WITH offers from universities coming through, re-sits being done, and a big fat break from education coming up, I need to decide what to do with my gap year.

I have decided to take one after much umming and aaring but I haven't quite decided what to do.

There is no doubt in my mind that I want to go travelling, and since I was little I have always wanted to go to India. But what do I do there?

Do I just wander around visiting tourist attractions like the Taj Mahal, or do I embark on a rather expensive volunteer course where I work with autistic children or write for the Delhi Times?

Volunteering is incredibly expensive. For a few months we are talking thousands of pounds and that doesn't cover some meals, travel insurance and drinking money.

So I have started saving already and propose to get a job during my gap year to earn money for travelling and to start me off at university.

However, I haven't found a job yet. I want to go travelling alone, but this is a little daunting.

I think I would learn a lot about myself and finally grow up but I think my mother is a little scared about the prospect of me going off alone for three months to somewhere she can't just come and pick me up from.

So regular phone calls and emails home it is.