'Why do you go away? So that you can come back," wrote Terry Pratchett in his comic fantasy novel A Hat Full of Sky.  "So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving."
Pratchett hit the nail on the head, and the notion of young travellers taking a gap year after school or university - to see the world and cultivate a little independence through the international school of hard knocks - is one we should all encourage.
Globetrotting isn't cheap though, especially on the rand, and being able to add a few euros, dollars and baht to the travel fund has long been essential for gap-year adventurers without a trust fund to dip into.Since the United Kingdom scrapped its hugely popular working-holiday visa in 2009, South Africans have been forced to find alternative options, says Marvin Gabriel, owner of the Durban branch of the Overseas Visitors Club, and a specialist in arranging youth travel.
"Our biggest challenge is finding suitable programmes that cater to the constant demand for international working adventures."
While the working-holiday visa allowed gap-year travellers the freedom to find a job on arrival, from pulling pints to punching photocopiers, gappers these days are forced to secure employment before they leave home. But that doesn't mean there isn't an enticing range of opportunities on offer.
"Our au pair option is still one of our most popular, offering young ladies a gap year in the US, Netherlands or Germany," says Gabriel, adding that the chance to work as a counsellor in the US's famous summer camps, or on an Israeli kibbutz, still remain open to local gappers.
"The most popular working holiday destination is the US," says Lize Maartens, product and marketing manager for STA Travel South Africa.
"Another hotspot is Asia: we offer English teaching programmes in Thailand, Vietnam, China, Macau and Hong Kong.""Teaching English in Thailand has quickly filled the shoes of the old UK working-holiday visa, offering flexibility and a varied length of stay catering for all walks of life," adds Gabriel.To qualify for a position teaching English abroad, travellers will typically need to have a bachelor's degree, and/or hold a certificate in Tefl (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) or Tesol (Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages). Though positions can be secured with just a degree or a Tefl/Tesol certificate, having both will open more doors, and secure a higher salary for your time abroad.
For travellers looking to travel and work Down Under, both Australia and New Zealand offer opportunities for seasonal work on farms, although a relevant qualification or experience is typically required for the often-onerous visa application.
Similar opportunities exist in the US via the J-1 visa programme, which allows for internships lasting up to 12 months and are based on fostering "global understanding through educational and cultural exchanges". For graduates and young professionals with tertiary qualifications in agriculture or hospitality, this is an excellent way to travel and earn abroad.
Perhaps more useful for gap-year travellers straight out of school is the H2-B visa, which allows for foreign nationals to take up temporary, seasonal positions outside the agricultural sector. That could mean a spell on Caribbean cruise ships, bussing tables in theme-park restaurants, or working in the pro-shop at some of the US's most exclusive country clubs.
Though this is not a "working holiday", weekends and days off can be used for exploring locally, and the chance to earn greenbacks is an easy way to fund travels during the rest of your gap year.Extending a working holiday "makes perfect sense as flights have already been paid for, visas acquired and all that's left is to make the most of your time in the country," says Kele Scheppers, marketing manager for youth travel brand Contiki.
"Europe remains the perennial favourite, but Asia and the US are climbing in popularity. Vietnam is very much on the horizon, as travellers want to explore its unique history, the delicious food and the culture on offer."
As one of the more affordable corners of the planet, Asia certainly remains a prime choice for gap-year travellers. Thailand and Vietnam have long come top of the list, but if you're wary of crowds it pays to look further afield.
Myanmar is quickly becoming hot property in Asia, while Sri Lanka offers the colour and exoticism of India, without quite as much chaos.
In South America, Peru and Argentina are excellent options thanks to their mix of vibrant cities, dramatic scenery and budget-travel infrastructure.
Though a little more expensive, Australia and New Zealand are also well geared up for budget travellers tramping trails and kicking back on idyllic beaches.
With a global cash card in your pocket, the world's your oyster. What are you waiting for?
WEBSITES THAT WORK FOR YOU
Fancy spending a few weeks on an eco-retreat island off the coast of Sweden? How about holing up in a cosy backpackers overlooking a loch in the Scottish highlands? Or perhaps escaping to a farm in the hills of Provence?
These are just a few of the opportunities available on Workaway, a website connecting community-minded travellers with hosts around the world who are in search of a (free) helping hand.
The Workaway model sees "Workawayers" provide a few hours of labour - typically five hours a day, five days a week - in exchange for free meals and lodging at host properties. There are thousands of host properties in more than 170 countries worldwide, with hosts looking for a hand with everything from small-scale farming to childcare to running small guesthouses.Unlike a volunteering agency, Workaway is a self-sustaining online community: Workawayers create their own profile, outlining their skills and experience, and communicate directly with hosts. 
An annual subscription to Workaway costs US$36, and allows unlimited use of the site, and connections with hosts. The only other catch is that some countries may require special visas for volunteering, even if unpaid.
Another popular choice for those looking to trade a few hours' labour in exchange for room-and-board is the global Willing Workers on Organic Farms network, which operates in 120 countries, including South Africa, so gappers can give "Wwoofing" a try before they head overseas.
Wwoof also charges an annual subscription for volunteers to connect with hosts. The membership fee varies for each country, from €25 in Ireland, to $35 in Tanzania. An annual membership in South Africa costs just R150. - Richard Holmes 
HOW TO EMBRACE SLOW TRAVEL ON YOUR GAP YEARMy gap year was a fun time - 16 months of footloose travel interspersed with menial jobs to pay for more of it. I backpacked around Mozambique, hitching rides on trucks and freight trains. I lay on a beach in Thailand, pretending to be a writer, and had some hair-raising experiences while travelling in a less-touristy part of West Bengal.
On the last day of that year, as a group of us on scooters spent a terrifying evening dodging trucks in the dark on a rainswept mountain pass in Vietnam, I had an epiphany: I wish I had planned this all a bit better.
One of the things I like most about travel is the time spent on buses and trains and boats, watching this new world slide past. Travelling like this gives you time to think and daydream.If I could do it all again, I would do three things: I would explore every city I visited by bicycle. I would do a local cooking course in every country. And I would travel between cities by train (see Seat 61 for the best train trip advice in the world) or with a company such as Busabout (busabout.com) whose coaches operate on a comprehensive network around Europe from May to October. For R18,900, travellers have unlimited access to Busabout's hop-on hop-off network and will travel with like-minded people. It's excellent value.
The network "perfectly mirrors the European summer", says Busabout brand manager Jessica Clarke.
"It's great for those young travellers taking a gap year. Given that it is so flexible and customisable, travellers get to do what they want, when they want." - Paul Ash..