Crafting my story-- How do I explain a gap year?

I graduated from AU in Dec 2022. It's technically a non-target school, but there's still a decent about of IB recruiting that happens on campus. I took a gap year (well, 8 months) traveling after I graduated. Now I'm facing the uphill battle of cold calling and emailing MM and EB banks in the region in an attempt to break into IB. I'm working on creating a story, and trying to explain my gap year in a favorable light.

Does anyone have any advice? Thanks!