Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
When to start applying
Applications can close early, particularly for expeditions and conservation projects needing
complex funding or for those tied in with international government programmes. If you'd
like to go on one of these projects, planning should start about a year ahead, usually in the
autumn term of the academic year.
Others can be taken up at very short notice. In fact, some organisations can take in applica-
tions during the August period (when you are getting A level results or going through clear-
ing), and book you on a project that starts in September. If you don't have much time before
your gap starts (maybe you didn't get the grades you expected, or you've made a last-minute
decision to defer university for a year, or your company has offered you a sabbatical or made
you redundant) it is always worth contacting a voluntary organisation about a project you're
interested in. They may have had a last-minute cancellation.
