Challenge

Explore Worldwide wanted to build awareness and drive bookings among Australians aged 45+, without the budget for a major media campaign. Its global Radical Sabbatical concept offered a compelling starting point, but the opportunity in Australia was much bigger: turn an emerging travel idea into a culturally relevant campaign that could cut through, spark conversation and inspire meaningful action.

The brief

Turn a global travel concept into an Australian campaign that builds awareness, engagement and bookings.

Insight

For Australians navigating the pressures of midlife, the biggest barrier to their dream trip wasn’t inspiration. It was the belief that meaningful time away had to wait until retirement.

Idea

Gate 7 saw the potential to turn Radical Sabbatical into something bigger than a travel trend. We built an Australian earned-media campaign around a provocative question: why wait until retirement to take the trip that matters? By connecting Explore’s research with relatable local voices, mainstream conversations and first-hand experiences, we gave the idea relevance, reach and longevity.

Execution

Gate 7 developed the Australian communications strategy, transforming Explore’s research into compelling stories about burnout, work-life balance, midlife reinvention and meaningful travel. We identified broadcaster and wellbeing advocate Felicity Harley as the local face of the campaign, giving the message credibility beyond traditional travel media.

Our targeted media programme secured national exposure on TODAY, Nova’s Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie and The Flow Lane Podcast, alongside lifestyle and travel coverage. These opportunities also helped amplify Explore’s interactive quiz and consumer competition, connecting awareness with opportunities for audiences to imagine their own Radical Sabbatical.

To give the campaign a life beyond launch, we developed a Radical Sabbatical media famil through India, securing journalist Katrina Lobley to experience the cultural immersion and personal reflection at the heart of the idea. Her resulting Explore Magazine story was syndicated across more than 50 titles, extending the campaign’s reach and relevance.

Results

+ Winner: Best Campaign With a Small Budget, 2026 Mumbrella Travel Marketing Awards

+ 57.6% year-on-year growth in passenger volume among Explore Worldwide’s 45–54-year-old audience, reported following the campaign

+ 66% growth in back-to-back bookings within the target demographic

+ 50+ titles syndicated Katrina Lobley’s Radical Sabbatical travel story