Life Changing Time Out

"A Grown Up Gap Year can be as little as 4 weeks or as long as 4 years, depending on whether someone wants to take a constructive holiday or to change their life," says David Stitt, Director of Gap Year for Grown Ups. Launched in April, the new company aims to help older 'gappers' fulfil their dreams.

Learning to ride in South Africa, practice Buddhism in Thailand, or speak Spanish in Latin America are just some of the many options available to choose from on the company website www.gapyearforgrownups.co.uk. Volunteers can opt to help needy children in Africa, Asia or South America, work with elephants in Namibia, teach English in China, or work with disadvantaged women in Ecuador. Adventurers can even climb Mount Kilimanjaro or trek in the Guatemalan rainforests. Gap Year for Grown Ups' experienced advisors will arrange and co-ordinate the trip of a lifetime.

Set up in response to requests from older travellers, (sister outfit the Work and Travel Company already provide young people with gap year options), Gap Year for Grown Ups is a specialist company offering a range of projects and trips, which can be booked separately or packaged specifically, to suit the needs and wishes of the individual aged 31 +.

Julie (31) wanted a constructive break following redundancy and is now part way through a trip taking in two projects in Africa and India. Stella (49) and her daughter are spending 8 weeks helping out at an orphanage in Kenya. Maggie (52) is combining a holiday in India with 4 weeks at a childrens' centre near the Himalayas. Gap Year for Grown Ups has already helped all these people and more to achieve their ambitions in its first month of trading.

"Many of our clients take part in a voluntary project and then go on to see more of the country. We have had several bookings for African safaris following a 4 week stint at an orphanage in South Africa, " says Stitt. He goes on to add that Gap Year for Grown Ups have sent their first passengers away to projects in Africa, Malaysia, Latin America and India.

So far the company has had over 9,000 enquiries and interestingly most of the first month's bookers were women, mostly in their early to mid-thirties, and a few a little older.

Gap year for Grown Ups provides the way forward for people who want serious time out or a change of direction, for those who want to see and learn more about the world, or for those who want to conserve its precious resources for the future.

For more information, individual case studies, photos etc please contact:

Jennette Baxter pr@baxter1.clara.net

Rachael Wood, 01892 701881, rachael@gapyearforgrownups.co.uk