Your gap year is what you make it, and usually that 12 months comprises one or several of this trio: internship, volunteering, or travel. All three look good on CVs, and all offer wildly different experiences that you’ll want to treasure – and there are many different ways to do so.
Photography
If you’re holidaying the minimum consideration is a mobile phone with at least 128gb of space and/or a flash drive. Set up a Dropbox or OneDrive account beforehand and take an on-the-go charger.
A GoPro camera should be the next port of call, with several spare batteries; that deep sea dive, parachute jump or trek through the Amazonian forest will probably only happen once. Both the GoPro and the new iPhone 6 offer 4k resolution, but it soon sucks up space; one minute takes up 375mb, according to this feature on Apple.
And of course, the final part of the puzzle for a photography connoisseur is a DSLR or hybrid. Simply put, the lighting and shutter speed diversity will snap events in a way that a mobile phone or tablet cannot. For example, only a DSLR possesses the technology and modes to capture both a Spanish bull-run and a game at the Nou Camp. The main issue is the weight and bulkiness of the cameras, especially when factoring in tripods and additional lenses…
At all stages, try to be creative. Yes, snap the pic of ‘pushing up’ the Leaning Tower of Pisa and pushing down the Statue of Liberty, but then think of different angles and ideas. Selfie sticks and slo-mo/panoramic modes will help, and many other effects can be created in post-editing.
Diary
This could be in a little notepad or through a blog. Unless you’re writing anonymously a warts-and-all description of life as an (unpaid?) intern in blog form might not be the wisest plan of action when considering future employment. Instead, concentrate on positives, social events, and what you’re learning career wise.
However a blog while on your travels will keep those at home informed whether you’re in Madagascar, Melbourne or Miami. If you’re using a laptop or tablet make sure it’s insured, and that you’ve got a tough case and a charger! Set it up before you travel using a WordPress/Wix platform, and promote it using the methods below…
Social media
Twitter and other social media, and maybe even a periscope video or two, can later be stored and turned into ways of preserving your roadtrips and treks – although you should be judicious with your data allowance if sending messages from abroad.
It might go against the whole ethos of Snapchat, but you can download and keep photos and stories through a number of apps.
On your return
It might seem a long time ago but a year can fly by when you’re having fun. We can assure you that you’ll be sad but feel a sense of satisfaction of which you’ll regularly wish to be reminded, and not just on a mobile or computer screen.
A photobook created through a company such as Photobox is an easy way of letting your mind casually wander back to those warm Thai beaches and treks across the Australian Outback, or the children at the orphanage where you volunteered. Other options include cups, calendars, t-shirts, mousemats, wall canvases and cushions.
Follow itravelnet.com