Expert Guidance for the adventure of a lifetime
Start Your Gap Year Adventure
Free to Roam Adventures curates custom gap year experiences, thoughtfully designed to match your unique interests and budget. Get expert advice and mentoring from someone with first-hand gap year experience. Contact Susan today to start exploring gap year possibilities!
Gap Year & Gap Semester Services
Choose gap year support that gets you where you’re going. Tailored to your timeline, budget, and goals:
Personalized Gap Year & Semester Consulting Packages — one on one planning with Susan: curated placements, customized gap year plan, full logistical support (pre-departure, during gap year, and end of gap year debrief), plus ongoing mentorship during planning and throughout the gap year.
Flexible Hourly Consulting — tailored program & activity recommendations based on your preferences, or help evaluating options you’ve found on your own.
DIY Gap Year Toolkit — step-by-step blueprint with budgets, vetting checklists, and resources to empower you to design your own gap year.
We blend practical planning with intentional design to make your gap year focused, manageable, and aligned with your next steps. Tell us your priorities and timeline; we’ll recommend the right level of support.
Why Free to Roam Adventures?
Save Time & Money Susan researches unique opportunities that offer meaningful experiences for a range of budgets
Optimal Fit Fourteen years of experience in the gap year space provides Susan with keen insight and understanding of gap year students and opportunities available to help you find the right fit and make the most of your gap time.
Peace of Mind Susan vets recommended programs, organizations and travel opportunities before presenting them to clients
Flexibility Make your gap year or sabbatical uniquely yours! Susan offers personalized guidance and support throughout the planning phase and remains available should you need to alter your plans
Experience Susan has firsthand experience as a gap year student, program leader and director of study abroad in 25+ countries throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America & Australia and Oceania
Susan is a passionate advocate of the gap year as a foundational experience that allows students to develop greater self-awareness, deepen cultural knowledge, and step into the next phase of life with confidence and a sense of ownership over their lives. She takes pride in being one of the few gap year consultants who has both taken a gap year and directly supported students in international education as a gap year program leader and director of study abroad. Susan utilizes her personal & professional experience to match clients with unique gap experiences that align with their unique interests and personal goals.
Gap Year Consultant, Susan Staley
“After finishing up my first year of college and reflecting on that time, I am so incredibly grateful that I took a gap year and had the opportunity to do so. The experiences I had during that time really prepared me for moving so far away to school and for being out in the world on my own. I am also so grateful that I had such a great guide to lead me through the process, you really helped me make the most of my gap year and I will be forever thankful for your guidance.”
Josie Herring — Gap Year Alum 2021-2022