My daughter has just returned from her gap-year travels, sunburned and unkempt, and bursting with tales of adventure. A mixture of volunteering and solo travel, plus six months of physically demanding paid work to fund the year, has led to staggering personal growth. I hardly recognise the independent, financially prudent, culturally aware and helpful adult who has come back to replace the schoolgirl who left.

Then again, it has been a year and a lot can happen in 12 months. Who can say that they knew a year ago exactly what their life would look like today? And more to the point, what could you accomplish if you dedicated this next year to something completely different? Proficiency in a new language or musical instrument perhaps or something painstakingly assembled from a million tiny laser-cut pieces of balsa wood? Whatever you might choose, the cultural significance of the year, our go-to unit for “a long time”, adds weight and often a sense of completeness to projects, which makes it a useful framing device for many excellent limited-run serial podcasts. This week’s selections offer a glimpse into a Martian reality show and a year in the life of a likeable cricketer, as well as exploration down clearly marked rabbit-hole territory.

The one I will be listening to for a while yet, however, is the show inspiring me to plan my own gap year. While I have been quietly getting old, apparently a whole industry has sprung up to accommodate the growing number of those on “silver” gap years, with over-60 travellers sometimes referred to as “golden gappers”. Also gaining popularity is the family gap year, which is somehow enhanced rather than encumbered by the addition of small children. That sounds like a very long year.

1. My Year in Mensa