Royal Geographical Society - Advice and training for fieldwork and expeditions

There are a wealth of opportunities available to you as a gap year traveller. Here are just some of the activities gap year students choose to do:

Conservation projects e.g. working on wildlife reserves; planting trees.
Field research e.g. as a field assistant on a research project, independent research or on a course at a Field Study Centre
Expeditions in remote or challenging environments
Caring e.g. working with street children, in an orphanage.
Teaching e.g. being a teaching assistant or Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).
Outdoor education and camps e.g. working in Outward Bound centres or Summer Camps.
Learning a new outdoor skill: e.g. climbing, sailing, canoeing, trekking, skiing, desert travel.
Courses and cultural exchanges: e.g. languages, university summer courses.
Work: e.g. paid work, work experience, internships.
Independent travel.

Think about what experiences would fit in with your aims and objectives.
Speak to people who have been on or are knowledgeable about gap years.
When you find something which sounds attractive, search for other similar opportunities and compare what is on offer.
Look at books and gap year web-sites. Some you may wish to look at include:

What to do?