Is your teen thinking about travelling during their gap year? Ask the KILROY Travel experts.

[EllieSmumsnet]

From picking safe destinations and planning the best route, to understanding budgets and the benefits of taking a gap year, KILROY Travel can help you and your teen create an adventure that’s exciting, meaningful and unforgettable.

Have questions about gap year travel? Ask away! Whether you’re looking for general advice on destinations, safety, or how a gap year with KILROY Travel works, or want personalised tips based on your teen’s interests and plans, our experts can help. From backpacking and volunteering to learning to dive or gaining confidence before university, we’ll help you explore the options.

Drop your questions in the comments by 13/04 and our experts at KILROY Travel will be back over the next few weeks to answer as many as possible. Plus, one parent who asks a question will win a £500 travel voucher to put towards their teen’s next adventure – T&Cs here.

About KILROY Travel
Our travel experts aren’t just planners, they’re travellers themselves. From backpacking and volunteering to trekking and working abroad, they’ve experienced the highs, the hiccups and everything in between.

For over 30 years, KILROY Travel has helped young people explore the world. We help them make the most of their gap year while giving parents confidence that their travel plans are safe, protected and thoughtfully planned.

Real people and real advice from the moment you get in contact with us, until the day your child returns home.

Best way of keeping tabs on them when they are travelling, I'd like mine to go, but would like to be able to see where they are and if I have access to their bank account, be able to get them out of trouble if they hit an obstacle and need parental assisitance.

Hi KILROY Travel! My teen is considering a gap year, and we’re interested in opportunities that combine volunteering and adventure travel. Could you suggest safe destinations and activities that help build independence and confidence, while keeping within a manageable budget? Thanks

Can you advise on structured volunteering for young people who might need a bit more support or scaffolding, and volunteering that supports university applications

What destinations/activities would you recommend for someone looking to become more confident and meet new people?

How does a gap year with yourselves work? What options are there?

My son and girlfriend would like a year abroad that balanced independent travel, with some elements of guided tours/volunteering to enable them to safely navigate their way around the world. Any advice on this would be great.

Good/safe countries for DS to travel to during his gap year. He has Coeliac disease.

I’d love for my teen to build confidence, become a bit more independent, and get a feel for the wider world during their gap year — nothing too fancy, just real-life experience, meeting new people, and trying new things. How can KILROY Travel help put together a trip that supports that and keeps things safe and manageable.

My DD is currently in Y13 and taking a gap year from September. I've had a quick look at backpacking travel insurance and it seems so expensive! Any tips on the best way to get good value travel insurance that will still adequately cover her? She isn't planning on doing high risk activities like bungee jumping or skiing.

What sort of insurance is required?

My teen is 17 and really interested in combining volunteering with outdoor adventure, ideally somewhere safe but culturally rich. We’re also hoping for a gap year experience that helps build independence and confidence before university. What destinations or programs with KILROY Travel would you recommend for this kind of mix?

I have had two of mine head off on gap years.
For a start at 18 they are young adults not teen. The use of teen by the sponsor of this thread spreads 'worry' in my view.

Mine researched countries and places with friends and made their own decisions. Mine are used to travelling for themselves - trains, buses etc in UK, but also across Europe on flights, trains and buses. All three have travelled independently for holidays in the UK, and for a few weeks/months in Europe for summer jobs, from age 16.

One headed off to Japan for 4 months three weeks after 18th birthday, then over to NZ and Aus for the rest of the year. He is currently working in UK and saving to do a North-South of South America, and he might do it by bike. His best experiences were the amazing variety of people he met in hostels across Japan - from Spanish to Columbian, Kiwi's to Irish, families, couples and singles. He loved that mix of people (he is very people person). With those random people he had some really amazing experiences 'off the beaten track'. In Aus he and a pal bought the most banger of cars I could imagine - and learned to mend it and keep it going for 6 weeks of travel, including a minor accident where they offered sweat labour to local garage to fix it...what an experience.

One is two years into NZ on youth working visa, about to head to Canada and likely back to the Alps. Tomorrow he heads off on 6-week bike tour of NZ, then another winter of work at the ski resort. En-route he dropped in on a cousin in Uganda and the pair of them travelled Uganda for a fortnight on buses. He is thinking about a stop at a pacific island on the way home before Canada with his new OH.

Both have WhatsApp and agreement is a weekly check in to remind me they are alive...

All have paid their own way, found jobs en-route and had to budget hard. They have had to find accommodation, problem solve issues when they arrive, met a dizzying variety of people, had opportunity to go places and do things spontaneously, change flights or travel dates, learn how to keep safe, cook for themselves and so, so much more.

On an organised year, I don't feel they would get such a rich experience. You stay in pre-defined accommodation, you meet similar (wealthy) UK folk and spend more time with them than locals or other nationalities, you are not able to be as spontaneous, you don't have to deal with issues as there is someone else doing the 'helicopter parenting', you are not budgeting and cooking so much.

I am a huge advocate of a year out - mine grew so much through it. But I do feel that companies like the sponsor of this thread do feed off parental worries, cater for a market of ill-prepared and immature 18 year olds who, with some thought and effort, could find their own cheaper, richer experience.

You mention learning to dive. Do you offer anything that includes learning to swim?

Your local swimming pool now is likely much cheaper and better than paying a gap year provider for them to learn to swim...

Do you organise golden gap years? I had caring responsibilities in my early 20s and then never got the chance, and I'm desperate to scratch my gap year itch even at 53.

Our dd2 worked for 6 months first, to fund most of her gap year travel, which was largely planned and organised by herself.

We did however pay for an add-on trip that was quite expensive - the Galapagos boat trip.

Is a gap year just for fun, or do you think it actually adds value and is worth doing?

I thought it was obvious that it wasn't just swimming lessons but swimming lessons included in a package alongside other activities, hence the wording that I used. Of course learning to swim is going to be cheaper over here if it was just that, however DS1 wants to also travel and meet new people so if I'd be paying for that anyway then I'd be killing 2 birds with 1 stone.

Mine worked multiple jobs, meet hundreds of new people, learned to deal with issues and adversity, planned and budgeted every thing, found thier own way of being, and so much more.
They arrived home having matured and developed skills that are deeply valuable in life and the job market.
So hugely beneficial.
But they did not go on the organised gap year that the advertiser of this thread provides.

Hi Backatasda,

This is a really common concern, especially for a first big trip. In reality, it’s less about constantly tracking them and more about having simple, reliable ways to stay in touch. Apps like WhatsApp are widely used (and we use it to communicate with our travellers too), and features like location sharing can be helpful on travel days if your child is comfortable with it.

On the practical side, digital banks like Monzo make things much easier, as you can send money instantly if needed. I’d also recommend they travel with at least two separate cards as a backup. A credit card can be useful too, and is sometimes required (for example, when renting cars in the US).

It can really help to agree on a few basics before they go – how often they’ll check in, what happens if plans change, and how you’ll support them if something unexpected comes up. It’s all about finding a balance that reassures you while still giving them independence.

We’re big believers in the power of travel – being in new environments naturally builds confidence and resilience. In our experience, young adults are often far more capable than they realise, and that’s one of the biggest benefits of travelling at this age. That said, the instinct to look out for them never really goes away, and that’s completely understandable!

Hi Haley,

How exciting that your teen is considering a gap year! We offer a wide range of opportunities that combine meaningful volunteering with travel. For a first trip, Southeast Asia is often a great choice, it’s safe, easy to get around, and very budget-friendly.

Some of our popular options include volunteering at an ethical elephant sanctuary in Thailand, or teaching in schools in Cambodia or Laos.

If they’re interested in marine conservation, we also run a unique 6-week programme in a beautiful part of the Philippines. It includes reef and beach clean-ups, community projects, and the chance to learn scientific diving and marine biology.

Experiences like these are not only unforgettable but also look fantastic on a CV.

Hi GranolaBaker,

We offer over 100 volunteering projects worldwide, where travellers can connect and work alongside others. These range from environmental and wildlife conservation to community and construction projects.

For first-time travellers, many of our programmes include airport transfers and on-site accommodation, so they feel supported from the moment they arrive and throughout their experience.

I was lucky enough to visit our wildlife rescue centre project in Thailand and speak with volunteers there – it’s an incredibly rewarding programme to be part of.

Hi Kweenxo,

Great question! I was really nervous before my first trip at 18, but I found Southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam) to be the perfect place to build confidence, meet people your age, and immerse yourself in a completely new and exciting culture.

The locals I met were incredibly kind and welcoming, which made the whole experience feel much easier and more enjoyable.

There’s so much to do in this part of the world, but I’d definitely recommend mixing it up with some volunteering, hiking, a homestay, and even diving, you really can’t go wrong!

Hi Ruqiya,

When planning a gap year with KILROY Travel, we start with an initial meeting to get to know your child’s interests, preferred destinations, and bucket list experiences. This helps us understand exactly what they want from their time away.

From there, we create a personalised itinerary that balances structured activities with independent travel time, as well as flights, building a trip that feels exciting but also manageable. We’ll then have follow-up conversations to tweak and refine everything, making sure it’s perfectly suited to their plans.

Once the ideal trip is in place, we can secure it with a deposit, giving them time to continue working and saving before departure. Before they head off, we also run a pre-departure meeting, and while they’re travelling, we’re available on WhatsApp if they need any support.

In terms of options, there’s a huge amount to choose from: working holidays, volunteering, divemaster courses, group tours, surfing, trekking and more. We can mix and match these to create a completely bespoke gap year experience.

Hi WiseLemonExpert,

This sounds like such an exciting time for your son and his girlfriend.

Our aim is to support travellers both before and during their trip, taking away as much of the stress and admin as possible from the planning process. We know how overwhelming it can feel, especially for a first big trip.

All of our itineraries are completely customised, so we can create a great balance between organised tours and independent travel time. This gives them structure where needed, but also the flexibility to explore at their own pace.