In a first for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the government body has developed an application aimed at providing travel advice to those about to embark on a gap year.
The Plan.Pack.Explore service, incidentally available as a pocket sized book as well, provides advice on health issues, visas and generally staying safe as well as what the FCO can (and can't) do to help.
Figures quoted in a statement claim a quarter of 16 to 24 year olds travelled without insurance in the past six months.
The application, which is available for iPad, iPhone and Android devices, is part of the FCO's ongoing Know Before You Go campaign launched more than 10 years ago in conjunction with travel industry partners.