While this is among the most frequently asked questions, it is difficult to answer because of the varied nature of the opportunities available from Taking Off. Cost depends on a number of factors: what you want to do, where you want to go, how many experiences you want to have, how you want to live, whether you require college credit, etc.

Experiences range from self - supporting (room and board in exchange for labor) to opportunities that cost eight or nine thousand dollars; some offering a full semester of college credit. Studying photography in Italy is more expensive than organic farming in New Zealand.

Experiential learning that offers college credit is more expensive than working in a health clinic in Appalachia. An internship in Europe is more expensive than an internship in Asia or South America. Taking Off makes every effort to work within your budget and is very clear with students that part of the year should be spent living at home to work or raise money towards the cost of their time off.

Time off, after all, is about real life, and in real life parents do not continue to write the checks.

The safety of our clients is Taking Off's number one concern. Over the past several years we have become sadly aware that, on a certain level, no one is safe even in school. While Taking Off cannot guarantee the safety of your son or daughter, we make every effort to recommend options that have been tested. If a client selects one of our over 3,000 opportunities that we do not have firsthand knowledge of from a previous client, we go to great lengths to research and evaluate the experience by talking with our global contacts, program staff, and past participants.

It is also important that parents and students make use of the many excellent websites that have up to date information on changing health precautions, visa requirements, political and economic instability, insurance, and other concerns common to most travelers.

In addition, clients are encouraged to gather information from a variety of sources, and we are happy to help in this process. The more clients can learn before they decide on a course of action the better the overall fit, and the more prepared they will be for what lies ahead. The organizations that we work with have an excellent track record in terms of being able to respond to potential international crises and emergency situations.

Finally, it is always the right of any parent to say that certain locations are off limits: the ultimate decision concerning the option that best meets their needs and safety concerns must be made by the client and his/her family.

Is taking time off a choice against college?

This commonly held attitude could not be further from the truth. Although the positive publicity given Prince William's 'gap year' in Chile and Africa has somewhat addressed this misconception, most parents and students tell us that they have never heard about the option of taking time off and certainly did not realize that over 3,000 colleges/universities support it by granting requests for deferrals every year.

Colleges support time off because they know that a well - planned year off means a better student. While one should never mention time off to colleges during the application process (too many students, too few seats) once a student is accepted, colleges are more than happy to receive a letter requesting a deferral.

We advise students to apply for college during their senior year of high school as it is far easier to apply with a system in place and the application process is a laborious one. But every student should know that taking time off is a real option. Our commitment is to help you explore and better understand what taking time off is all about so that you can decide whether it could be right for you.