European Explorer Program with Irish Gap Year

I had a great time on the trip. Met some great people and visited some great places. I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to do it! I knew I wanted to travel going into my gap year, but didn’t want to do anything longer than a month. This 3 week program was perfect for me and the locations were exactly what I had in mind. Venice and Prague had been on my bucket list for a while and it was cool to explore Austria and Montova as well. I’m glad we got to stay in Clarks house and meet Italians and explore an Italian city.

I had an amazing time and I got to see the world, eat crazy food, learn new languages and meet new and interesting people. The Irish Gap year staff facilitated a safe and welcoming environment where everyone felt comfortable to be themselves and have fun. We stayed in several hostels and they were all great, within the hostels we were also able to meet fellow travelers. Group activities and trying new things like boating and bouldering. Many laughs and inside jokes were shared on this experience. Thank you so much Irish Gap Year.

To be completely honest after having lived in Dublin for two months I was feeling a bit fatigued and was ready to go home. However spending this time backpacking and staying in new locations was almost refreshing in a way! Every single location we visited was beautiful and filled with things to do. I made some wonderful friends who I hope to see as soon as we get home! With such a small group it’s easy to get very close with these people which is exactly what happened with us! I think this program is the perfect way to help get someone out of there shell! Especially new students

This experience was incredible, not just because of the locations we visited but also the people you got to travel with and meet. And, it helped provide a bit of independence to discover myself. I’d never been outside of the States before, and having this group as a sort of training how to navigate Europe was quite helpful. Made me significantly more confident in being able to embark on independent travels by myself. If you want to be able to hop across Europe and see a wide variety of places and people, the European Explorer program is a great fit.

This trip has been a huge highlight of my gap year. We have been to so many amazing places, and the daily itinerary has been jam-packed. We have seen so much beautiful nature and art and have experienced many different cultures and perspectives. I have learned so much about how societies differ in these different places. I have a lot more travel experience under my belt, and I now leave the program with way more confidence in my independence, which is exactly what I was looking for. I definitely recommend this trip.

This program is amazing at teaching valuable travel skills. We traveled through 4 countries in 4 weeks and got to see so much. I can not speak more highly of the leaders and their adaptability. They all truly do care about each and every student. This program also allows for you to travel without the stress. There is also tons of time to explore on your own or in small groups which adds a much needed independence level. Traveling in a group adds safety and makes everything so much more fun. Throughout the 4 weeks we did lots of city tours and exploring as well as hiking in the alps and swimming. There are a few built in free days but this program is definitely tiring. It is constant moving, living out of a backpack and hostels. It is so much fun but definitely something to be prepared for. Irish Gap Year is an amazing company run and staffed by equally amazing people.

The European Explorer program is a chance to explore European cities by train. European Explorers has been a chance for me to learn how to be a solo traveller and be more confident. I have also made amazing new friends and memories. This program is a chance for you to learn how to travel on your own. I think this program has definitely been a struggle in the sense that it can be very tiring but I am so grateful for it as I have grown so much over my time in Europe. I truly have had the best time!

Irish Gap Year’s European Explorer program surpassed my expectations and fulfilled my gap year goals of cultivating independence, making friends/meeting new people and cultural immersion throughout Europe.
Prior to the program I had never travelled abroad and was seriously lacking independence. I had some anxiety about the safety aspect of travel. However throughout the program I felt very safe with the support of our program leaders and my peers.
This program got me out of my comfort zone socially, physically, emotionally, energetically and financially. At the end of this experience I have discovered so much about myself and my personal limits. Additionally, I have grown immensely and made some incredible memories.
The complicated aspects of travel such as making reservations, buying tickets etc we’re all taken care of by IGY. Not having to worry about this component removed a ton of stress for us.
I would strongly recommend the European Explorer program to anyone who wants to build up their independence, travel Europe on their gap year and have a group of peers to travel with!