Intrepid’s “Golden Gap Year” campaign has resonated with Aussies, uncovering thousands of personal stories about missed travel opportunities and the growing desire to explore later in life.
After receiving more than 2,800 entries from across the country, Brisbane nurse Yvonne Reynolds, 59, has been selected to win 12 months of Intrepid experiences to take the gap year she never had.
The campaign, developed in partnership with creative agency Alt/shift/, was underpinned by research revealing 80 per cent of Australians aged 55+ never took a traditional gap year, with one in five saying they still regret it.
Reynolds’ story brings that insight to life. Originally from South Africa, she moved to Australia in her twenties and has spent more than four decades working as a nurse, often across multiple roles, while raising two children as a single parent. Travel was something she hoped to prioritise later but, like many, life came first.
“I’ve served the community for 41 years and currently hold three jobs, at a boys’ school, children’s hospital as a paediatric nurse and at a doctor’s surgery as a registered nurse,” Reynolds said. “While I love each and every moment… last year I had a health scare that made me rethink what I want to spend more of my time doing.
“I will never stop serving the community, but I just need a time out and having a gap year to follow my dreams would just be incredible!”
Growing up during apartheid, travel wasn’t always accessible, and that sense of curiosity has stayed with her. Now, she’s looking forward to experiencing the places and cultures she’s encountered through her work in a more personal way.
“We saw a really strong response from people who have spent so much of their lives focused on work, family or other responsibilities and are now thinking about what travel could look like for them,” Intrepid Travel ANZ general manager PR & communications Zoe Tostevin said.
“Yvonne’s story is one of many. What stood out was her openness to new experiences and her genuine curiosity about the world, like our own Intrepid travellers. While there could only be one winner, the campaign has brought forward a wide range of stories that reflect a growing appetite for meaningful travel at every stage of life.”
To follow my dreams would just be incredible!”
Across its one-month run, the campaign generated more than 300 pieces of media coverage, alongside strong engagement across owned and earned channels, and $180,000 in attributed revenue.
As the winner, Reynolds receives a travel experience valued at up to $100,000, plus $25,000 in flights. She will work with a sales consultant to design a year of travel that reflects her interests and pace from Intrepid’s range of more than 900 small-group trips around the world. Her journey will be shared over the coming 12 months, offering a real-time perspective on what extended travel can look like later in life.
