A gap year volunteer abroad teaches a child the alphabet in Thailand as part of her Childcare Project.

Gap Year Opportunities Abroad

Discover what you're capable of during your gap year through one of our volunteer or internship programmes

Use your gap year abroad to discover yourself and fulfill your potential. And with Projects Abroad, you won’t just be transforming yourself. You’ll become a part of something bigger and help create positive change in the world. 


On our gap year volunteer programmes abroad, you’ll work on long-term, sustainable solutions to specific problems. Your efforts aren’t just a quick fix. We’re working directly with local community members and organisations, so you your work meets real needs, wherever you are. If you’re doing an internship during your gap year, you’ll focus on gaining work experience and growing professionally.


At Projects Abroad, our gap year opportunities abroad are a good fit whether you’re looking to take some time off between school and university, or right after you’ve graduated. In fact, you can do a gap year at any time with us! It’s a great way to get real-world experience and get a first-hand perspective into global challenges facing people today. You’ll also become more independent.

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1-3 of 137 Projects

Elephant family roaming through the wilderness of Botswana in Africa
Africa’s Big 5 and Wilderness Conservation in Botswana
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  • Price: 9,705 AED for 1 week
  • Extra Weeks: 1,725 AED
  • Start Date: July and August
  • Minimum Duration: 1 week
  • Age: 16 or over
A picture of a volunteer watching a giraffe whilst on one of our wildlife conservation volunteer opportunities in Kenya.
Giraffe & Lion Conservation in Kenya
See this project
  • Price: 8,980 AED for 1 week
  • Extra Weeks: 1,575 AED
  • Start Date: Anytime
  • Minimum Duration: 1 week
  • Age: 16 or over
In an project volunteering with children in Tanzania a child smiles outside a care centre.
Volunteer with Children in Tanzania
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  • Price: 8,180 AED for 2 weeks
  • Extra Weeks: 1,275 AED
  • Start Date: Anytime
  • Minimum Duration: 2 weeks
  • Age: 16 or over
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Can't find what you're looking for?

We’d be happy to talk about creating a custom gap year for you. Most of our staff have had gap years abroad themselves, so they’re well placed to answer your questions, big or small.

+44 (0) 1273 007230

Gap Year Ideas: What can I do?

When it comes to your gap year, we want to help you find a project that will help you accomplish what you want to do for your year off.

 

Our Flexi Trips are ideal for customised gap years that offer you plenty of independence, while still having the support of our staff when you need it. You can also combine different Flexi Trips in multiple countries with our combination option.

 

If you’re keen to work with a group of people to achieve a specific goal together, we recommend our Team Trips. These take place on fixed dates throughout the year for short periods of time. You can also fit them around a Flexi Trip if you want to be abroad for longer.

 

We also offer a Global Gap option if you’re interested in a longer-term, fully planned gap year experience. You’ll visit three continents and five different countries in 27-weeks. With a group of passionate volunteers by your side, you’ll support local communities and gain practical work experience. It’s a programme designed for school graduates who want to take a year off for personal growth and experience before university.

There are also shorter Gap Semester trips lasting 6-10 weeks. These take you to multiple countries and projects within a particular region of the world. 

Your gap year is a time for you to realise your potential and to challenge yourself. Plan your gap year with Projects Abroad and discover what you’re capable of.

Students volunteering with Projects Abroad for their gap year help plant mangroves in Fiji, South Pacific.

Gap Year Planning

At Projects Abroad, we offer a hassle-free experience, and your safety is our primary concern. We won’t send you to a country that’s politically unstable or considered unsafe. In addition, we have dedicated, in-country staff around the world who are there to support you 24/7.


Planning your gap year doesn’t need to be stressful. We’re here to help you take care of all the details and ensure you have the adventure of a lifetime overseas. Many of our staff members have done gap years abroad themselves, and they’ll be able to help you plan a trip that matches your interests and goals.


When you arrive in a country on one of our gap year abroad programmes, we’ll have staff there to meet you at the airport. We’ll also make sure you get to the airport safely when you fly home or to your next destination. On your first day, you’ll receive a full briefing. We’ll teach you everything you need to know about where you’re living and the work you’ll do. 


As an added measure of safety, all of our placements are fully researched, safety audited, and risk assessed in accordance with the British Standard BS8848 for the Adventure Travel Sector.

What are the benefits of gap year travel?

A gap year abroad doesn’t just have to be about adventure and travel. You can use the time to realise your own potential and grow personally and professionally. You’re perfectly placed to learn from the world, and from the people you meet.


It’s also a different and exciting way to enhance your CV and gain relevant work experience. You can use the work you do to develop skills like communication and planning, which can be applied to any career. Talk about your gap year internship abroad in interviews and on applications to help yourself stand out from the crowd.


And if you choose to volunteer, you’ll actively be making a difference in the world. Our gap year volunteering abroad programmes are built around ongoing, sustainable efforts. They run all year round, no matter how many volunteers we have. This means you can join at any time (even if only for a short time) and you’ll be a part of creating positive change.

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