Gap year travellers are being advised to prepare for their trip by learning a few basic phrases and swot up on the culture differences to help make sure their adventure runs smoothly.

Sharron Livingston, editor of The Travel Magazine, said some basic research could help to diffuse the culture shock when travelling to countries like Raleigh expedition country India.

She said: "Communication is very different in places like India, they approach you in a different way."

She suggests learning some basic phrases such as "hello" and "thank you" along with "how much is that?" and the appropriate words for "I want".

Her comments follow a recent survey from TransPerfect, a language and translation services provider, that shows communications problems are the biggest issue for those travelling abroad.