For those of us with older teenagers, the gap year will be being discussed around kitchen tables everywhere… but what if it wasn’t about the kids for once? The other day I caught up with a couple of friends from my old sixth form who were in a giddy mood having booked a one way ticket to Europe with their campervan. The sole aim being to have an adventure, to see as many countries as they could and to reach Greece by October – and if they don’t, it doesn’t matter, because they have all the time in the world.

It seems that midlife gap years are on the rise, Pippa Williscroft, independent travel agent and founder of Williscroft Travel is seeing a rise in enquiries for exactly this type of thing and more discussion around the topic in general.  She says “For many of my clients, it’s about a fresh start and reinvention, whether that’s post-divorce or bereavement, career change or kids leaving home. Travel becomes a way to reset, try new things and just enjoy some freedom. There’s often a wellness angle involved and something to balance indulgence with staying active”. 

It all depends on the individual situations, many mid-lifers who are looking to book extended trips to make the most of their older teens before they head off to University, a last family hurrah as it were, and Pippa says Asia is proving a very popular destination as people seek to really go outside of their everyday in a bid to share new experiences and make lasting memories with those we love. The empty nesters among us are looking at longer trips that will combine several weeks of adventure, followed by a wellness stay to recover and reset.  

Sometimes, the ‘gap’ isn’t a choice; Catherine was made redundant and decided to turn the situation to her advantage and put the money she received as part of her settlement to book a trip with no return date, she travelled through Bali, Western Australia and New Zealand, meeting new people and relishing new experiences before heading off to Mexico for yoga and relaxation. She slowly made her way back home to London through Italy, Spain and France but the mindset stayed with her for months afterwards and she is now looking forward to her next adventure, which she says must be near a beach – her happy place.

Midlife is a stage of life when we look to invest in ourselves, we have spent our lives climbing the career ladder, raising a family, building businesses and very often, looking after elderly relatives at the same time and we view this as “our time”. It can also be a time for reflection: am I living the life I want? Am I spending time on what really matters? Taking a gap year can allow us to explore these questions away from daily obligations, and maybe even chart a new course for the years ahead.

It’s also a moment to reconnect with our passions that may have been on the back burner for many years – painting, hiking or writing, a midlife gap year is a chance to bring those passions back into your life.

It doesn’t have to be about seeing the world, it can also be about expanding horizons in a different way, taking that course you wished you had done all those years ago but it didn’t exist or your parents wanted you to be an accountant …  Hedvig from Sweden decided to enrol on a brand new course at her local university in Stockholm after a very stressful work period to study design, food and sustainability and loved the diverse group she found herself amongst not just in age, but in cultures.  She says “it changed my way of thinking, making me more creative, more open, and able to see things from new perspectives. It was wonderfully freeing to reconnect with my younger self: studying and being part of a group”.  She loved it so much, she has got the study bug  as she starts a course on gemmology (the study of gemstones) next week!

I realise that gap years aren’t for everyone, and planning is most definitely needed. Priya Williams is a financial planner with various midlife clients, she says ‘Financial Planning is all about knowing, or at least understanding, what you want your life to look like in 5 to 10+ years’ time. In the UK, we can access our pensions at the age of 55 in various ways, and I am seeing many of my clients looking to access the tax free element to travel or even start a second career”. 

If you are not 100% sure about taking the plunge on a big trip, Pippa recommends starting with a long weekend or even a week to find out what you enjoy before venturing further afield. Short hops to Europe for food, wine or yoga are proving very popular and there has been a lot of  growth in companies offering such trips, which is great news for those of us wanting to experiment with our travel!   

I checked in with my campervanning friends this week for this piece – and you will be delighted to know that so far, they have been through France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Croatia again and Albania!  They are now beginning the big drive down to Greece. They say, “With children grown and flown either at university or in jobs, this was the perfect time to step away from a career in teaching and take a year out to spend time together and make the most of life”.  

I realise that a campervan isn’t for everyone, but you can’t beat the freedom it brings in terms of getting off the beaten track, into the countryside and under the skin of a country away from the tourist trail.  So where will you go next?

Words by Nicola de Burlet