It is now extremely popular to take a gap year between school and university or university and work and to spend it travelling. There are plenty of reasons to recommend it – travel (1) ……. the mind, you are only young once, life is not a rehearsal and so on. And if you do not do it, you may always regret that you did not take the (2) …… in the end, there is only one response: well, why not? The idea may have its (3) …… in the 18th – century Grand Tour once undertaken by young, rich and noble, but it is the middle classes who have turned it (4) ………. something that 200.000 British youngsters do every year. (5) ……… has never been so easy and cheap, with more places open to tourists than ever. Also, the gap years is now (6) …… by many employers and universities. The State, the Far East and Australia were among the original (7) …… and although these remain in the top five, young explorers are now going even further. The most far – flung corners of the world are (8) ……… in popularity year by year. About 700 will buy student ticket (9) …… for six months that will take you from London to Calcutta, Singapore, Bangkok, Perth, Sydney, Auckland, Fiji, Tahiti, Los Angeles and (10) …….again.