Mind the gap year in London

The days of walking into a travel agents and picking an off-the-peg, one-size-fits-all holiday package seem to be numbered.

Hundreds of travel sites have sprung up on the internet and a gap year spent travelling before university has become de rigeur for any self-respecting student, even royal ones.

Indeed, nearly half of all people questioned in a recent UK survey described themselves as independent travellers, choosing to select individual elements of their holiday from a variety of operators and tailoring their trip to their onw preferences.

If this sounds like you, Islington's Business Design Centre is the place to be this weekend. The Independent Travellers' World Exhibition 2002 is taking place and offers the world at your fingertips.

You'll find workshops to help with every aspect of your trip. Why not finance your travels by working abroad as you go? A team of experts will show you how.

And seasoned travel journalists and writers will offer practical advice on how to pitch ideas and photos to editors... this could be the start of a new career.

The Independent Travellers' World Exhibition 2002 takes place at Islington's Business Design Centre from 10am to 6pm on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 February and from 10am until 4pm on Sunday 24 February. Admission is £6 (two-for-one offer applies to This is London readers).

See our new travel site: www.thisistravel.co.uk