Spend your Gap Year doing Something Good

in Conservation by Araneta&Tan — August 13, 2009 at 12:39 pm | 0 comments

Gap years have exploded in popularity in recent years, and now they are almost a right of passage for many school leavers. But they’re not just for the young: more adults than ever are taking career breaks or going away for a few months when they are retired, and the recession has also led many people to go abroad while the jobs market is in a bad way. But although there are so many choices and the temptation to just pack your bags and go travelling is strong, have you ever considered getting involved in a gap year conservation programme?

Volunteer work with baby rhino

Gap years are looked on fondly by potential employers, but only if they are the right type of gap year. If you go to Australia and spend six months on the beach it is unlikely to impress, even though it will probably be a lot of fun. It will be a lot more valuable to volunteer your services for a conservation project of some kind, to put your skills to good use, and this will provide you with an experience that no tourist would be able to have.

If you want to go on a conservation gap year, Tanzania could be one of your best bets. This vast and beautiful country is packed full of wildlife and pristine natural environments, so if you join a programme here you could find yourself looking after turtles in the Indian Ocean, observing lions in the Serengeti or looking after chimpanzees in a sanctuary on Lake Tanganyika.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, a quick search of the internet will reveal a whole host of companies and charities that offer a conservation gap year. Tanzania is a popular location, so it’s also not too hard to find someone these days who has been on a similar programme who could provide you with advise. Of course, you don’t have to spend your whole gap year on a conservation programme. Instead you may want to combine an element of travel with a project to get the best of both worlds.

Gap year teaching project in Africa

If you like photography then you’ll get some great opportunities to take pictures when you go to Tanzania. Keen nature photographers are often attracted by the possibility of getting up close to nature that’s only really on offer to those who get involved in a conservation project. And to be able to combine real conservation work with taking great photographs of wildlife is often hard to resist.

There is so much more to a gap year than just taking a bit of time out. To really get the most of it, and to have the most fun, a gap year conservation project provides a great alternative. On top of that, you’ll be involved in doing something good, so there can really be no better way to spend your time.