Anne-Marie Davies, 45, Administrator
Round the World: New Zealand Conservation Volunteers, Thai Adventure
  Tailor Made Complete Gap
In total, how long were you away from home?
Just under a year
What was your motivation to take a gap break?
First opportunity (there was no such thing as a “gap year” back in my day!) after a rather messy break-up with an ex-partner, and it seemed a better way to invest my share of the money rather than tie myself down to a mortgage for years.
How did you feel before you joined the programme?
Nervous but excited.
How did Gap Year For Grown Ups compare with your expectations?
Great fun and a really good experience.
 What was the accommodation like?
Sometimes good, sometimes rough, but never any problems…except with toilets in Asia!
What did you think of the programme / did your project and destination meet your expectations?
I had no expectations except to enjoy myself, which I did.
What was the most memorable moment of your trip? Any anecdotes?
I loved swimming the elephant in the river in Thailand, and standing on the North tip of North Island in New Zealand, and I met up with a lot of ‘new’ cousins in Oz.
What do you feel you accomplished during your programme?
A lot. I am now engaged and have just received my Fiancée Visa to go back to Oz.
 How have you benefited from your experience? How have you changed?
I’ve decided that Admin isn’t for me (I was an executive PA for many years), and I’m now going to run a small holiday home, and a farm, and do some cleaning jobs!
What advice could you offer to someone considering this programme?
Just go and enjoy yourselves. Don’t have high expectations, or even imagine what will be there, because it won’t – it’ll be so different you can’t imagine it. But just keep an open mind and whatever you do DON’T overspend. I kept myself to £200 per week to include food, accommodation and everything, and despite not spending too much in Thailand and New Zealand, I managed to keep enough together for hiring a campervan in USA for 5 weeks to tour around in.
Tailor Made Complete Gap
Return to travel stories
|
