How much money do I need for my gap year budget?

There is no fixed price tag which you can put on a gap year. The best way to approach this question is to work out what you want to do first, so you can put some figures down on paper. Once you work out what you really want to do, you can then start to figure out how you are going to achieve that goal. Want to swim with dolphins in Fiji? Maybe you could join a scuba diving research project. Or maybe this could be an activity you do during your round the world tour, stopping over in Fiji.

Once you know what you want to do, you then need to figure out how much you can realistically earn/raise. Read our great Money & Fundraising section for help on advice on budgeting and saving for your gap year, and how to go about fundraising and earning the money you need.

You might need to compromise a little to achieve your goals (unless you are a very lucky Trust Fund baby!), but don’t be put off – you will manage to raise more than you think. So what if you need a month’s pit stop in Australia mid travels to pick fruit. You’ll have a ball and meet a load of friends to travel onwards with. It’s all part of the backpacking adventure.