Launch Your Gap Year with Confidence

 Travel Training Programs & Gap Year Counseling

for Young Adults Ready to Explore the World

What We Do

Real Tools for the Adventure of a Lifetime

Join a Basecamp

Join us in cities around the country for a full weekend of travel training. Or in Europe for a 10 day launchpad.

Gap Year Counseling

Work with a gap year expert to build a custom plan—We can help you find a program or create your own.

Buy the Gap Year Guide

Digital guides and travel prep courses to plan your year with confidence.

COMING SOON

Independent Travel with a Plan

Gap Year Basecamp helps young adults confidently design and launch meaningful travel experiences—without overwhelm, guesswork, or generic tours.


We provide expert tools, coaching, and real-world prep so students & parents feel clear, capable, and excited for what’s next.

Launch Your Gap Year in a Weekend

This powerful digital course gives you everything you need to confidently plan, book, and begin your independent travel adventure. This isn't just logistical. We help you formulate your own personal path and plan, whether it's for a gap year or your life.


What You'll Learn:

  • Build a real-world route + budget that actually works

        (no trust fund required)

  • Book flights, trains, and hostels with confidence - and without getting scammed
  • Stay safe abroad—including solo travel tips, mental health check-ins, and boundaries.
  • Work + live around the world for free using volunteer and work share programs and other travel hacks
  • Craft a travel plan that feels like freedom—with a purpose.
    You’ll return wiser, braver, and clearer about what matters most.
  • Find hiking trails, mountain huts, and epic outdoor escapes Unlock Europe’s incredible trail systems and hidden nature havens.
  • And of course, we'll master the logistics - sim cards, visas, insurance, packing methods, and navigation basics...we'll cover it all!


COMING SOON:  email for information

For the same price as my regular Gap Year Consulting package you can experience a summer of adventure in Europe! Join us in Brussels for ten days of fun travel training and then begin your own European adventure with your new friends and continued support!


THIS TRIP HAS LAUNCHED!


To be a part of our next Europe Basecamp,

join the newsletter above!



“My sole goal was to experience humankind & see where I might fit in. Vague, but vital to a well-lived life.

Mission accomplished. ”

Jackson

“My gap year cracked my life wide open.”

Bette

“I've over-achieved all my life. This year, my 'gap' year, was the first time that it felt truly meaningful.”

Maya

A GAP YEAR IS NOT A YEAR OFF...


It’s a year of calculated self exploration and personal achievement. We believe that a Gap Year experience is a fundamental part of a well rounded education. It’s a healthy reset after 12 years of desk learning, and studies show that students who take a gap year are more engaged and better prepared for their college studies or whatever comes next. In fact, many colleges now encourage their students to participate in a gap year and offer incentives.


Students with an understanding of the world, how it really works, and how they fit in will have a confidence and sense of purpose that positions them on the leading edge of potential jobs and opportunities. They will also have a sense of awe and wonder for this beautiful planet we all call home and how their life will impact it.


Nothing creates this confidence like a gap year.


Interested in planning a gap year? 

We know the ropes!

We want to know your needs so that we can provide the perfect gap experience. Let us know what you want and we’ll do our best to help. 

Take the Survey Now! Survey for Parents

The Basecamp Blog

By Ivey Patton October 1, 2024
Ready to Travel Europe This Summer? Here's How You Can Start Your Journey with Confidence and Friends!
By Ivey Patton September 24, 2024
How to Write a College Deferral Letter: A Guide for Students Taking a Gap Year with an example and sample letter and guidance around the process.
By Ivey Patton February 23, 2024
The gift of time...a gap year is an excellent alternative
By Ivey Patton June 23, 2023
It's time to stake your claim
Show More

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