holiday in Australia
Our generation has an unprecedented amount of freedom. It wasn’t that long ago that a trip across the ocean was a once-in-a-lifetime endeavour, but now a trip from the UK to the United States is within the reach of even an average income family, and weekend trips within Europe are something that people do on a whim.
With flights and cruises being so affordable, it’s easy to feel jaded about travel, but there are still a lot of absolutely amazing things to see and do. If you feel like every city in the world is the same, and that there’s no point flying to Japan to eat at McDonalds, then you’re probably going to the wrong places. Here are a few travel resolution suggestions to help you make 2012 the year you view the world with wonder once again.
Explore the Bush
A bush trekking holiday in Australia is a great way to see scenery that you won’t find anywhere else. Many of the Australian gap year companies offer bush tours. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a student to do a gap year holiday, in fact, the term ‘Australian gap year’ is a bit of a misnomer – many “gap” holidays are a lot shorter than one year. Bush treks can be just a few weeks long, and there are surfing holidays and extreme sports vacation options too.
Make a Documentary
As a tourist, it’s all too easy to get caught up in running around trying to take in all the sights. Why not slow down a little and actually spend some time enjoying the place? Try recording your own mini-documentary next time you go somewhere. Do a little research, find some out-of-the-way places, learn their history, and record it for posterity. Your travel will be a lot more rewarding.
Work a Ranch
If Australia isn’t your thing, how about taking an Argentinian gap year? You could work at a ranch in Argentina, spend a few weeks volunteering to teach English to Argentinian kids, and immerse yourself in their culture. This sort of holiday offers a very different image of the country to a standard tourist holiday, and will leave a lifelong impression.
Rediscover History
Instead of learning about the history of places you go to, why not pick a period in history that fascinates you, and visit places from that time? If you love gladiator stories, go to Rome. If the American Civil War fascinates you, pick some historic monuments and locations and fly out to see those specifically. The locations you go to will really come to life for you if you already have the setting mapped out in your head. Seeing a place you’ve only ever read about is, for some reason, far more exciting than visiting somewhere from the middle ages when you don’t really know much about the time period.
Whatever you do, and wherever you go, try to slow down and treasure the moment. It’s only recently that worldwide travel has become so easy, and the ability to travel thousands of miles in one day should not be wasted.
