Program Reviews

The ISV program in Costa Rica was absolutely incredible. I signed up for the whole five week trip. The first week we stayed with host families in Heredia while taking Spanish lessons through Intercultura. This was an awesome immersion experience and a great way to learn about the culture firsthand.

For the next two weeks, we were at various volunteer projects throughout Costa Rica. My group was in the rainforest on the Osa Peninsula, where we helped collect data about the rainforest's health by monitoring seed dispersal. It was a lot of hard work and took tons of energy, but being able to help in this way was inexpressibly rewarding. Our little group bonded so much and we all became so close. And we got to see tons of animals---monkeys, sloths, and toucans, to name just a few!---in their natural habitats!

The final two weeks of the trip were spent taking an adventure tour of Costa Rica. We white-water rafted down the Pacuare River, surfed at Samara Beach, and ziplined through the rainforest---and that's not even half of the activities we did! It was amazingly fun and even though I was super nervous (I had never done any of the activities before) I had a blast with each and every thing we did.

I have nothing but good things to say about ISV's volunteer project/adventure tour in Costa Rica. It truly was the trip of a lifetime.

On my trip to New Zealand I was able to make a difference and give back to the environment in a positive rewarding way. It was amazing to experience the outdoors and scenery that is unique to New Zealand and can be found no other place in the world. After making a contribution to environmental conservation efforts, I had the amazing chance to tour the country for two weeks for the new friends I had just made. The tour included activities like hiking, bungee jumping in the place it was created, skydiving, whitewater rafting, natural Polynesian hot springs, the amazing glow worm caves of waitomo and so much more amazing things. I highly recommend to fans of outdoors, the lord of the rings/hobbit(you visit hobbiton), and adrenaline junkies.

ISV is much more than it looks like, the programs truly stick to their mission statement of creating more active global citizens. But more than that they don't tell you that every single aspect of the program is so thought out that where you eat lunch, where you stop for gas, where you stay makes a difference in someones life locally. I felt that I made a difference and more so that ISV impacted me more. We helped children in Chinsta, South Africa and the gratitude and love from these children made me appreciate my life and want to do more. I have changed my life coming home and have traveled to several other countries, each culture and experience creating a piece of who I am as a person. I am forever thankful for the amazing program I went on and highly recommend ISV as a program!

The first time i heard about this program, I was incredibly exited. After I applied, fear struck. I realized I would have to spend a full month with people I hadn't met before but at the same time, I would have an incredible time that I hoped to never forget. So I talked to friends and they gave me the push to commit and come through.
Fast forward four months later.....
The day of my flight came and I had not recieved my visa yet. I am not a U.S. citizen so I actually had to apply for my visa myself with little direction from ISV. I applied a month before my flight and asked the visa agency to hurry my visa even though it clearly says on their website that they cannot do this and there are no exceptions. Well I received my visa an hour before my flight so I cleary did not make it. The trip hadn't started and I my stress level was high. After paying a ridiculous amount of money and 2 days later, I was in Australia a day after I was supposed to arrive. Tip: make your layover in LA as long as possible because this would give you the time to leave the airport and explore the city. That's what I did and wished I had more time.
Then I met the other volunteers in the house we would share for two weeks. I was assigned to the program in Newcastle, which in my opinion was the best one in Australia compared to the things I heard from other groups around the country. We lived in a two story house in the middle of the city! The other groups lived in a cabin in the woods, just like the movie. Tip: I did very little research about Newcastle and Australia in general before hitting the ground and I would recommend doing the same. If I had done my research I wouldn't have been as impressed as I was throughout the whole trip. It's much better to ask your volunteer or tour leader where to go or once you get there, do the research.
Most of the other volunteers you will like, a couple not so much and a few you will make a real connection with. At least this is what happened when my group met up with the other groups in Sydney. Just try to take it easy with everyone and ignore the ones that kill your vibe.
You will not always love the volunteer work you do. It is hard! You end the day really tired and wake up early the next day early to do more work. You get used to it. One day (the worst work day) we had to do a lot of handy work/extreme gardening for 6 hours and I ended up with a sore back and red blistered hands because the plants that we were rooting out were prickly. Other days will be incredibly rewarding. Sometimes I had a hard time understanding why we were volunteering but you just need to ask.
We stayed in really awesome locations that are situated close to everything. The nightlife is really really fun. And remember you don't have to stick with the others in your free time so get out of thr hotel room and go explore by yourself!
Con: you can't go in the water unless you are told it's safe. No matter how pretty blue or how swimmable the water looks, DON'T. There are jellyfish and other sea animals that will land you in the hospital. You will be able to swim in pools, lakes, lagoons, etc so no worry.
If you're worried about getting homesick, HAHAHA. That never happened to me. Don't count the days until you leave paradise either, you won't be able to enjoy your days as much if you do. Just push it back until the last day-then cry.

Enjoy it! You paid for it.

One story I haven't shared anywhere else is about the amazing women who cooked for us daily and did all of our laundry during our volunteer stay. These two women went above and beyond to make sure our stay was amazing. They taught us their language and required that we use it as often as possible. "Enkosi Kakhulu!" means "thank you very much" and I would like to reiterate that statement to these ladies. They exposed me to their culture and welcomed me into their hearts. One had a young daughter who would often come to the house and hang out with us. We played Jenga with her, puzzles, and had many dance parties! Because of these people, I was still having adventures, even during our down time. They taught me how to appreciate life and gave me new perspectives on the word Family. I feel truly blessed to have spent two weeks in their presence and I hope to one day make someone feel as accepted and loved as I did with them.

Enkosi Kakhulu.

Great experience, I spent 6 weeks in Costa Rica, firstly taking Spanish lessons, then helping with sea turtle conservation, and ended with a 2 week adventure tour.
Every part was amazing, wish I could relive it.
Met amazing people and challenged myself with many activities I never thought I would do, from abseiling down a waterfall, white water rafting, kayaking and ziplining over the rainforest canopy.
Lovely staff, locals were very friendly, felt very welcomed.

I had an incredible volunteer experience, conducting sea turtle research in Costa Rica! We conducted research on adult hawksbill turtles, which was unique and incredible.

The accommodations are right on the water and the program leaders are knowledgeable and passionate about their research.

Highly recommend this program for students majoring in marine biology, conservation, animal care, etc. but it will be life-changing no matter your area of study.

An unforgettable time spent exploring the many wonders of Thailand and volunteering in an eco-tourism village. 100% the best month of my life, the first two weeks were spent on the adventure tour, and the second fortnight in a homestay. Normally the two are the other way around which might have better suited me but the order wasn't a big deal.
The first two weeks : zip-lining through jungles, white water rafting, bungee jumping, Muay Thai kickboxing, cooking classes, night markets, kayaking, floating restaurants, elephant washing, monkey attacks, mountain top temples, hikes through rice paddies, paradise-evoking beaches, fertility shrines with hundreds of wooden penises, neon paint parties and 27 new friends.
The second : living with a host family and the crab in the toilet, being given a new name by schoolchildren who can't figure out how your name works, having your fortunes read, trying (and failing) to create toys out of bamboo leaves, discovering the joys of squat toilets, getting rescued after sinking knee deep into mud while planting mangroves, watching the tide recede beneath the floorboards in the kitchen.
I learned so much in my time in Thailand about myself and about others. I learned that through perseverance I could climb that mountain and find the courage to bungee jump. I learned that I do like flavourful food and I can also cook without burning everything. I learned that there is a technique to using squat toilets and that motorbikes can fit a family of four. I learned that having to share a bed with someone will quickly turn that stranger into a friend so long as they can put up with my sleepwalking. I rediscovered my love of swimming and learned that making friends isn't quite as daunting as I had thought. I learned that you make your own happiness and I learned that there's nothing holding me back but myself.

This program provided me with the opportunity to interact with the local community in a way I couldn't have done on my own. The connections that ISV has with each of their countries allows for the maximum utility of time, and a great experience. I would highly recommend this program to students seeking their first experience abroad as the safety of students is paramount to ISV and the volunteering portion is very rewarding.

Going to South Africa with ISV was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I felt like I made a lasting impact with the volunteer work we did and I made life long friends in the process. I was also able to cross a number of items off my bucket list such as petting a cheetah, going scuba diving, going on a safari, cliff jumping, and caving. Even though many of the South Africans we met didn't have a lot, they were always happy and positive. This made me reevaluate the way I look at the world and I now find joy in the simple things. This trip has forever changed me and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to travel.