Gap Year Radio

Jackson Balin joins me from Queenstown, New Zealand to reflect on what he calls his “growth year." After realizing during his first year of university that he wanted more time for exploration, challenge, and perspective, Jackson stepped away from the conventional timeline and spent the year working in Tennessee and New Zealand through destination work experiences through Adventure EXP.

We talk about culture shock, difficult friendships, resilience, meaningful work, and the surprising ways that service jobs and travel can shape a young adult’s understanding of purpose and identity. Jackson also shares how this year helped him reconnect with his love of learning and clarify his next step academically, while still embracing what he calls “the scenic route” through life.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Jackson’s concept of a “growth year” and why he believes the phrase fits better than “gap year”

What it felt like to leave university after realizing he was disconnected from his path

The reality of working destination jobs in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Queenstown, New Zealand

How work experiences can build resilience, empathy, and interpersonal awareness

Why challenging experiences often become the most transformative parts of a gap year

Thoughts on work, dignity, and learning from people with vastly different backgrounds

How travel and work abroad helped Jackson gain clarity about returning to school

Why he believes students should actively seek experiences that challenge them

Advice for students considering destination work programs or a nontraditional path

Resources and Links Mentioned:

Adventure EXP

University of Austin (UATX)

Robert Putnam’s book Bowling Alone

Trevor Noah's podcast interview with Robert Putnam

Julia's gap year counseling: EnRoute Consulting - get info at enroutegapyear.com

More episodes and resources at gapyearradiopodcast.com

Ellie Larkins joins the show to break down how work exchanges can become a powerful gateway into long-term travel, meaningful cultural immersion, and real-world skill building. What began as a short trip after university quickly evolved into years of global travel fueled by Workaway experiences across Europe and Australia. In this conversation, Ellie shares practical strategies for finding great hosts, avoiding common pitfalls, and using work exchanges to travel more deeply, build community, and create unexpected career pathways.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

Ellie walks through how to get started with work exchange platforms like Workaway and why this style of travel creates a more meaningful and affordable experience than traditional trips. She shares how to evaluate host profiles, including what signals a high-quality opportunity and how to spot red flags early.

We also get into the application process, including how to write outreach messages that stand out and why asking more questions, not fewer, leads to better experiences. Ellie explains how to balance independence with connection while traveling solo, and how hostels and shared work exchanges naturally create community.

She also reflects on the unexpected skills she gained, from hands-on animal care to navigating new environments, and how those experiences ultimately led to a paid role working in animal sanctuaries. Finally, she offers grounded advice on staying flexible, packing light, and embracing spontaneity without losing your footing.

What Even is "Work Exchange"?

Work exchanges are a form of low-cost, immersive travel where participants contribute a few hours of help each day in exchange for accommodation, meals, mentorship, or cultural immersion. Through platforms like Workaway, Worldpackers, and WWOOF, travelers can connect with hosts around the world offering opportunities ranging from hostel support and childcare to farming, conservation work, language exchange, creative projects, and tourism support. Rather than traveling as a tourist, participants become part of a local household, business, or community for a period of time, often gaining confidence, practical skills, cross-cultural communication experience, and a deeper understanding of daily life in another place.

Resources and Links Mentioned:

Workaway (primary platform discussed)

WWOOF, Worldpackers, HelpX (additional work exchange platforms)

Hostelworld or similar platforms for finding affordable but also social accommodation

Connect with Us:

Listen to Gap Year Radio wherever you get your podcasts

More episodes and info: gapyearradiopodcast.com

Eduardo Glenn shares how he used his gap year as a focused and intentional bridge between high school in Costa Rica and college in the United States. Centered around a deep commitment to competitive racing, his gap year became an opportunity to pursue a long-standing goal of winning a national championship, while also exploring professional interests through a VaCorps internship in South Africa and engaging in conservation work at home. This episode highlights what it looks like to design a gap year around a clear purpose while still leaving room for growth, independence, and exploration.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

This conversation explores how having a clear anchor or goal can shape a meaningful gap year, and why structure matters even when your time is flexible. Eduardo shares how racing helped him build emotional resilience and mental discipline, and how those skills translated into real life and college. We talk about the value of independence, from living abroad to learning basic life skills like cooking and navigating a new environment. There’s also a powerful discussion around solitude versus loneliness, and how learning to enjoy your own company can fundamentally shift your college experience. Eduardo also reflects on why he felt more prepared for college after his gap year and how international experiences helped build confidence in cross-cultural communication.

Resources and Links Mentioned:

VACorps Internship Program

Cloudline (engineering internship experience)

Cirenas Costa Rica (sea turtle conservation program)

Jorge Solano, Global Mentors (Eduardo's gap year counselor)

Suzanne Roske, founder of Vamos Coaching and Gap Year Association Board member, shares her journey from a 25-year corporate career to moving her family to Oaxaca, Mexico for a life-changing sabbatical. What began as burnout and a quiet inner voice turned into a bold experiment in slowing down, redefining success, and building a more intentional life. This conversation explores what an “adult gap year” can look like, and why creating space to pause might be the most powerful step toward meaningful change.

Resources and Links Mentioned:

Suzanne's company Vamos Coaching

Suzanne's Memoir: I'm Supposed to Be Doing This

Envia (microfinance + cultural immersion in Oaxaca)

Designing Your Life (Stanford Life Design Lab)

Oaxaca Lending Library

Connect with Julia & Gap Year Radio:

Listen to more episodes of Gap Year Radio: gapyearradiopodcast.com

Follow us on Instagram: @gapyearradio

Email your gap year questions or comments at [email protected]

Want to work with Jula on you gap year planning? Visit enroutegapyear.com to learn all about how gap year counseling can help you plan a great year!

If you have a moment, please leave a review so more people can discover Gap Year Radio!

Intro/Outro Music: Quasi Motion by Kevin MacLeod; licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License More info: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion/

Luke Morton shares how a planned nine-week gap experience with Warriors Academy in South Africa turned into a two-year journey of personal growth, global connection, and skill-building. From an early experience in self-mastery that reshaped his mindset, to a second year earning 19 certifications as a multi-activity instructor, Luke walks us through how stepping away from the traditional path helped him find clarity, confidence, and direction. Now, he’s preparing for his next challenge: a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

Resources and Mentioned:

Warriors Academy

Appalachian Trail (Luke’s upcoming thru-hike)

Connect with Us:

Listen to Gap Year Radio wherever you get your podcasts

More episodes and info: gapyearradiopodcast.com

In this episode of Gap Year Radio, I speak with Sammie Westfahl about her experience in Aerie Backcountry Medicine’s Fall Semester in Wilderness Medicine, an immersive program that blends emergency medicine training, rescue skills, wildland fire operations, and international expedition travel.

Sammie shares how this sequence of certifications, field training, and international immersion challenged her academically, strengthened her confidence, and continues to influence her work today in fire ecology and volunteer EMS.

Certifications and Skills Covered in the Semester

-National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

-Wilderness EMT (WEMT)

-Wildland Fire Line Qualification (Red Card)

-High-Angle Rope Rescue Training

-Expedition leadership and backcountry risk management

-Clinical observation in international healthcare settings

Aerie Backcountry Medicine

https://www.aeriemedicine.com

Connect with Us

- Listen to Gap Year Radio wherever you get your podcasts or at gapyearradiopodcast.com

- Contact Julia for help with gap year planning at enroutegapyear.com

In Episode 2 of Season 10, I sit down with Adam Salzman, founder of AdventureEXP and author of The Suitcase of Life, for a practical conversation about personal finance on a gap year. We unpack why budgeting is really a “priorities list,” how students can build financial confidence through real-world decisions, and how destination work experiences can help young adults earn money while they travel. Adam shares mindset shifts, tools, and systems that make budgeting less intimidating, plus advice for parents who want to support learning without rescuing every mistake.

Resources and Links Mentioned:

AdventureEXP: adventureexp.com

Numbeo: cost-of-living comparisons (numbeo.com)

Rome2rio: route planning (rome2rio.com)

Nomadic Matt: country budget guides (nomadicmatt.com)

Adam’s book: The Suitcase of Life: A Field Guide for Young Travelers, Thinkers and Doers Figuring It Out as They Go

Connect with Us:

Listen to Gap Year Radio wherever you get your podcasts

More episodes and info: gapyearradiopodcast.com

Share and follow along: #explorethegapyear

In this Season 10 opener, I sit down with Arjun Malaviya, who began solo traveling on his 17th birthday and visited 100 countries in 13 months. We dig into how his parents’ “experiences over stuff” mindset shaped his love of travel, and how he built a rhythm for constant movement with flexible planning and a strong bias toward local connection.

Arjun shares practical tools (Rome2Rio, Google Translate, GuruWalk, Facebook travel groups), his budget strategy for making $22K stretch across the globe, and the real safety calculations behind trusting strangers. We also talk about the harder moments, including a kidnapping experience in Myanmar, and what he learned about risk, perspective, and resilience. The episode lands on the bigger why: travel as a pathway to global citizenship, confidence, and the ability to connect with anyone, anywhere.

Connect with Julia & Gap Year Radio:

Listen to more episodes of Gap Year Radio: gapyearradiopodcast.com

Follow us on Instagram: @gapyearradio

Email your gap year questions or comments at [email protected]

Want to work with Jula on you gap year planning? Visit enroutegapyear.com to learn all about how gap year counseling can help you plan a great year!

If you have a moment, please leave a review so more people can discover Gap Year Radio!

Intro/Outro Music: Quasi Motion by Kevin MacLeod; licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License More info: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion/

Nancy hit pause on her engineering degree and found herself living solo in Palermo, Italy, caring for two kids and soaking in the rich, sensory experience of Sicilian life. In this episode, she shares what it’s really like to be an au pair abroad - from daily routines and bonding with her host family to solo adventures and personal reflection. She also discusses the process of finding a placement through Scotia Personnel, a Canadian agency that helps young people find vetted international opportunities.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

How Nancy found her au pair placement through a structured agency

What daily life is like working with a host family in Palermo

The joys of unstructured time, solo exploration, and personal growth

Why a slower pace and cultural immersion can shift your mindset in powerful ways

Honest advice for anyone considering working as an au pair

Resources and Links Mentioned:

Learn more about au pair placements through Scotia Personnel: https://www.scotia-personnel-ltd.com/

Want to plan your own intentional gap year? Visit enroutegapyear.com

Connect with Us:

🎧 Listen to more episodes: gapyearradiopodcast.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram: @gapyearradio

📩 Questions or comments? Email us: [email protected]

💬 Leave us a review to help more gap year curious folks discover the show!

In this episode of Gap Year Radio, Julia talks with Dillon Sheekey, an alum who used his gap year to reconnect with his creativity and develop a deeper sense of presence and purpose. Through three distinct experiences: a semester in the Southwest with ARCC Programs, an immersive art residency at Cow House Studios in Ireland, and a summer job on Nantucket. Dillon explored what it means to live intentionally and grow as both an artist and a human being.

He shares how spending time in nature, disconnecting from technology, and living in a small creative community helped him understand himself in new ways. If you're interested in using a gap year to explore your artistic side, connect with nature, or simply slow down and reflect, this is the episode for you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

🎨 Why Dillon wanted to prioritize art and creative expression on his gap year

🌵 How his time in the Southwest with ARCC helped him disconnect from tech and reconnect with the natural world

🖼️ What it’s like to live and create at Cow House Studios in rural Ireland

📷 How darkroom photography and stop-motion film became new creative outlets

🧭 What Dillon learned about presence, purpose, and redefining education outside the classroom

🌍 Why the people and places you surround yourself with matter when you’re shaping your path

Resources and Links Mentioned

📌 Cow House Studios

A residential arts program in Wexford, Ireland

cowhousestudios.com | @cowhousestudios on socials

📌 ARCC Gap Year Programs

Outdoor, service-learning, and cultural immersion programs

arccprograms.com | @arcgap on socials

📌 EnRoute Consulting

Gap year counseling and planning support

enroutegapyear.com

Connect with Us

🎧 More episodes at gapyearradiopodcast.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram: @gapyearradio

📩 Email your questions or comments: [email protected]

⭐ Leave a review so others can discover Gap Year Radio