Practical advice

Rachel Gallagher writes...

"If you browse gapyear.com you will find huge amounts of information on every aspect of gapping. You will find practical advice on health, security and communications as well as insurance, visas, immunisation, universities, malaria, what kit to take, and so on. Why don't you go through these pages with your child and list the things that both of you feel are essential or need to be done, and which of you is going to do them? You will find links to all the key pages below.

Perhaps one of the most useful things to do as a parent is set up a power of attorney for your child while (s)he is away. This can either cover specific areas or give you general powers to deal with his or her affairs. This means you can talk to the bank, the university, and anyone else with full authority and in an emergency can be vital.

It is also important that as well as your child taking a copy of all their documents with them they also leave one copy of everything at home with you. This also helps you deal with such things as stolen credit cards and so on."

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