After high school, more U.S. students are opting to travel
during a “gap year” before they enter college. The time outside
the classroom offers teens a chance to gain real-world
experience and to better apply themselves when they return to
school, thanks to the knowledge they’ve gained from engaging
with different cultures and seeing other economic systems,
proponents say. To help teens use the gap year productively,
numerous companies are designing programs that combine travel
with volunteering, lectures, tours and other educational
components. California-based Adventures Cross Country recently
launched two semester-long programs for gap-year teens. GAP
Africa explores the cultures and challenges of three East
African nations: Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. GAP Asia explores
the cultures and challenges of Thailand, China and Tibet. Both
programs examine five main themes: Literacy & Education, Public
Health, Urbanization & the Movement of Peoples, Environment &
Conservation, and Microfinance & Economic Growth, t