<p>I know what you mean about parents worrying - I know mine worried a lot about what might happen to me when I went travelling, but their fears lessened as time went on (I was away for 6 months) and there’s not much that they worry about nowadays from that point of view. So long as you follow the basic mantra of ‘don’t be an idiot’ (i.e. don’t walk down dark alleys alone) then you will be fine. Also be aware of political instability that may occur in one part of the country but not another. For instance, stay the hell away from Kashmir. The FCO website is very useful in this respect (UK government, though I’m sure the US has its own version). </p>
<p>India’s an interesting one (I’ve been there twice, backpacking when I was 12 & 14 with my dad) - though from a language point of view, moderately useless. That’s because there are so many regional and tribal languages (several thousand) that English is fairly widely. It’s a legacy from India’s colonial days, and almost everyone speaks at least pidgin English, so you will find that they want to practice their English on you! Avoid anywhere that serves Western food, follow the standard developing country rules about eating food (boil it, peel it, cook it or forget it - see [WHO</a> | Frequently asked questions and information for travellers](<a href=“http://www.who.int/topics/cholera/faq/en/index.html]WHO”>http://www.who.int/topics/cholera/faq/en/index.html) ) and always buy sealed bottled water, and add your own treatment agent to it (fizzy drinks are also fine, though you could get a little sick of Thums Up after 3 weeks). </p>
<p>If you were to go to India, then try and get down to Kerala. It’s green, well educated, relatively affluent and South Indian food is totally different to food in the north (North Indian food is what has been exported back to the West, but IMHO S Indian food is much nicer). If you want to ‘live like a local’ so to speak then make sure you travel by train (sleeper trains are available), and look out for places where the locals are eating (in fairness, the latter is a food hygiene issue too). In terms of trekking, there are quite a few different options, especially in national parks. I did a guided trek through Periyar Tiger Reserve, where we were led by park rangers, and the group consisted of a variety of people, including an Indian couple on their honeymoon. I wouldn’t particularly recommend Periyar (we didn’t see much by way of interesting wildlife), but it does go to show that the opportunities are out there in various national parks. </p>
<p>If you’re going to be around the Himalayas, then see if you can go to Bhutan. It’s a beautiful country with a very different philosophy on life to the US, preferring to measure development in terms of Gross National Happiness rather than Gross National Product. Do some research on it, and see if it appeals. Be aware, however, that entry visas can be relatively difficult to get, as they wish to limit the impact of tourism on the country. </p>
<p>Truth be told, you’re not going to get to learn a new language from scratch in 3-5 weeks, especially one that uses a different alphabet. You always need a certain level of proficiency to gain linguistically from being in that country. If you can’t get relevant language lessons in your hometown before you go (and let’s face it, some of these languages are pretty niche!) then personally I’d either forget the language element and just get by on a bit of handpointing, simple English and some basic words from the local language, or I’d go to a French-speaking country. </p>
<p>In terms of what you actually do out there, then you may like to have a look at the following websites, which match up hosts and volunteers; you swap your labour for their bed and board and cut out the middleman. You may be able to find a host who shares your interests in art and music, and maybe they could teach you a new instrument (the sitar!)
[Help</a> Exchange: free volunteer work exchange abroad Australia New Zealand Canada Europe](<a href=“http://www.helpx.net%5DHelp”>http://www.helpx.net)
[Workaway.info</a> the site for free work exchange. Gap year volunteer for food and accommodation whilst travelling abroad.](<a href=“http://www.workaway.info%5DWorkaway.info”>http://www.workaway.info)
WWOOF </p>
<p>You could also try <a href=“http://www.couchsurfing.org%5B/url%5D”>www.couchsurfing.org</a> for short-term homestays, though I can see how it would worry your parents!
If it all starts to get a bit much, and you want to go and find some other Westerners to talk to (hey, that’s fine) then you could find a backpackers hostel (try [Hostels</a>, Hotels & Youth Hostels at HostelBookers](<a href=“http://www.hostelbookers.com%5DHostels”>http://www.hostelbookers.com) ) </p>
<p>Try to avoid going on one of these organised ‘voluntourism’ trips. There are several reason, but primarily
a) They’re a rip off, and will have you paying Western rates for accommodation etc. in a developing country. You can live like a king (almost) in India for ~$10-15 per day if you avoid booking through Western companies.
b) You can often be doing more harm than good. You can find all sorts of things online by googling for ‘voluntourism problems’, but this sums it up better than most [Why</a> you shouldn’t participate in voluntourism | Matador Network](<a href=“http://matadornetwork.com/change/why-you-shouldnt-participate-in-voluntourism/]Why”>Why You Shouldn't Participate in Voluntourism) </p>
<p>With regards to how long you go for, then err on the side of more time rather than less. I don’t know anyone who wanted to go home at the end of their trip, even if they’d been away for a year +! Bear in mind that as you will be going to a developing country, most of the cost involved will be in the flights, whereas what you actually do out there is relatively cheap. Three months does not cost twice as much as six weeks! Try to write out a plan of what you will do, when and where. Factor in time for travel between places, and add a few days here and there for downtime, and when you just want to stay in a place that bit longer. </p>
<p>Sorry for the essay! Unfortunately I don’t know much about Nepal / Indonesia, but as gap years are very common in some countries, I’m sure you’ll be able to find info on it by googling.</p>