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Thailand Gap Year

Thailand is an amazing destination for your gap year or other travel plans and we from Xtreme Gap have the best programs! The weather is nice, the sea is beautiful, the food delicious, the Full Moon Party is something you should experience once in your life.

Some exciting Thailand Gap Year trip suggestions

Our most popular group travel trips are the Xtreme Thailand Experience, diving on Koh Tao, and Thailand Advenuture. They are perfect for the first time traveler. Even if you are going alone, you will be matched up with a group. You can chat to other trip members before you go, with our online buddy list system! For all the other programs please look below.

Thailand Gap Year Activities

People go on a Thailand gap year for many different reasons but many choose to do the following exciting activites.

Diving on a Thailand gap year

Thailand is one of the best places to learn to dive on a gap year. Not only does it offer excellent value for money, but also the marine life in Thailand is excellent. Even snorkling you can see tropical fish and a who plethora of Marine life. Many just opt to do their open water certification taking 4 days, many others go for their divemaster qualification on their Thailand gap year. This enables them to find work in the diving industry – perfect for earning money when travelling.

Getting Healthy On Your Thailand Gap Year

Due to the incredible lifestyle you can enjoy on a gap year in Thailand, many choose to devote the time to improving their health and fitness. This can be achieved in several ways through Xtreme Gap: for the hard core the Thailand fitness bootcamp is a popular choice, others looking to improve their fitness choose to do a gap year yoga course or learn muay thai on their Thailand gap year. When this is combined with healthy food, lots of sunshine and stress free living the benefits can be immense.

Backpacking On Your Thailand Gap Year

Backpacking Thailand is a popular option for Thailand gap year travellers. The tourist industry is reasonably well developed enabling you to get around easily and at minimal expense. There are various tours and must see destinations all over Thailand. The verity of the country adding to the appeal. In the north near the golden triangle you have jungle trekking and hill tribes, in the south along the malay peninsula, you have incredible beaches and water based Thailand gap year activities like Freediving and scuba. Taking a Thailand gap year is also popular as Thailand is a good hub to explore other south east Asia countries. Bangkok is highly accessible on a round the world flight with major airlines servicing the airport offering very good value flights. Overland travel is then easy once inside the country so are local flights on low cost carriers like air Asia.

Handy information about Thailand on your gap year

Thailand is located in South East Asia, bordering Malaysia, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia and Laos. The country is shaped like an elephants head, with its trunk – a huge peninsular attaching the north to Malaysia in the south. This is a major contributor to Thailand’s unique weather pasterns and gives Thailand distinct “monsoon” seasons in other parts of the country at different times of the year. Meaning it is always a good idea to do a gap year in Thailand, no matter what time of season. Because if it is raining on one side of the country generally speaking it will be dry on the other side.

A Thailand gap year option has become hugely popular in recent years with tourism being one of its main exports, (rice being the other if you want to bore strangers on a train with your keen knowledge of useless facts). This despite a reasonably high level of unrest politically. There is a real gap between rich and poor within the country, which in turn has lead to recent political unrest. It seems that every couple of years, sometimes months, the general population get fed up with the government, and protest. They are usually successful in booting them out of office, only to be replaced by an equally hated leadership who will face the wrath of the people several months later. On the whole, these coups are bloodless, and just cause a bit of a noise on the streets (and if really unlucky flight cancellations). All these things considered, it is still one of the most exciting gap year destinations you will visit.

Thai Culture

The religion in Thailand is mainly Buddhist, with a few Muslims in the South. This creates a very peaceful and respectful society based on respect and karma. It is really a beautiful aspect to the country, and many are taken by surprise on their Thailand gap year by just how friendly people can be.

Another thing people are surprised to see on their Thailand gap year are the stark contrasts between various aspects of the Thai society. Thai culture is extremely reserved and respectful. This is hard to fathom, when you venture into one of the many red light areas in Bangkok or Pataya and come face to face with the public face of Thailand prostitution – the go go bar. This seedy aspect to Thailand, although visible in some parts does not have to cast a shadow on your Thailand gap year. You can easily avoid this if it makes you feel uncomfortable. On the other side if you just go into one of these bars for a drink, and it does not matter whether you are a boy of a girl, it will give you a story to tell back home. With some luck you will meet a lady boy too, the other slightly uncomfortable yet completely accepted, yet strangely dark side to Thai culture.

Thailand is ruled by the King in principal, although it is mainly run behind the scenes by the all powerful military. It is a very sound advice to respect the monarchy whilst you are on your Thailand gap year. The King is highly respected and it would cause great offense to make any negative or sarcastic comments about him. If you are thinking “like when would i do that?” you will soon realize after arriving on your Thailand gap year, that the king is quite literally everywhere. Pictures of the king adorn walls in homes, shops, lifts, taxis, tuk tuks, on round about, bridges… You get the idea. If you add into this mix some potent Thai Whiskey (served in a bucket!) then a slip of the tongue could get you into a lot of sticky situations.

How you can get the most out of your Thailand Gap Year?

Many people like to just do their own thing on their Thailand gap year, and that is cool. If you think the same, perhaps we can tempt you into undertaking one of our Thailand gap year programmes. These are a great way of spending a couple of weeks, or months, getting to know about the country, the culture and making lots of new mates along the way.

The most popular Xtreme Thailand Gap Year programme is the Muay Thai Training programme. Based on the tropical island of Koh Tao, this is the ultimate in Martial arts fitness, combined with a laid back cool tropical island lifestyle. Living minutes from the beach, you get to train everyday working on your Muay Thai skills and becoming super fit. The real twist of adrenaline come at the end, where if you so choose, you can fight in a live fight, infront of a cheering, gambling and highly excited crowd.

Koh Tao the best place to learn to dive on your Thailand gap year

Thailand is one of the best places to learn to dive on a gap year. Not only does it offer excellent value for money, but also the marine life in Thailand is excellent. Most of the diving takes place on a small island called Koh Tao, which is also where most of our Thailand gap year programmes are based. It offers the prefect setting to learn to dive and not only because staying there is exceptionally beautiful, but also because it is one of the best value places to learn to dive in the world. There is something about the place that attracts backpackers and turns them in to fully fledged Thailand fans. It is not uncommon for people to go there for 4 days and end up staying 4 years.
What you may not realise is that we also offer a freediving programme. Probably one of the oldest extreme sports. If you learn freediving on your Thailand gap year with us, you will be training with some of the worlds top professional freedivers at a dedicated free diving academy. It is a great way to do something different, whilst soaking up the tropical island life style, both above an below the water.

If you are not into diving, you can still experience underwater Koh Tao, even snorkelling you can see tropical fish and a who plethora of Marine life. Many just opt to do their open water certification taking 4 days. Many others go for their Divemaster qualification on their Thailand gap year. This enables them to find work in the diving industry: perfect for earning money when travelling.

If you are considering a gap year Thailand as part of your year out or even just a short Thailand holiday, we have several cool trips, from laid back beach chill time, to high adrenaline martial arts.

The Buddy List System

The Buddy List System is our online travellers meeting point. Once you book you can chat to other Xtreme Gappers on your trip or join public forums to chat to other gappers thinking about heading to Thailand.

      Xtreme Thailand Experience


      Xtreme Thailand Experience£989

      Do you want see it all in one of the most exciting countries in the world? Join our guided Thailand group backpacking tour and have an incredible adventure. You choose your activities. An intro week, an adventure week, an action week and a beach week. You will be checking out the buzz in Bangkok with new mates and letting the good times roll.


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      Underwater Filmmaker Internship, Thailand£1989

      Step off the plane and into paradise, living on an incredible tropical island and getting paid for it! This once in a lifetime opportunity is not to be missed. Become an underwater videographer on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand, spending your days filming colourful and tropical scenes underwater, and your afternoons editing your footage into awesome movies! This is living!


      Divemaster courses


      Koh Tao Divemaster Thailand£2599

      Koh Tao Divemaster course plus internship: Live the life on a tropical island in the Gulf of Thailand. The Koh Tao Divemaster course means living on an incredible tropical island, diving every day for 12 weeks, accommodation and equipment included. You will discover one of the most amazing lifestyles and gain a professional level qualification enabling you to work in the scuba diving industry all over the world.


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      Round The World South East Asia£2499

      A whirlwind tour round Southeast Asia. Discover Thailand with this beautiful culture and action on pristine paradise islands, then head to the mountains to explore and Laos on hop on hop off adventure, finally finishing up in Vietnam with a four week awesome adventure. Three stunning countries, 10 weeks for under £2500!


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      Round The World Thailand & Australia£1799

      Thailand & Australia offer the perfect mixture when you want to go travelling. Stopping off in Thailand you will be blown away by the culture, beaches and stunning beauty of the country. Featuring a month long Trip you can really do it all, lazy days on tropical beaches. Partying in Bangkok, temples and action. Then it's on to Australia, where you will have an amazing first week followed by an exciting adventure up the East coast.


      Thailand Gap Year Trips


      The Thailand Bucket List 18 Day Tour£945

      An unforgettable 18 day Thailand tour in the land of smiles. All transport, accommodation and activities are included in your epic Thailand trip of a lifetime, so you don’t need to worry about anything. Simply get yourself here and we’ll take care of the rest! This trip takes in all of the major islands that you need to see.


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      Epic Thailand 12 Days£595

      Tropical beaches? Island paradises? Amazing adventure? Welcome to the trip of a lifetime; the ultimate bucket list journey through Thailand! If you love beaches, nature, adventure and a healthy dose of partying, then this is the trip for you! Amazing value, and perfect for first-time or solo travellers, you’ll instantly make a bunch of new friends in your travel group who will share amazing travel experiences with you.


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      Thailand Backpacker Experience 8 Days£449

      The ideal way to start your backpacking adventure in Thailand! Travel as a group from Bangkok to Koh Phangan in 8 days. We will take care of everything for you including accommodation, activities and transport, plus your group leader will be on hand all week to ensure you have an awesome and trouble free trip. See the best of this amazing country and meet new friends whilst enjoying the experience of a lifetime! The best value for money backpacker tour in Thailand - everything only £449!


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      Ultimate Thailand 10 Day Thailand Tour£579

      The perfect way to see and explore the land of smiles in a guided group backpacking tour. 10 days we take care of everything within easy arrival amazing experiences and a whirlwind tour around Thailand. You can even extend this awesome trip to 14 or 24 days.


      Tropical fitness holiday


      The Xtreme Tropical Island Fitness Holiday£899

      This is like a fitness holiday with all the benefits of being on a paradise island. Wouldn't it be great to go on holiday, have all the relaxing experiences you crave yet feel better and fitter at the end of it. Well that's exactly what can achieve with this programme. With excellent CrossFit style workouts, soothing yoga under coconut groves, and exciting Muay Thai kickboxing training combine to make this the perfect fitness experience in paradise.


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      South East Asia Xplorer£1399

      A flexible hop on hop off adventure taking in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, starting in the capital of Thailand Bangkok and ending in the capital of Vietnam Hanoi. With the recommended minimum trip time of 43 days, this is the perfect guided group backpacking adventure taking in four incredible Southeast Asia countries. All transport, loads of activities included.


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      Round The World AustralasiaReduced to £3221

      So you want to do an amazing round the world trip, but not sure where to start? This is a pretty good option for you! The best parts of Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. All the must do activities, incredible places and incredible people await. From Thailand island hopping, to the East coast Australia and a mental few days in Queenstown, this is the perfect backpacking adventure.




      Thailand Fitness Bootcamp£599

      Are you longing to get really fit? If you spend time at the Xtreme Gap fitness bootcamp, set in a tropical Thai jungle paradise, then you really will. Industry leading professional personal trainers will get you in peak condition in no time. After your training take your new six pack for a walk on the beautiful tropical beaches of Phuket. Feel the burn!!




      Thailand Xplorer£1159

      Our amazing 24 day trip is the ultimate start to your trip in Thailand and South East Asia. See the best of Bangkok, Khao Sok National Park, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Phangan with an optional Koh Tao bolt on. Our tour includes all accommodation, travel & activities. It is not called the ultimate Thailand from nothing this is absolutely everything you want to see and do in this incredible country.


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      Koh Tao Adventure£429

      If you like the sound of die for beaches, superb nightlife and some incredible adventure activities with a cool group of travellers then the Koh Tao adventure is the trip for you. Each week has a new adventure. All you have to do is decide which activities to pick and how long you want to go for.


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      Muay Thai Training In Thailand – Now With X-Fit Option£649

      Do you want to try the ultimate in personal fitness training? Muay Thai training Thailand gets you closer to the culture and action. Set on a gorgeous tropical island paradise. You will train hard in a stunning jungle gym up a sandy track minutes from the beach. But will you be ready to step in the ring? Now there is an exclusive Xtreme Gap Year CrossFit bolt on available for only £100 per month for unlimited daily training sessions


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      Round The World Ultimate£6255

      Head round the world from West to East taking in the sites and sounds of South East Asia´s Thailand and Laos, before heading to Australia and New Zealand for some serious action! Finish up in the USA completing an awesome road trip from LA to New York before flying home.


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      TEFL Training And Work As An English Teacher In Thailand£839

      Gain an internationally recognised teaching qualification with a guaranteed job offer after your course and earn over $1000 per month A great way to work and travel.. Phuket is one of the world’s most famous dream destinations of the most beautiful places in the world. The course location is 30 metres from the beach . It is ideal for students to have time to relax while they are learning. Food and accommodation is very cheap by western standards.


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      Thailand Adventure£829

      Are you looking for a great value fun trip where you meet loads of other travellers? Do you want to experience some amazing adventures like elephant trekking and visiting temples? You will be enchanted by Thai culture and eased into your travels on a great intro week, you can pick fun adventure options in week two, you'll have a cultural exchange experience in week three and finish up with some serious beach time week four. A bit like the Thailand experience but with less action, better if you are on a tighter budget.




      Zero to Hero Dive Instructor Start Your Dive Career Here£4449

      Become a dive instructor! No prior experience needed, you can become a dive instructor teaching others how to dive leading to an exciting career all over the world. This 7 month programme is a life changer, training under one of Koh Tao most established an successful course directors you can put the prospect of a 9 to 5 rat race well and truly behind you.


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      Rock Climbing Thailand£459

      Challenge yourself and admire the view from up high. Our rock climbing course, set on a beautiful tropical island, will teach you the basics of rock climbing. This course will give you all the inspiration you could need to develop a life long climbing passion. The setting is spectacular too, as you climb through the lush jungle and look out to sea from the pinnacles rising majestically out of the lush jungle.


      Xtreme Gap Year Freediving Course (15)


      Freediving Course Thailand£399

      Mastering advanced Freediving techniques will enable you to dive down 20 metres on a single breath of air in just 2 days! You can train at our worldclass Freediving school, set on a cool tropical island in Thailand. We will teach you the correct techniques, the physiology and science enabling you to do advance freediving. Either complete an eye opening beginner or advanced course, or participate in a full blown freediving master or even instructor programme!


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      Learn To Dive In Koh Tao£409

      Learn to dive in Koh Tao on your gap year! Getting your PADI qualifications in Thailand is one of the must do activities when you go backpacking in Asia or as part of a round the world trip. Koh Tao is famous for diving, low prices and great experiences, and maybe even meet the Whale shark, the biggest and most amazing fish in the sea! Come join us and have a great time on Koh Tao.




      Xtreme Elephant Experience£399

      From monolithic temple protrusions, to the living, breathing, legendary white elephant herds of the royal order, the faded beer vests of Khao San Road travellers, to the somewhat infamous, green and gold labels of ‘Chang’, if there is one symbol that reverberates the mystical and multifarious character of this Eastern land more than any other, it is the Thai Elephant. Discover their ways on the Xtreme Elephant Experience.


      Thailand Fullmoon Party (19)


      Thailand Fullmoon Party Experience£249

      The Thailand Fullmoon party, one of the all-time top 10 must dos before you die. Five days of enjoying the stunning island of tropical Koh Tao with lots of beach time and a boat trip around the island before heading to one of the most epic parties abroad.


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      Round The World Backpacker With USA£ 3999

      Travel the world at your own pace as a real backpacker with the comfort of all transport being arranged. Plus you will have guidance along the way and you will meet heaps of other travellers on our buses, boat and trains. We take you through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, North America and South America!