They do a voluntary project some independent travel and the really lucky ones even do a ski season after that

They do a voluntary project, some independent travel and the really lucky ones even do a ski season after that. They mix helping others with having a good time – so long as they can afford it. Geldof wouldn’t argue with that.’I don’t feel mature enough to start my degree yet’Katy Dickson , 18, lives in Kent and is waiting for her A-level results.I am planning on going to Tanzania in January. In particular, they don’t realise they can take a gap year in 2005, without having to pay top-up fees in 2006. Now it is self-improvement projects such as a journalism or medical placement.”With the introduction of top-up fees, young people are likely to think even harder about what they want to study at university. Increasingly, they want to get a taste of the subject they have chosen in their year out But top-up fees have affected gap year numbers.

Many students don’t understand the reforms being introduced by the Government in 2006 and some have panicked. There has been a growth in organisations offering conservation projects, to cater for 18 year olds who want to do turtle conservation, for example. Others are more interested in doing career-related projects, says Peter Slowe. “Originally everyone wanted to teach English or do care work.

Bunac, the organisation providing work and volunteering opportunities around the world, has been running work placements in the USA for decades, but the number of gap year students has dropped. This is primarily because of the difficulty of obtaining working visas, the fact that many students have already been to America and, perhaps, the current sentiment towards the US, says Callum Kennedy from Bunac.Just as the gap year destinations are changing, so are the kinds of projects young people are choosing. It is viewed as a cool place to go, but flights can be expensive and parents tend to worry about safety. “Latin America is very popular at the moment,” says Alex Maclean-Bristol, from Project Trust “An increasing number of people study Spanish at school. They see travelling to South America as an outlet for their language skills.” The Leap has branched out to include South America as an expedition option in response to demand.Despite the dominance of American culture, the USA is not a gap year favourite.