Epic Journeys Articles and Travel Advice
The History of the Gap Year
The history of the gap year is long and rich. Gap years have come along since they first started in the 1960s, but the question is, when did it all start?
Heading to War: A Journalist in Libya
Tom Lee travelled to Libya in September 2011 during the Libyian civil war. With no training or plan, Tom launched his career as a war journalist uniquely.
5 Alternatives to Malaga
I understand the argument that once you’ve spent a certain amount of time on the road, you’ll never be satisfied with two weeks Benidorm, but there are alternatives.
It’s on the Meter
10 months, 41 countries, 30,000 miles and they're still going on the meter. One Guinness World Record has already been broken and maybe another is on its way. With Sydney in sight there are even talks of continuing the journey long into 2012. We caught up with Paul Archer and the boys to see what they've been up to on their gap year.
From the Valleys to Y Wladfa
Going back to your roots has always been powerful draw for travellers. Experiencing first-hand the place your parents or grandparents came from or went to is an increasingly common part of a gap year. Welshman Graham Barrett had long heard tales of the area of Patagonia settled by Welsh emigrants so when Graham set off on a South American tour, a search for a little piece of Wales was part of the plan.
Running a Marathon Up Everest
By pure coincidence, myself and my VentureCo group Himalaya 22 found ourselves at Everest Base Camp three days before the Tenzing Hilllary Everest Base Camp Marathon was due to start. One of our porters had decide he wanted to enter it having run it last year and I casually asked if I could do it too, not really expecting anything to come of it.
Bangkok to Brighton by Tuk-Tuk
Every now and then we hear of a fundraising event that really makes us at gapyear.com stand up and take note. This is one such event - ambitious fundraisers Ants and Jo are planning to travel over 10,000 miles on three wheels in a pink tuk-tuk - all in aid of mental health charity Mind.
Diary of a Himalayan Adventure
We arrived at Delhi airport at 7am and after settling into the hotel we found the energy to go on an adventure in an auto rickshaw to the tourist office to get a map. Not that exciting I hear you say...you clearly have not been driving in India. It was an experience. The only two rules of the road here seem to be; use your horn whenever possible and only give way (grudgingly) to cars that are bigger than you.
Extreme Arctic Expedition: An Interview with Yann Rashid
An interview with Yann Rashid about his expedition on the island of Svalbard, near the North Pole (it's Europe's northernmost territory). His main aim out there was to explore and conduct scientific research, however, the first few weeks were dedicated to simply surviving the harsh arctic winter and undergoing snow and ice training, such as crevasse rescuing. Here's his story.
Race to the North Pole: An Interview with Sam Eve
Sam Eve raced to the North Pole! She was part of the first all-female team to complete the Scott Dunn Polar Challenge, a 650km race from Canada to the Magnetic North Pole! Sam's team finished sixth out of sixteen teams, which is an incredible achievement! Read our interview with her here.
Cycling the Length of Chile: An Interview with Jeremy Fitch
Amazing gapper Jeremy Fitch cycled the length of Chile at 54! We thought that deserved some sort of mention, so we caught up with him to find out all about the trip, from what inspired it to what his best and worst experiences were to what he thought of Chile. Read this interview to find out all about Jeremy's trip.
