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The Founders

Established in 1997 by a backpacker and an IT consultant, the two Founders of gapyear.com now run the world's largest gap year community.

Their knowledge of this subject is unrivalled and is used to enable the market to grow and assist with the development of new products and services which will improve the gap year marketplace.

With a personal interest in the youth travel market and serious concerns about the welfare of young travellers Tom and Peter are also heavily involved in awareness campaigns. The top 5 being fire safety, travel insurance, travel health, malaria and STD awareness.

Over the past decade Tom and Peter have also advised Government Departments, Ministers and global brands.

Click here >> to read the Corporate history, chronology, more about the Founders and their work in the media

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Tom Griffiths

I took my first gap year at 18, travelling around the world, out to Australia via the US & Pacific Islands, back through South East Asia. Had such a brilliant time that I then spent my student days earning money to travel doing everything from working on trucks to busking on the streets with my didgeridoos. My student travels included some great trips to Russia and hitch-hiking across Canada that gave me a real hunger for life. Wrote my first book Before You Go at 22 and then hooked up with Peter to start gapyear.com. Life's ambition is to get everyone to at least consider a bit of travel and 'take the adventure' in their life before it goes.




About Tom:
"His energy and enthusiasm is infectious"
Sir Richard Branson





"Tom Griffiths’ book is useful and valuable, and quite possibly indispensable."
Michael Palin




"Tom is a great enthusiast for all the benefits that a gap year can bring you. He's knowledgeable and articulate and I always come to him when I want informed comment on this growing industry." Cath Urquhart, Travel Editor, The Times 1997 - 2007




Click here >> for more on Tom

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Peter Pedrick

Ironically when Tom and I met I was about to take time out from running my IT consultancy company that I started at university. You could say that running and starting businesses was my UK gap year but at 23 I was itching to do some travelling and escape the usual workplace nightmares. Ever since we agreed to form gapyear.com in a Tottenham Court Road cafe in 1997 we have never looked back. Gapyear.com is about enjoyment, adventure and getting the most out of your life... three things we care very strongly about.




"Gapyear.com is so good, it’s tempting to think you need no other site."




"Taking a gap year is a great opportunity for young people to broaden their horizons, making them more mature and responsible citizens. We are delighted to be working with gapyear.com...it is essential that all first-time travellers prepare before they travel."
Rt. Hon. Jack Straw (when Foreign Secretary)