Don't miss a year of living dangerously

It can be grim being young: think of all those grey-faced youths living under the shadow of impending exams.

But perhaps don't spare that much of a thought. In a few months' time, the scamps will be freer than any humans have since we gave up chasing antelope. Beyond the horizon of exams lies the gap year.

Gap years are booming. According to the Year Out Group, an association of gap-year providers, up to 200,000 Britons take time out each year, 130,000 of them school-leavers.

But many potential gappers don't take the plunge. STA Travel surveyed 14,000 young people and found that 73 per cent planned to take a gap year. But only a fifth of them will do it, says Tammy Cohen, the author of Amazing Gap Year Adventures. "It's a fantastic opportunity and you won't get it later in life," she says.

A key question facing potential gappers is whether to plan. You need to make some preparations before you go: insurance is a must, and you need to work out how you will access money (plastic or traveller's cheques), and find out about monsoons and summer seasons and the culture of the country you're visiting. "But there's a balance between a strict itinerary and a plan," says Cohen. Knowing where you will be all the time may suck the freedom out of your trip and often proves unrealistic. Several of the gappers Cohen spoke to just upped sticks and went for it.

Once you know where you are going, you could look at what you want to do. "There's a huge debate about whether you should do a placement or follow the sun," says Cohen. "Think about what you want out of it, research, and talk to people who've done it." Prince William's voluntary work in South America has encouraged more gappers to try good works, but others get more out of going it alone, says Cohen.

Some gap-year experts claim that a structured programme goes down better with employers. But Cohen believes that how you earn your way around the world is more important for your CV than what you do on it. It will sound more impressive to employers if you raised the money yourself and went wandering in the Hindu Kush than if your parents paid for you to teach English in India for a few months.

Fundraising, busking or getting a job or a charity sponsorship are good ways to raise funds and will all look good on your CV. Parental loans, however, are a double-edged sword, warns Cohen. "Money from the bank of mum and dad often comes with strings attached," she says. "And there's also a risk of being resented by your friends."

Once you are away, the most important thing is not to worry too much. For all the scare stories, the worst rarely happens. Even when it does, it does not have to be the end of the world. Sarah Cummings, 24, took her gap year after leaving university. "Travelling has always been a thing I wanted to do," she says. "I'd been planning it for years."

After travelling around South-east Asia, she arrived in Ko Phi Phi and fell in love. She celebrated Christmas on the island and was training to become a diving instructor. But then on Boxing Day, the tsunami hit. Cummings's room was torn apart and she was washed out by the waves.

"I wasn't scared, but I was angry that I was going to die on Boxing Day, so every Christmas from then on would be ruined for my family," she says. "It sounds insane, but I remember worrying about whether my dead body would be found with my mouth and eyes open or closed."

Cummings survived, and after a harrowing few days, got the first flight back to the UK. She had a smashed ankle bone and was on crutches for five weeks. Within three months, though, she was off again. "There was no way that the tsunami was going to ruin my plans," she says.

Despite what happened, Cummings says that she would recommend travel to anyone. After all, she points out, going back to Thailand meant she missed 7/7. "It's the best thing I've ever done," she says. "There's no point worrying what might or might not happen. Just go and do it."

'Amazing Gap Year Adventures' by Tammy Cohen is published by John Blake (£9.99)