text: Big issue :: Gap years :: Have your say
  Should parents bail you out of gap year debt?29% of gap-year travellers ask the bank of mum and dad to cough up the cash when they run out of money on their trip. Would you ask your parents to help fund your travels? Or would you rather come home then ask your parents for help?
  Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowThere's no denying gap years will be the best 12 months of your life and it's worth spending shed loads on it because it's your last chance of real freedom, right? But at what cost to you, or in a lot of cases your parents? A new study by the Post Office found 29% of gap-year travellers turn to the bank of mum and dad to bail them out of cash-flow problems while overseas. A fifth of gap-year travellers ran out of money in the first three months of their trip, but would you fly home, work overseas or ask your parents for help? For those who chose the asking the parents option, the study found the average 'bail out' was £772. And for those students-to-be, who took the working option, just under half – 43% didn't have the right visa to work when abroad.
  Most PopularWhat would you do if you run out of money of your gap year? Would your parents help you out if you got stuck for money while travelling? Have you asked your parents to help you out when travelling? If you've been on a gap year did you save up before or did your parents contribute? Do these findings from the Post Office put you off taking a gap year? Would you show this story to your parents, or would it put them off supporting your trip?Have your say below