Young people are set to make 2012 their year of travel, as unemployment remains high and university tuition fees shoot up.
Gap-year travel agents STA Travel has revealed that the number of gap year travellers will increase by 20 per cent this year, with to three million young people going away in 2012.
The average age of gap year travellers is expected to drop this year, as more students take a break after their A-levels due to higher university fees.
And unemployment among 18-24 year olds in the UK is still high, which has led many young people to revise their plans for the year.
“For many young people, 2012 will be their ‘year of travel’ as they re-evaluate future plans,” said John Constable, managing director of the STA Travel group.
“Young people have used travel to broaden their horizons for many years, however this avenue has become more formalised with many young people incorporating some sort of skill and CV-boosting activity while they’re away.”
STA Travel has said that the number of students using their gap year to boost their CV and become more employable has increased rapidly in the past 12 months.
The number of students heading overseas to work (in places like Australia or Canada), study and take part in volunteer projects rose by more than one third in the past 12 months.
This has led to a change in the type of travel that young people are undertaking, with shorter breaks becoming more popular as youngsters travel for a specific reason.
“Traditionally gap trips were a full 12 months, however for our customers last year the average trip length was 54 days, which indicates a leaning towards a series of shorter blasts of travel,” added Mr Constable.
“Usually these mini-gap trips are for a specific reason, such as to take part in a volunteer project, go to a festival or go on a language or skill course overseas.”
