There has been record growth in the Gap Year for Grown Ups market seeing bookings increase by 300% since 2005.

Traditionally gap years have been perceived to be the domain of school leavers but the Gap Year for Grown Ups customer base is a different story. 61% are 25-50, 27% are over 50 and only 12% under 25.

Lauren Mackay, brand manager, Gap Year for Grown Ups says, “The market is constantly evolving and there is no average grown up traveller. More companies are realising the value of giving employees career breaks, retired people are feeling confident to travel further afield and many people just want to take a break and give something back.”

The length of trips is changing too.  Mackay adds “With programmes running from two weeks to 12 months the flexibility on what you do and when and where you go is enormous.”

The perceived value to an employee is priceless. In a recent survey by pollster YouGov on behalf of Direct Line Travel Insurance, one in three people said they would be more likely to remain with an organisation long-term if offered a career break.

Camilla Kinder, 30 took a career break and travelled with her husband Julian, 37 with Gap Year for Grown Ups in October 2007. Volunteers on the Kenya Camp Life programme, they lived and worked in a rural Kenyan village working on an ongoing community development programme involving the local primary school.
Camilla says “It has done us good to experience a powerful reality check on life and to realise how lucky we are. We hope that we have helped the school and local community. You feel that what you do is just a drop in the ocean, but in reality the ripples spread out further than you imagine.”