6 ‘All-in-One’ Gap Wrap Adventures

6 'All-in-One' Gap Wrap Adventures

Take the stress out of planning your gap year with a gap wrap

Planning your gap year is one of the best bits about backpacking. This is where the excitement starts. The magic. But you often end up with a million tabs open on your laptop; sites about flights, visas, tours, guides and currency converters. It's overwhelming. You sigh, and realise that basically your brain has melted.

But it doesn't have to be this way, because - check us out - gapyear.com now has 'Gap Wraps'. What be they? They're essentially all-in-one gap year experiences; backpacking trips in cool bundles with all the flights and logistical stuff taken care of. Also, passes, tours and accommodation are often included.

They take out the hassle and stress of planning, because it's all been planned out already. All you need to do is, well, do it!

So here are our first six 'all-in-one' gap wrap ideas. They're easy, breezy and amazing. And if you think this whole article is some kind of plug then you've basically just gone insane.

1. The 'Gap Wrap Delight' Gap Year

This continental mash-up is a brilliant way to experience some of South America and South East Asia, which don't always mix on round the world gap year trips.

You start the ball rolling in Peru, getting properly stuck into some adventuring; trek the Inca Trail, hit the Sacred Valley, do Machu Picchu and chuckle at the amusingly named Inca town of Sacsayhuaman (say it out loud).

Where do you go after Peru? New Zealand, of course! With a 12-month hop-on, hop-off bus pass you can explore the amazingness of the Bay of Islands, the vineyards of Marlborough and Lake Taupo.

Too serene? There's tons of kayaking, bungee jumping, skydiving and quad biking to get involved in as well!

After New Zealand you can use a 3,000 km hop-on, hop-off bus pass to explore Australia, and the final stop is Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Phew!

Find out more about the Gap Wrap Delight...

2. The 'Gap Wrap China' Gap Year

China is not your typical gap year destination. For many backpackers it seems inaccessible and alien - which makes it a brilliant off-the-backpacker-trail place to go!

Why is this adventure a 'combo'? Well, because it combines loads of ace stuff that China has to offer. You can explore the Forbidden City, walk around Tiananmen Square, see the Terracotta Warriors and volunteer with Giant Pandas. There's also apparently some kind of wall to check out as well, if you've got time. It's great or something.

This is the real deal, a way to get under the skin of China. It's a gap year to see traditional ways of life, the back streets and the 'real' people. Plus you get to ride around in a rickshaw like a dude.

We never like get involved in the better-traveller-than-you thing, but having properly had a go at China makes you a seriously cool backpacker. 

Find out more about the Gap Wrap China...

3. The 'Australian Working Holiday Gap Wrap' Gap Year

Working on your gap year is a great idea. It's a way to meet people, get to know a place as part of the community and raise funds for further adventures.

Australia is the place to work right now; the economy is booming and they need workers! So this is the ideal all-in-one working experience.

So what happens? You get a flight to Australia, picked up at the airport and taken to a hostel. While you're in Sydney - getting city and beach tours - a team of experts will help you beef up your CV, help you get a job and give you loads of advice on taxes, banking and available discounts.

This is the perfect way to experience working abroad, and it's a great way to 'do' Oz. You can get immersed in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Great Barrier Reef. You can snorkel. Dive. Go on a Walkabout. It's basically quite a big place. Lots to do. Australia also has very hot women, and, in the spirit of editorial balance, equally hot men.

Find out more about  the Australian Working Holiday Package Gap Wrap...

4. The 'Gap Wrap Thailand' Gap Year

Thailand is basically one of the most popular and amazing gap year destinations. But working out what to do can be pretty confusing. That's why this neatly packaged gap year is perfect; you can experience the best of Thai food, lifestyle and nature in just a few weeks. Yes, it would be appropriate to use the term 'amazeballs'.

There's tons of stuff included here. There's trekking with locals, community volunteering, freshwater swimming and elephant rides like from Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom. 

So, to recap, this trip includes flights, transfers, tours. Oh, and a little something called the Full Moon Party. You'll see temples. You'll see culture. You'll see drunken, sexy gappers. Hopefully.

Find out more about the Gap Wrap Thailand...

5. The 'Gap Wrap Africa: Overland and Volunteer' Gap Year

Overlanding and volunteering? It's a winning combination. This epic African trip kicks off in Kenya and takes you through awesome national parks and landscapes in Zanzibar, Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

This gap year includes 33 days of overlanding adventure. But you won't be thrown to the lions either literally or metaphorically, as you'll be joined by a cook, driver and tour leader. During the tour you should get to see all of Africa's 'Big Five' (lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalos and leopards). I know; you'd think giraffes would be one of the Big Five. They're massive. But trust us, they're not. Google it.

The trip takes you to the world famous Victoria Falls and Kruger National Park. Once you're in South Africa and finished overlanding you get to spend two weeks on a volunteering project with lions. Volunteering is really fun and rewarding, so combining this with a brilliant holiday-type trip is a great gap year mix.

Find out more about Gap Wrap Africa...

6. The 'Gap Wrap Peru: Volunteer & Trek' Gap Year

More volunteering and more Peru, but a chance to get a very different experience of both. Fly into the Peruvian capital of Lima and do the mind-blowing Sacred Valley, Inca Trail and Machu Picchu stuff, but this time you get to see a different side to this country.

On this trip you spend two weeks volunteering with disadvantaged children in Cusco. It's worthy. It could be in a school, an orphanage or a care centre. Some of these kids will have had a properly tough time, or have just lost their way. This is an amazing chance to spend some serious time on a worthwhile project; volunteering can be immensely rewarding and give you a completely different view of life and other cultures.

On a different note, as a starting city for the Inca Trail Cusco has reputation as a party capital in South America; a hedonistic collection of bars, clubs and drugs. Obviously we advise you not to explore this in any conceivable way.

Find out more about Gap Wrap Peru...

Further Information

So there it is. Six basically brilliant gap year packages. Whether you want to backpack like a bohemian, work like a winner or volunteer like a volunteering type person, there's something here for every kind of gapper. What more could you want? Check out the entire range of  Gap Wraps. Go and have fun...

If you need help with planning your trip then make sure you read our article, aptly titled 'Planning a Round the World Trip'. It's packed full of information that you'll find helpful when planning whre to go and what to do on your gap year.