101 gap year photos

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of my around the world adventure

Paul Newton
Aug 24, 2017 · 7 min read

Today, 24th August 2017, is exactly ten years since I packed my rucksack and set off on an around the world adventure.

Starting in New York, me and my university friend Ian travelled 2,775 miles across Canada on the VIA train, spend six weeks on sun-drenched tropical Pacific islands, drove 4,314 miles around New Zealand in our hire car, watched the new year fireworks at Sydney Harbour Bridge, climbed the largest mountain in South East Asia and watched wild orangutan in the rain forests of Borneo.

The world was ours to explore. We’d fly into a new country with nothing more than our rucksacks, a guidebook and the need for a bed for the night.

My gap year had some of the best experiences of my life, and not a week goes by that I don’t think about the trip in some way. Memories might be triggered by a song (Fake Empire by The National never fails to remind me of our New Zealand road trip), a sound (the distant rumble of the M6 is the waves breaking over the coral reef in the Cook Islands) or the weather (autumnal drizzle in the UK reminds me of the Southern Alps in New Zealand).

To celebrate the tenth anniversary, here are 101 of my favourite photos from the trip.


United States and Canada


The Cook Islands and Fiji


New Zealand and Australia


Singapore, Borneo and Malaysia


Thailand, Cambodia and Laos


Hong Kong and London

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Blogs by Paul Newton

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Paul Newton

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Blogs about my family history, digital communications, and a burst appendix! Contact me on Twitter @pnewton84

pnewton84

pnewton84

Blogs by Paul Newton

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