Fed up with the usual beach holiday and want to do something different this year? Real Gap Experience, the UK's largest independent gap year provider, along with sister brands Gap Year for Grown Ups and Real Sport Experience has a whole heap of suggestions for summer 2007 even if you only have two weeks holiday.

Gap Year for Grown Ups, which is aimed at the 30+ age group, has a diverse range of exciting two week programmes in over 20 countries worldwide.  Shark Conservation or a Wildlife Art course in South Africa, teaching in Malawi or Brazil, becoming a cowboy/girl in Australia, helping with turtle conservation in Guatemala and Costa Rica and dolphin research in Peru are just a few of the options available.  Meeting and working with like-minded people from all over the world is a great experience, and something positive to do if you are travelling solo. Prices start from just £459 (excluding flights).

Younger travellers can choose from hundreds of Real Gap projects lasting between 1 - 2 months. Help is needed in disadvantaged communities in Uganda and Kenya (4 weeks from £799), monitoring hippo and crocodiles on the Botswana Okavango River Project (8 weeks from £2099), travelling and volunteering in Vietnam (4 weeks from £799) and learning Spanish and becoming involved in community projects in Ecuador (8 weeks from £1349).
 
This summer there are plenty of opportunities for sports enthusiasts with Real Sport Experience. Adventure seekers will love Mozambique, where they can learn to scuba dive, canoe down un-chartered waters, travel on a dhow boat expedition and coach football to local children. Help coaching sports is always welcome.  Football fans will feel a real sense of achievement teaching underprivileged children to play the beautiful game in Ghana. (5 weeks from £899/8 weeks from £1299).

Safety is, of course, a primary concern. All the programmes have been thoroughly researched by the Product Quality team. “We insist on a policy of stringent safety precautions, ensuring our clients are never too far out of touch with the western world,” says MD David Stitt. “All of our gap year packages provide a 24/7 emergency service.”

Real Gap's flight inclusive programmes are ATOL protected (ATOL 6527) and for all other programmes clients receive a personal insurance certificate which guarantees their funds.  

Notes
Real Gap Experience (www.realgap.co.uk) is the largest independent gap year provider in the UK. The company employs 40 staff in their Tunbridge Wells HQ and sends over 7,000 people all over the world. They provide more programmes and destinations than any other operator.

Two years ago the company launched Gap Year for Grown Ups (www.gapyearforgrownups.co.uk).  Interestingly last year, over 80% of all GYFGU bookings were from women, most of them travelling solo.

This year Real Gap has launched Real Sport Experience (www.realsportexperience.co.uk), which offers a broad range of sports programmes worldwide, with opportunities in 18 countries, spanning 4 different continents. Participants can choose to coach their sport, develop their own skills further, or join a sports adventure expedition.

For more information call 01892 516164.
All media enquiries: call Jennette Baxter 01342 316337/0794 0174 303.
Ends May 2007.