Consumer media 1999

From 1998 to 1999 Tom's activities included a lot of radio and a bit of TV work, used as a young (very young, aged just 23) travel preparation expert and motivator. Touring the country doing school talks, the company he founded with Peter Pedrick took it's roots in this period. The gap year media in those days was very simple. Rich kids volunteering or young people backpacking to Australia made up most of the pieces. very dry, very 'exclusive'. Tom's interviews as a travel author and 'new-fangled web community founder' started to change this, bringing an energy and enthusiasm to a very pigeon-holed topic. It was a writer for the Bath Chronicle whose headline about Before You Go read 'No gaps in this guide from the gap year guru' that launched the Gap Year Guru!

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The Times
Take a break to improve yourself
21st August

The gap year is now a recognised and valuable rite of passage, says Tom Griffiths. With A-Level results just out, students planning to go away this year are firming up their plans while those entering their last year of secondary education are thinking about what to do when they have finished.

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The Telegraph
Mind the gap - it's a big step
19th August

So, you're thinking of taking a year out... will you perhaps climb Kilimanjaro, roam through Thailand, work on a sheep station in the Outback or hike up the Macchu Piccu trail? A gap year can be the most exciting - and daunting - experience yet for an 18-year-old who has lived at home all his or her life.

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Evening Star
Gap year guru is all business
24th July

Tom Griffiths is inspiring students to make the most of their year off. Co-founder of the Gap Year Company, formed under the brand name Fireball Group. He's destined for big things and already people are likening him to Richard Branson.

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