My Australia adventure was part of a 9 month trip away with a mate from University and we stopped off at Hong Kong for a week, before continuing on the Oz, then New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore then to Thailand.

I was in Australia for 5 months and we stayed with a couple of girls we new from the UK in Sydney for 2 months before buying a car and driving around 26,000km of the country with another mate and his girlfriend. We went to Melbourne, Adelaide, Broom, Darwin, Alice Springs, Ayers Rock, and Cairns before working our way down the east coast. I have now seen more of Australia than many Australians, as I’ve been to every state, bar Tasmania. I’ve been to New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland, and would one day love to go back and travel in luxury rather than in tents and hostels.

So, if you have a spare year, perhaps just before University or just after, I’d take the opportunity to go on a gap year because you may not get chance again until you retire.

The Nile Cruise usually takes place over either a week or 2 weeks. Usually the first week is setting sail and seeing the likes of Luxor, Karnak and other immense ancient temples. The Egyptians must be arguably the best architects and builders that have ever lived. From the Pyramids of Giza to all the temples where Pharaohs were buried, their legacy will always live on. The Nile Cruise is a fantastic experience – you sail down the Nile much like you’re staying in a hotel – the main difference from staying in a hotel is that when you open your curtains in the morning you are actually moving! It’s a strange experience because you’re not bobbing up and down and going from side to side like you are when your sailing on the ocean, because you’re on a river. And if you decide to go for more than a week, you can relax at some of the most luxurious hotels ever.

Trust me – go on a cruise of the River Nile and it’ll be in the top 10 holidays you ever go on.