Program Reviews

In the summer of 2023, I went on a two-week trip to Peru with 9 other students: all 15-17 year olds. And while it may sound cliché, this trip was life-changing. We spent time in pop-up clinics around Cusco, where residents would come to get medicine and treatment from the doctors there. We spent five days at these clinics, and I wish we had done more over those 14 days! It was such an eye-opening experience that has completely changed my career path to be medical. We also visited Machu Picchu (literally the coolest thing I have ever seen), Rainbow Mountain (an hour-long hike to 17,000 ft above sea level), and whitewater rafting. On top of that, I met some of my favorite people ever; we all became great friends instantly. Overall, I would recommend this program to anyone who is looking at a medical career, wanting to make a difference in another community, or just wanting to see another country with friends!

This was a unique experience both both kids. They navigated the airline industry on their own to and from as teenagers. They dealt with all manner of challenges and learned they "Can Do It" - whatever it might have been. Both kids came home more mature and aware of the environment while getting some exposure to a very different culture. Upon arrival at the Airport in DR until departure from the same airport days later the kids both reported the trip as fun, informative, challenging, safe, and did I mention FUN?
Cheers from a happy parent.

Really enjoyed this program!! Staff helped make the program turn into an immersion of both public health community service and having fun around Indonesia. Daily activities were held for the group which helped us make connections together as a group, and food was also good as well! Fit the program well as we normally ate Indonesian cuisine with occasional outside food. Other activities such as scuba diving and surfing were also very fun, and it was a wonderful experience that I would definitely recommend!

GLA was an amazing experience for my daughter. It was her first time away from home and she was a bit nervous to go to another country. Once she arrived, she immediately made friends and was immersed in the experience. When we heard from her on the trip, she sounded confident, excited and busy! In addition to improving her Spanish and learning about the culture of Guatemala, she matured and grew as a person. This year, she is very focused in school, articulate with her teachers, and very involved in the family. I would recommend GLA to every teenager, as it has made a world of difference in our child.

There were so many things I was looking forward to with this trip: new friends, new adventure experience, and meaningful volunteer work and relationships. All of those I can say with 100% certainty that I got on this trip. There was no stress on this trip, you are able to relax as you walk around the beautiful home-base with mangos and star fruits growing around you. There are so many fun people to talk to, whether they are on your trip, or just people that live in the country. I am so appreciative that I was able to go on this trip, and would do it again any day!!

This trip was nothing but amazing. It not only gave me new learning opportunities, but it forged memories I will remember forever. In Spanish class at school I love to practice what I learned and tell stories. I love the people I went with and adore the times we had. It is so exciting when I remember something that happened. I end up smiling and laughing for so long. This trip is something I will never forget and I am so lucky to be given this opportunity. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone who wants to go to another country, while also doing some volunteer work.<3

I would like to recommend this Costa Rica Beachside GLA program. My 14-year-old son travelled on his own for the first time. Jordan gained more skills to socialize with students from his age. He also learned from other students from other cultures and people of Costa Rica. He grew a lot from the experience. He came back with more confidence, motivation, and maturity. As a parent, I cannot thank GLA enough for this travel aboard experiences. This is a very unique opportunity for an American teenager to learn and serve diverse communities.

My trip to the Dominican Republic was an amazing experience. I feel as if this trip had so many different things to offer. From unique learning experiences to fun adventure activities and even great lodging. I went on this trip with little background knowledge of ocean conservation. I went in with an open mind. The service that we did was centered around not only learning about the ocean but also helping the community support conservation. The biggest thing I took away from this learning was that by learning more about how to take care of our coral reefs, I realized how easy it is to make small changes. In my day-to-day life, I can do small things that add up to make a significant impact on keeping our corals and ocean animals healthy. When we weren't doing service, we spent time exploring all that the Dominican Republic had to offer. As I have gone on two GLA trips based on my experience, the lodging for this trip was very comfortable. At the heart of all GLA trips were the people I met, who greatly impacted my experience. Whether that was people in the community or other students on the trip, they all helped to broaden my perspective of the world around me.

My experience on my GLA program was completely life-changing. I traveled to Costa Rica alone, so I went into it very nervous about being away from home and whether the people would be inviting or not, but all of my nervousness went away when I started my program. I made lasting connections with many of my companions on this trip, and I made so many memories that will last a lifetime! The nighttime turtle walks were such an amazing experience, because on our third night walk, our group found a leatherback sea turtle. I was completely in awe when we discovered it, and it is something I may never would have experienced if not for this program. Also, as someone who is going into the environmental field, the experience that I had on this trip has inspired me more than any other experience in my life to pursue what I am passionate about.
The only downside to my experience is that my group and I were not prepared for their being no airconditioning in the house we stayed at, no WiFi, and only around two hours of electricity each day. I feel like it is not highlighted enough in the program description, for my group and I would have packed our attire differently if we had known. But overall, I would highly recommend this program to everyone!

Over the summer of 2023, i had an amazing opportunity to go to bali. i was so scared at first, but everyone there was amazing espically the leaders. I had never experienced a differnt culture until then, and let me tell you it was a culture shock. I tried the differnt food, differnt religion they practice, differnt way they eat, differnt way they talk and interact. this was so interesting to me. including a culture shock we also had a lot ranging from herbal walks to going to the beaches there.