Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
What is the cost?
It varies hugely - some companies just expect you to pay for the air fare - others expect
you to raise thousands of pounds for funding. It can be hard to combine raising money with
studying for A levels or with work, but there are a lot of ways to do it.
As usual, the earlier you start, the easier it will be. The organisation that you go with should
be able to give advice, but options include organising sponsored events, writing to compan-
ies or trusts asking for sponsorship, car boot sales, or even just getting a job and saving what
you can.
If approached, many local newspapers will do a short article about your plan if it's inter-
esting enough - but it's better to ask them during the quieter news spells, like the summer
holiday months, when they'll be more likely to welcome an additional story.
The last resort is to go cap-in-hand to your parents, either for a loan or a gift, but this can be
unsatisfying and they may simply not be able to afford it. If your parents or relatives do want
to help, you could ask for useful items for Christmas or birthday presents - like a rucksack.
Career breakers will have different considerations. There's more on this in Chapter 3 - Ca-
reer breaks and older travellers, but if you work for a large organisation it's worth asking
whether they have any links to projects, or run their own charitable foundation, which might
offer placements to employees.
