Travel Articles

by Cormac Scanlan

A 10 year veteran of the travel industry and currently COO of gapyear.com, Cormac Scanlan has written widely on gap years, backpacking and the travel industry, from a business perspective, and from a customer / user point of view. Here you will find samples of his published work.

A Brief Visual History of Travel

Long-form parallax content, covering 2 million years of human exploration, with words from by Will Jones and creative visual design by Cormac Scanlan.

Published as history-of-travel.com
The Two Sides of the Algarve

We are long overdue in exposing the ignorant and intolerant attitudes that divide tourism in Portugal's beautiful and historic Algarve region.

Published on gapyear.com
A Farewell to Gapyear.com

Having never been described as a heart-on-the-sleeve, Bridget-Jones-watching, effeminate bridezilla, on last day at gapyear.com, I admit I choked up a bit.

Published on gapyear.com
Discussing Gap Years at Interviews

An employer's perspective on the value of your gap year travel, with practical advice on how to discuss and explain the benefits in an job interview.

Published on gapyear.com
The Art of Travel Photography

Travel and photography go together like France and culture or Britain and sporting failure. But how can you get the best out of your backpacking snaps?

Published on gapyear.com
Driving on Your Gap Year

In 2014 I was interviewed by the car-sharing network Liftshare, about gap year road-trips and the effects of the sharing economy on backpacking and youth travel.

Published on Liftshare.com
On Redesigning and Rebranding a Travel Website

Gapyear.com got a major redesign and rebrand in April 2014. Here I talk the website's users through the process of redesigning, and of course, the reasons.

Published on gapyear.com
An Interview with Gapyear.com COO Cormac Scanlan

US travel blog I Should Log off interviewed me in 2014, covering life in the travel industry, the growth of backpacking, and benefits of a gap year.

Published on ishouldlogoff.com
Photo Editing for Beginners: A Guide for Travellers

A beginners guide on how to start using image editing software to correct and improve your travel photos, regardless of your budget.

Published on gapyear.com