Spanish Gap Year - Spain by Train

I enjoyed this program’s devotion to cultural immersion, exemplified through the homestays, historical tours, Spanish language courses, and cooking classes. We learned so much about artisanal farming through our visits to ecological, horse, donkey, and cheese farms. It also has an art focus through pottery, dancing, collage, and photography. This is a comprehensive program that provides a fully immersive Spanish experience. Overall, this program is more similar to study abroad with it’s classroom and guided tour model, instead of constant free-range outdoor activity - even though they do provide an intensive one week full of adventure in the North.

I'm sharing this review as a parent of Spring 2022 Gapper. My son was interested in becoming more fluent in Spanish and learning more about the country and history of Spain. His experience way exceeded his expectations as well as mine! Arantxa and the rest of the SGY crew were phenomenal. They thought through many details and were also open to suggestions from students, since the program is a bit newer. He was given structure but also a certain amount of independence once the students showed they were familiar enough with their location and Spanish customs and program rules. I never worried about his safety and can not recommend SGY strongly enough. My son's experience with this program was truly life changing for him and I am grateful he had the opportunity to immerse himself so completely in Spanish culture.

Writing as a parent of a gapper who spent 3 months touring Spain with Spanish Gap Year and Arantxa's team. Overall...GREAT Experience!

We would heartily recommend Spanish Gap Year and were very impressed with Arantxa's organization, staff, home-stay placements (AMAZING!), and connections with local resources. The activities (fun and educational) were super fun for our gapper. We would give a special shout out to Arantxa for connecting with wonderful group language classes for the gappers. The stay in Salamanca was especially well done. Our gapper now hopes to study abroad for a semester or even a year in Salamanca as part of her undergraduate work!

Although the program is still in its early days, Arantxa has loads of personal experience and tons of passion for what these kids are hoping to find, see, learn, and experience. She really gets it.

Spanish Gap Year is a well run outfit. The program offers tremendous opportunities for growth in Spanish language skills as well independence, social opportunities, culture, gastronomy, and understanding the fascinating culture and history of every region of Spain...a true crossroads of cultures.

My daughter had a wonderful time on this program. It provided a rich and diverse cultural experience across many parts of Spain and in a way which was fun and enjoyable. As a parent I always felt that my daughter was being taken care of and the communication was excellent. The communication not only consisted of email updates but am instagram and google drive location which provided videos and pictures. I would whole heartedly and without reservation recommend this program to other parents considering a gap year program for their son or daughter.

Arantxa (the founder/leader) is a rare gem. She directs the program with professionalism and has excellent communication with the parents, but her heart is with the students. She understands their age and stage of life and respects their independence while also providing a safe and enriching experience. Each aspect of the program is very intentional and provides immersion without pressure. It's a great rhythm of homestays and city hostel adventures with some wilderness adventures that aren't too intense for students who don't have experience. Arantxa co-leads with select people in every region and all of them were fantastic. My child was sad to say goodbye to each leader and host family but always knew the next adventure would unveil a new relationship. Her love of Spain is now deep and lifelong. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this program to anyone!

Spanish Gap Year provided a lot of the opportunities for growth that I had been looking for in a gap program. My experiences with amazing host families, using Spanish to navigate unfamiliar cities, and living with different Spanish culture-influenced routines helped me expand my independence. Making friends out of various situations, always with people that had intriguingly different lived experiences to myself, supported social growth and expanded my comfort zone. As for how my Spanish has improved, I took classes in high school but had not really used Spanish for maybe two years before this trip. Now I can't help unconsciously switching to Spanish on a regular basis.

My time on the Spain By Train program with Arantxa, my group, and all the mentors along the way was incredible! I thoroughly enjoyed the different stops and meeting lots of new people along the way. From amazing new food, to walking Tibetan bridges, the varying activities were constantly eye-opening and action packed. Right from the get-co, I can confidently say my Spanish speaking ability improved, with great learning opportunities throughout. I’ll remember these 3 months for the rest of my life.

Spanish Gap Year is a gap year program that I would definitely recommend it to people who wish to explore the different parts of Spain. Throughout the trip we went to various regions, learning and truly integrating with the culture. With every stop we meet new people, learn about different cultures, and improve our Spanish. While it is a relatively new program with small kinks that need to be worked out, the program is one that has huge potential. Overall, the program was a lot of fun and really gave me a better mentality and an appreciation for culture.