What it's like to... Go travelling

With hundreds of them filling up their backpacks and heading off in different directions, we at Weekend thought it would be good to speak to two best friends who have done the whole thing and have the Instagram posts to show for it.

Rewind to January 28, this year, when fresh-faced students Beth Martin and Rosa Jackson, both aged 19 and from Shropshire, left Stanstead airport in search of new horizons. They made the decision to take a gap year to explore Asia before heading off to university earlier this month. Their six-month adventure took in numerous destinations including India, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

"We started in Dubai, where we stayed for three days," Beth explains, "then we travelled across to India, and stayed in the town of Faridabad, just outside of Delhi."

Here, they stayed with a host family while volunteering at a local slum school for two weeks, working with and teaching the children.

Rosa tells us that 'these particular children live in slums where education is not a given and many would consequently work on the streets to make a living'.

Both girls agreed how lucky they were to have had the education they did: "We 100 per cent take education for granted back home. The kids were so excited to learn and wanted to do different things. They all had such big dreams and were so enthusiastic."

"We brought in loads of crayons and arts and crafts and we did dancing with the children – we made it fun, a place where they could laugh."

Beth explains how this particular experience 'completely changes your outlook on life'. They travelled half way across the world to be there, but the girls said most of the children they taught will never leave Faridabad.

After their time spent in the slum school, which they found an intensely rewarding, if not tough, experience, they moved on to exploring India's sights and cities. "We saw the Taj Mahal, and it was amazing. In all the pictures we took it doesn't even look real, it is so crazy to comprehend that they built it so long ago," Rosa tells us.

Their next stop was Sri Lanka and then Cambodia. Both girls understand the shocking stories related to each country, such as the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 and the violent history of the killing fields in Phnom Penh.

Malaysia and Borneo were next up for the keen travellers. In Borneo they went to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. Beth explains: "They take in orphaned orangutans – they weren't in cages, they were in a big reserve where they could interact with people so it wouldn't be so different for them when they went back into the wild."

"We flew into Bangkok next, which is like the backpacking central for all of Asia. It is a place where you're always meeting people of your own age. We did the full moon party on the beach which gets thousands and thousands of people and it is crazy."

Beth is keen to point out that they weren't just there to party but it was something they wanted to experience. "There's obviously so much more to Thailand than partying, but it's something that brings everyone together – the full moon party will be on every backpacker's must-see list."

Rosa also recalls their time spent at Chiang Mai at an elephant jungle sanctuary: "When you go to Thailand, a lot of people ride elephants or go to see chained up ones, but at this place they were all free to walk about.

"We had to wear these special ponchos that people wore every day when they visited so that the elephants would never be scared of all these new people. It was very ethical."

In Vietnam, the girls came to grips with the country's tragic history as they visited the War Remnants Museum.

They also realised the privilege of being someone with enough money to travel: "The idea of travelling half way across the world is crazy to them, that means you have lots of money. Gap years aren't a thing there," says Beth.

But what was it that made them want to go travelling?

Rosa says: "I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do in the next year, and I'd seen other people's travelling pictures and was inspired."

Both girls got two jobs and saved up all their money in order to go on their trip of a lifetime.

Beth states: "I've met so many people I consider really good friends now – I could go to America, Australia, anywhere in Europe and I would have friends to visit."

"Also, hostels aren't as bad as you hear – the most I spent was £8 a night and I got such a comfy bed, cleanliness and a brilliant location."

For the girls, 'everyday was something new, new food, new people, new places to stay. "It was always so exciting you never get bored, and it is something we recommend to everyone," they add.

By Charlotte Bentley