What would be better for a gap year?

Be a nanny or au pair in London or Paris for the fall, do a winter season as a chalet helper in France, Austria or Switzerland, then go and tour Australia late spring and early summer, maybe scuba diving between Cairns and Sydney. Why? You will go to one of the world's coolest city and not have to pay to stay, you can learn how to ski/board really well, you'll get to visit a continent you will probably never have the vacation time to visit again - and Oz is really cool, especially Sydney - and you will see the world and get to see things from a new perspective, maybe learn a language and have picked up a few friends and life skills along the way.