Now check the cover for bungee jumping in Australia

THOUSANDS of school leavers will delay studying at university for another year in favour of a different type of education – travelling the world.

Most will visit Australia, Thailand, the US or New Zealand, according to research collected by travel association ABTA.

The organisation, which represents tour operators, has drawn up its top tips for ‘gap year’ travellers, including three major points on their personal finances.

The first is to choose a reputable travel company backed by a trade association.

Members of ABTA are signed up to a code of conduct and a complaints resolution scheme for travellers who believe they are entitled to money back when something goes wrong.

Second, buy good quality travel insurance, which will cover expenses or pay out for losses.

The cheapest policies may not provide appropriate cover.

For example, a policy might only pay out a small sum for lost luggage, or nothing at all, or it might not cover extreme sports such as bungee jumping – a popular activity in some of the top destinations.

If an activity ends in injury, medical costs abroad can be steep – even minor operations in the US can cost as much as £20,000.

Insurance policies can be found on a website such as Gocompare, or travellers can find a broker using the British Insurance Brokers’ Association website (biba.org.uk) or by calling its helpline on 0870 950 1790.

Third, travellers should inform their bank of travel plans. This is so it doesn’t suspect a card is stolen when it is used abroad.

If it does detect a potential fraud and has had no warning of their plans beforehand, it might put a ‘stop’ on the card and cut off the customer from their bank account funds.