Though not stylishly laid out, this book is ideal for students planning to take a year off. With 10 editions under its belt, the publisher knows what it's doing and it shows. This practical and comprehensive book guides gappers through university applications, deferral of study and exam retakes, and is full of ideas on how to spend a gap year here or abroad.

Best of all is the list of more than 50 organisations that arrange voluntary work overseas. Students can map the movements of a hippopotamus population in Malawi, teach orphans in the Himalayan foothills, set out on a scientific expedition to the Arctic or track turtles in the Caribbean.

Also helpful are extensive contact details, including lists of potential employers, universities, foreign embassies in the UK and colleges where students can brush up on their work skills. Dense with detail, the chapters are peppered with personal experiences of former gappers - 'bra-less with worms' for example, makes for entertaining reading.

The book is linked to a website - www.gap-year.com - which is regularly updated. The guide's only drawback is that it is mainly geared towards school leavers. It is a shame it does not embrace the development of the gap year as a phenomenon that appeals to all ages.

The Gap-Year Guide Book 2002/03 is published by John Catt Educational Limited, priced at £11.95.