Gap year travel enhances the CV, helping to secure a dream job or university course. You cana pack it full of amazing experiences, learn new skills and even  play your part in saving the world!

Here are a selection of ideas to consider.

For Outdoor Types

African Conservation Experience organises two-12 week trips to ten conservation projects in South Africa and Botswana, all offering hands-on involvement with wild animals.  For more information visit www.conservationafrica.net or call 0870 241 5816.

For Sporty Types

NONSTOP Ski and Snowboard and NONSTOP Sail. Qualifying as a ski instructor or skipper is not only great fun, but will demonstrate commitment and skill to would-be employers, setting your CV apart from a mountain of others! For more information visit www.nonstopski.com, www.nonstopsnowboard.com and www.nonstopsail.com or call 0845 365 1525 (ski/board) or 01803 833 399 (sail).

For Party Animals

Jingando Holidays offers bespoke and small-group learn-to-dance holidays to Rio de Janeiro with an ethical twist: guests get to be charitable while learning the sambá and salsa at an acclaimed dance school plus a smattering of Portuguese. For more information go to www.jingandoholidays.com or call 020 8877 1630.

For Eco-students

Explore’s Researching the Andean Condor trip combines 13 days of volunteering work with a 10-day small group adventure tour of Patagonia. For more information visit www.explore.co.uk or call 0844 499 0901.

For everybody

Plan carefully and make the right gap year choice. Year Out Group is a not-for-profit organisation, consisting of 35 carefully-vetted member companies - specialists in their field - that comply with a strict Code of Practice and Operating Guidelines.  The range of programmes available in the UK and more than 80 countries worldwide includes study courses, cultural exchanges, expeditions, work placements and voluntary work. For more information visit www.yearoutgroup.org or call 01380 816 696.

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If you are interested in a life changing experience you want to consider one of ten African Conservation Experience projects in South Africa and Botswana. Volunteers can visit any project from two to 12 weeks, making them ideal for part of a gap year.

African Conservation Experience was the first UK company to offer this kind of interactive conservation adventure and its expert team consists of highly qualified conservationists, botanists and biologists, setting the company apart from its competition.

Activities on these projects are diverse and exciting. Volunteers find themselves face-to-face with wild buffalo or school children, hand-rearing baby warthogs and lioncubs, identifying dangerous species, learning how to drive a 4×4 or shooting a rifle in the bush, horse-riding by moonlight and sleeping out under the stars to the background noise of lions and hyenas.

Tasha Craft, a volunteer at the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, South Africa, says: “With African Conservation Experience I achieved more than I could dream possible: I raised a baby cheetah called Porsche who slept in my hut at night along with a baby jackal, a warthog, two sun weavers and occasionally a lion cub! Not a day goes by where I don’t apply something I learned about myself and the world around me.”

Two weeks start at £995 pp including accommodation, all meals and all project-related costs. Flight inclusive packages are also available.

For more information call 0870 241 5816 or visit their website at www.conservationafrica.net.

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There are several bird watching hot spots that you could choose from, when you decide to go on a bird watching tour. Places like India, and Africa are some of the popular bird watching hotspots. You could also choose to enjoy bird watching tours in Zimbabwe, America, Canada and Australia. Besides, there are so many other places around the world that see the influx of some of the most exotic species of migratory birds that the list is endless.

Bird watching tours in UK

There are several places in the UK that you choose from, for a bird watching tour. These include places like Scotland, Wales, England, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and Northern Ireland, amongst several others. In UK, several tour company’s offer various tour packages that you could choose from. Besides, the internet is a good way to try and find out about the tour packages that are available. There are some companies that willingly customize trips for bird watchers. The tours that are designed by these companies have set dates. Here are a few tours that are offered by certain companies in the UK.

Bird watching in Wales

There are several companies that offer bird watching tours that in and around the countryside of central Wales. Wales is in fact, one of the most popular locations in the UK for bird watching. The countryside of Wales is not only spectacular but also provides a well balanced habitat for a wide variety of birds.

Apart from birds, you can also spot a variety of wild life here. The species of birds that you might be able to spot in Wales include Buzzard, Goshawk, Rd Kite, Merlin, Pied Flycatcher, Crossbill, Kingfisher, Nightjar, Razorbill, and Shear water amongst several others.

Bird watching in Scotland

Scotland, which is another popular bird watching hot spot in UK, also houses several companies that offer bird watching tours. The advantage of opting for these tours is that, firstly you always move around in groups and secondly you do not have to work really hard to locate the bird watching sites, especially if you do not know much about the location. Besides, the tour companies also mange to spot the rarest of the bird species for you.

In Scotland, you could hope to spot birds like the Golden Eagle, Merlin, Peregrine, and Chough, wildfowl, skuas, auks and several others.

You could also choose from places like Norfolk and places in the countryside in England. All you need to do is choose the right company and the right tour and have all your things packed. However, if you booking for a tour on the internet ensure that you are not being cheated.

Do forget your binoculars!

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The Atlanta based, Georgia Aquarium, which is the world’s largest aquarium has a unique new attraction. It’s guests can now swim or SCUBA dive with the world’s largest fish, the whale shark, in the world’s largest exhibit (Ocean Voyager).Its Swim with Gentle Giants is a new immersion program at the Aquarium that introduces participants to the Aquarium’s whale shark conservation program and gives them the amazing and rare opportunity to swim or dive with whale sharks and thousands of fish including zebra sharks, sawfish, bowmouth guitarfish and schools of tarpon, cownose rays and more. Georgia Aquarium is also the only place in the world where participants are guaranteed to encounter the magnificent whale shark.

In addition to a 30-minute guided exploration of Ocean Voyager and access to behind the scenes areas, guests also receive admission to the Aquarium, all equipment provided, log book, certificate of participation, t-shirt and souvenir photo. No experience is necessary for the swim program, whilst participants in the SCUBA dive program must provide certification from a nationally or internationally recognized organization and photo identification. The program is open to all guests age 12 and older. Participants under age 18 must be accompanied by a participating adult.

More information available from the Georgia Aquarium at www.georgiaaquarium.org

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Nigel and Georgina Messenger have launched a new enterprise dedicated to bringing British birdwatchers and nature lovers to the Camargue region of Southern Provence.  Nigel, as a keen birdwatcher, has for several years travelled the world on both organised and self-planned birdwatching holidays. Georgina has been reluctant to accompany him on most of these trips as it has never been her idea of fun getting up at 4 o’clock in the morning and driving along bumpy roads for hours on end! How to combine the interests of enthusiastic birders, and their not-so enthusiastic partners?Thus an idea was born ; to provide an excellent week’s birdwatching, based in a top quality, luxury hotel, with a separate itinerary for a non-birdwatching partner. This to involve both traditional regional activities, and slightly more decadent treats.

Being familiar with the region from many visits over the years, the Camargue area of Southern Provence was the obvious choice of location for the new company. This area provides some of the best birdwatching opportunities in Europe, combined, in our home town of Arles, with beautiful architecture and history stretching back to Roman times. The artistic legacy of Vincent van Gogh, the fire and passion of the Feria, and of course the legendary gastronomy of Provence are added attractions. The landscape combines the flatlands of the Camargue delta with the beautiful rocky Alpilles, fields of sunflowers, olive groves and orchards. The Camargue is home to the semi-wild white Camargue ponies, and the black Camargue bulls, which are still raised and herded by the Gardianes, the French equivalent of the cowboy.
Birders will not need to be reminded of the attractions of the Camargue. The proximity of several diverse habitats within a relatively small area allied with its position on a major migration route make it an essential destination both for novice and experienced birders. One of the chief attractions is the resident population of Greater Flamingoes, a sight only to be seen in a handful of locations in the whole of Europe. The beach across the river mouth has breeding Kentish Plover as well as Tawny Pipit and Short toed Lark in the dunes. The wealth of migrating waders that use this area in season is very impressive and during recent winters it has also attracted a number of vagrant raptors including Spotted, Lesser Spotted and Bonelli’s Eagles. In summer the saline lagoons behind the beach are full of breeding waders such as Avocet and Black winged Stilt, terns such as Sandwich, Little, Whiskered and the rare Gull-billed, and gulls such as Yellow-legged, Mediterranean and Slender billed. The sight and sound of these many thousands of birds in their compact breeding colonies is truly unforgettable.

The partner activities on offer will appeal equally to nature lovers, gourmets, gourmands and those who appreciate being pampered. They include:

• Wine tasting and tour of an organic vineyard
• Lunch at a renowned organic country restaurant, with a tour of their own beautiful potager
• A “balade a poney”, a little countryside amble on a Camargue pony
• A visit to a local chevre cheesemaker
• Visit to an organic breeder of Camargue bulls
• A visit to a museum of aromas and perfume
• Steam bath and body scrub at a local hammam

And more, according to season. Time will be set aside during each week for shopping or relaxing.

“We are not aiming at the hard core twitcher, rather those who are interested in a leisurely week’s birdwatching, with good accommodation and excellent food, while the “other half” relaxes.  We will, of course, be pleased to quote for customised trips for groups, based on their specific tastes and budget. We want everyone to come and enjoy the Camargue as we do!”, say Nigel and Georgina.

More information on their website at www.belle-equipe-birding.com.

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The Aberdare National Park is famed nature trail precinct with a numerous waterfalls and lush greenery. The place features a park that is home to the endangered and rare antelope species known as Bongo. You will get to see the largest mountain chain in East Africa. Rhode’s Island is another preferred nature trail precinct offering a variety of hiking opportunities. This ocean state’s terrain is far varied than one might expect for such a small geographic area. The land is riddled with towering pines, lush hardwood, ponds, flowing waterways and abundant wildflowers. A plethora of wildlife awaits wildlife enthusiasts in this heaven of a place. The Rhode’s Island features numerous state parks and wild life management areas that preserve the state’s natural resources.

A growing trend in the world of nature trail is slackpacking. It’s basically targeted at people who are sick of seeing unwashed, malnourished hikers on the Appalachian Trail and petrified of news about grizzly bears roaming the backcountry camp but still love hiking. This is for people for whom who love a day in the wilderness, only if they could jump into a car and drive off at the end of the day. The term “slackpacking” was originally used to describe a day’s worth of hiking without being burdened by a backpack, after which the hiker would get into a car and drive off to home. The hiker would then come back again in the future and start from where he left off. The idea was to string together a number of these daytrips to finally complete a much longer trail without being unencumbered by backpack. A number of people have trekked the 2,000 mile long Appalachian Trail, by adding sections of puzzle to their individual trial map. The Hola Bienvenue lets you embark on a magical Creole Nature trail, one of America’s great wildernesses area featuring a lush realm of fertile prairies, delicate marshes and plethora of wildlife. The trail takes you through 180 miles of long, winding roads through marshlands, bayous past rare oak Cheniers and ancient remnants of the Mississippi wanderings. .

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