Euphoric Indonesia
After 10 years of hard work at work, my boss agreed to let me take a year-long sabbatical. We took the opportunity to revisit Southeast Asia, not to relive the past glories of my 20s travels (where my destinations usually revolved around partying). Instead, we floated through the more “cultured” regions that were not on my radar before: South Korea, Japan, Taiwan (a revelation), and the more remote parts of the Philippines and Indonesia. I could list a hundred special moments and places over the course of the year, but the memory I revisit most in my mind is my daily moped ride to a beach on the east coast. Karimunjawa Islands In Indonesia, it was not the crystal clear sea, the smiling locals or the delicious food that remained etched in my memory, but the feeling of absolute freedom and euphoric joy that had me grinning from ear to ear during this trip, sometimes laughing hysterically for no reason (I must have looked a little crazy). It was the joy I felt simply by being alive. It is a feeling that can be elusive in life and one that I value immensely.
Benzoin
Farm stays
Without hesitation, my advice is to check it out. Wwoofing (Global Opportunities on Organic Farms). This organization (operating in over 130 countries) pairs you with a farm or business that needs a helping hand, where you’ll be provided with food and housing (you can apply based on the type of work, length of stay, and location). It’s a great way to save money and see new places. In 2017, during a semester as a university exchange student, I found myself Wwoofing in Chamonix, riding horses for “work,” eating an incredible amount of cheese, practicing my French, and sharing lots of laughs with a lovely host family.
Island
Happy Campers of the World
We travelled around the world in a cheap Volkswagen van with our three daughters, aged 13, 11 and 9. It was an incredible year that taught us so much about the world and its people, and the impact on our family remains with us, as it brought us together as a unit. My advice is: travelling is hard. Give yourself a ‘day in the duvet’ every now and then to recover. Have goals. We aimed to sing Beatles songs (badly) in every country from Liverpool to New York. It was scary, but oddly enough it gave the trip some structure. Ditch the house. Don’t get discouraged when your friends lose touch. They have lives too. The initial fanfare of your departure quickly evaporates. Look forward, not back.
Simeon Courtie
Go alone
My advice is not to travel alone, but to go alone. Traveling alone can completely change your life and help you discover and learn things about yourself, your resilience, your needs and desires. I am not going to use the expression “find yourself” because it does not suit everyone, but if you can face the idea of doing it alone, be brave, meet people, be spontaneous, make plans and change them as you wish, be yourself or who you want to be, and live it.
Layla
New Zealand, from head to toe
After finishing university, I spent all my savings on a year-long Interrail trip across Europe, travelling through Australia, and then flying to New Zealand, where I spent four months backpacking. Te Araroa:1,900 miles around New Zealand. I passed through rainforests, volcanoes, living rivers and windswept mountains. The friends and memories I made, combined with the skills and confidence I gained, have shaped my life two years later. I can only recommend taking a big risk and spending a good chunk of time immersed in nature, to gain perspective.
Alasdair
Career Auditions
Traveling can also be an opportunity to try out for a limited time anything that might interest you as a career: teaching, working as a cook, helping out as a gardener, working as a junior in an insurance company, playing a high-level sport. The possibilities are endless! When planning your trip, identify specific goals, but stay open to whatever might come up. And keep a journal so you can look back on those best days of your life.
Richard
Grandmother in struggle in Bolivia
Bolivia is the perfect country for offbeat adventures, warm hospitality, and plenty of perks. Dinosaur migrations. Swimming with pink dolphins in the Amazon. Grandma fighting. Llamas. The most fantastic indigenous food and culture, a festival every weekend, a complex social and political history—but an easy and safe place to travel, especially as a solo woman. Significantly cheaper than neighboring countries, it’s the best way to treat yourself to many must-see adventures, like the Amazon rainforest and the Uyuni salt flats.
Liz Cheesbrough
Surf and support local children in Peru
I took the opportunity to volunteer for a few months in the surfers' paradise of Huanchaco, Peru with Other network. Run by an Anglo-Peruvian couple and European managers, it provides educational support to marginalised children. Accommodation is cheap (around £10 a night for a private room) and the culinary options are incredible, both in the town and in the nearest city, Trujillo. The local ceviche is absolutely delicious. It is also well located for exploring lesser-visited parts of Peru, such as Chachapoyas and Cajamarca, both of which are an easy bus ride away.
Will
Marauding puma cubs and orcas
My husband and I spent eight weeks camping, hiking, and driving 2,500 miles across the Southern Cone of South America. We started in the Chilean Lake District, a stunningly beautiful region of pristine lakes, volcanoes, and dense temperate rainforests. We drove south on the Carretera Austral, the only highway that connects remote southern Chile. We took a 40-hour ferry ride through fjords, where we spotted whales and dolphins. In Patagonia, we marveled at jagged peaks and lunar landscapes, and saw three puma pups from the road. We returned via the Valdés Peninsula on Argentina’s east coast, where orcas prowled the shore, searching for sea lions.
Grace Hetherington
Volunteer at a ranch
Remote work is a fantastic program that connects travelers looking for cultural experiences (and lodging) with hosts who need volunteers or work in various forms. We spent a month tending to a working ranch in Maryville, Tennessee. Daily tasks included gardening, painting, cooking for our guests, and caring for horses, donkeys, and cats. In our free time, we used the ranch as a base for hiking, kayaking, and caving in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. A perfect way to take a break from work, learn new skills, and completely disconnect from the usual routine.
Carbonize
Life-Changing Mentorship, Eswatini
At 18, I volunteered for a month in Eswatini (then called Swaziland) with All Africa. I had never heard of Swaziland before, but I read in a gap year brochure that it had the highest HIV/AIDS density in the world – something I was fundraising for and wanted to learn more about. Those four weeks turned into a 19-year love affair with Eswatini! I have lived there ever since, run my own charity and have closely mentored one of the girls I met at the children’s centre where I first volunteered. Meeting her changed the course of my life!
Georgia
Sail life, France
We had four months to sail our 30-foot yacht, the Shearwater, to the Mediterranean. We opted for the canals that crisscross France. Arriving in Honfleur, it was delightful; mast down in Rouen. Dawn crosses Paris. Up the Marne, kingfishers parade. Burgundy-Champagne Canal, 155 locks. A constantly changing tableau of architecture, gastronomy and wine. Rapid descent of the Saône and the Rhône. What did I learn? To watch. To be. I had gained 100 pounds and intended to teach myself Italian. But the reality: I sat and watched and watched. To be in the present, to savor every detail slowly, slowly.
Sarah Ackroyd
Winning Tip: Protecting African Wild Dogs in South Africa
Gap years and volunteering aren’t just for students: I’ve been involved in a number of conservation projects in Africa and South America and felt really useful. There are plenty of organisations that offer to ‘match’ you with a volunteer role, but dealing directly with a local organisation means you can get exactly what you want. My favourite was with Wildlife Actwhich protects endangered species in Africa. African Painted Dogs In KwaZulu-Natal I got to meet the dogs up close while supporting the rangers who do an incredible job keeping them safe. Hard work and early mornings, but so rewarding, I'll be back! The organisation offers two weeks from around £900.
Simon
