Am I too old to go travelling?
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At Gap Year For Grown Ups we want to assure you that travel holds no age limit.
Many of our travellers when they first contact us are concerned that they have left it too late to take time out to go travelling. ‘Gap Years' have traditionally been associated with students heading off to explore the world before of after university but for many people this is simply not an option and further down the line they feel they have missed their chance to travel. People from all walks of life join our programmes and everyone has different motivations for going.
There are actually many benefits to travelling later in life, for example you will have life experience. This is something that will come in handy when travelling to new places and finding yourself in unfamiliar situations. If you choose to volunteer you will also find skills coming into play that you may never even knew you had - even confidence, patience and determination are key skills.
You may also have a very clear idea of where you want to go and what you want to do - perhaps you have always dreamt of teaching English in China, exploring Thailand or learning Spanish in Costa Rica. Many Grown Up gappers wonder why they waited for so long to book their trip with us when they always knew it was something they wanted to do!
Another benefit is that you may have a little ‘pot' of money saved for a rainy day - what better way to use it than to have the experience of a lifetime. You will come home with a sense of achievement that you have fulfilled a dream and given something back to the places you have stayed. Your address book will be full of new friends, and your head full of wonderful memories!
Finally, you may have a big motivation to want to go travelling, perhaps you have just retired, you may be bored with your current job or perhaps your children have just left home. Taking some time out to see the world may just be the break you need.
To further the idea that travel, and Gap Year For Grown Ups, hold no boundaries based on age, just look at the people who have travelled with us in the past.
You only need to take a look at a few of our past customers to realise that travel, and that Gap Year For Grown Ups, hold no boundaries based on age.
Lawrence Burnham - 48
Programme: Complete Gap Year
“I have always had a sense of adventure. After a life of work, work, work my marriage drifted apart, we sold the house and I took off on my motorbike to travel around the whole of Britain's coastline. Whilst on this trip I decided to travel further a field and explore the world! The aim was to travel for some one else…no more package tours”.
Read Lawrence's full travel story
Julie Jones - 61
Programme: Kenya Community Outreach
“Up until now I have always travelled in organised groups, I retired from teaching last year and was looking to do something different but I was concerned about what age was a ‘grown up' classed as? I am 61 years old, fit and healthy, but was I considered to be too ‘over the hill' for something like this? The good news... apparently not!”
Read Julie's full travel story
Xanthe Campbell - 43
Programme: Desert Elephant, Namibia
“I had always dreamt of going to Africa but shied away from the typical tourist thing of bus tours and luxury lodges. My dream was to discover the African bush in its true form. As a photographer I wanted to take shots of the desert elephants and the African plains, so the decision was easy - it had to be Namibia. But this would be a trip with a difference”!
Read Xanthe's full travel story
Alys Nutter - 29
Programme: Thailand Adventure
“I am a teacher and therefore we have lot so summer holidays. I wanted to do something productive with my time off and have always wanted to go to visit Thailand I liked the idea of travelling with a group of like minded people and seeing parts of the country that you wouldn't necessarily see if you travelled without the help of a knowledgeable Thai guide”.
Read Alys' full travel story
Susan Felton - 52
Programme: Himachal Teaching and Childcare, India
“I have been a nursery nurse for the last 18 years and I found myself at a crossroads in life when my husband of 31 years died. I was not ready to travel solo but felt a need to do something worthwhile during the summer holidays to keep busy. I chose this project so that I could travel with like-minded people who were of a similar age to myself”.
Read Susan's full travel story
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