backpacking on your gap year then there's some good travel offers and helpful advice to check out.

In and around Birmingham there are several travel agents that specialise in student travel. STA is one of the best known and most outstanding companies that help students create the kind of summer - or all year round holiday - they want. There are cheap deals available and flights from Birmingham International Airport for your convenience.

You might want to go on a working holiday and some companies like 'Real Gap Experience' offer 12 month job finding services where their team will help students find jobs in countries like New Zealand or Australia, for example. They will advise you on how to take fruit picking holidays and find travel, tourism and temping work abroad.

Camp America is another great opportunity for 18-30 year-olds. Students can sign up for all kinds of duties including mentoring and kitchen work. The Camp America experience recruits students to work with or behind the scenes at campsites for American children. It's been going since 1969 and has a marvellous reputation for life changing experiences. Their road shows are the best places to chat to the people involved and they are recruiting now for the summer of 2009.