28 Dec 2019

Taking a gap year in Europe can mean many things. It might mean you’re chasing the endless summer vibes, or it might mean you’re heading to the mountains in the winter months for some good times in the snow.

As long as you’re taking a break from life and doing what you want to do, then you’re doing your gap year right. But we will say this: the Euro summer is so completely packed with amazing festivals and experiences that ditching the upcoming Aussie winter seems like the most logical way to spend time abroad.

Here are three of the sickest gap years ideas to chuck on your bucket list for a summer in Europe. Pick your fave or line up all three (because who told ya you can only have one gap year?!)

Surf Camp in Spain

Is there a better way to spend the hot summer months than learning to surf? The answer is yes – there is a better way. It’s learning to surf, whilst ALSO practicing yoga, learning a language, working on your tan, playing ping pong, doing some amazing hikes and partying your brains out.

At Stoke Travel’s San Sebastian Surf House, you can do exactly that on a daily basis. The place is epic because it caters to all levels of surfer, and all levels of chillers/partiers. The daily itinerary is super flexible, so you can really make the experience whatever you want it to be.

If you spend the summer surfing, you’ll be throwing shakas, getting absolutely pitted, smacking the lip, and pulling into gnarly barrels before you know it. Frothing.

Oktoberfest

If you enjoy a good drink and Oktoberfest’s not on your travel bucket list…. you’re doing travel all wrong.

Oktoberfest is the OG beer festival. It’s one of Germany’s (in fact, probs one of Europe’s) biggest parties that’s purely built around having a good time and of course a cheeky brew or two.

From dancing on tables to the lively music of German oompah bands to making friends with strangers – about seven million strangers from around the world, in fact – you’re guaranteed to enjoy yourself at Oktoberfest.

If you’re thinking this sounds like your jam, then you should definitely check out Stoketoberfest – Stoke Travel’s camping accommodation for Oktoberfest. It’s not just a campsite, though. For the weeks that Oktoberfest is running, Stoke literally turns this campground into a mini festival – complete with DJ’s and live bands, unlimited beer and sangria, pumping dancefloors, and more travellers than you can count.

Stoketober is definitely not for the party poopers.

Festival hop the European summer

Any festival heads out there? Of course there are.

Europe in summer is basically heaven for festival junkies. There are music festivals with line-ups so massive they make Aussie festivals look like your local pub on a Saturday night.

If this sounds up your alley then you’ve gotta check out the Stoke Travel Passport – it lets you hit up four Euro festivals for the price of three! There are over 20 festivals across the continent to choose from, and you don’t have to decide which ones you wanna go to until the week before – meaning you can keep your travel plans loose (just how any festivalgoer likes it).

And if you’re stressing that you will miss out on Oktoberfest or the Surf Camp, then stress no more. With the passport, you can choose anything covered by Stoke as one of your four experiences.

Wanna win yourself the ultimate European Gap Year?

Well, we’ve actually teamed up with Stoke to send one lucky fezzy head on The Greatest Gap Year On Earth and it seriously does sound like the best gap year imaginable.

Not only does the winner get free return flights to Europe, food, booze, accommodation, transport, and entry to all Stoke festivals and parties – they also land themselves a job with the Stoke Travel creative team for their 2020 European tour. Along with the partying, they’ll be keeping a travel blog, writing articles, and creating sick video content alongside the Stoke crew.

If you reckon this is the gig for you then head over here to enter.

Good luck legends!