Quest Overseas - Peru Gap Year

This programme gave me with everything I needed so I could go and travel throughout Argentina and Chile. I really didn't want to go on a 'school trip' and thought that Quest looked like the real deal in terms of getting the most out of the experience!

The Peruvian project staff are INCREDIBLE. I don't think I have ever laughed so much! They welcome you into their family and you never look back.

I organised an open air cinema night for a community really struggling due to lack of electricity and access to water. The children were absolutely transfixed! This is the kind of social volunteering that can, in my opinion, really make a difference!

I did the Villa Maria mini project and exped this year from Jan to March. It was an absolutely incredible experience. Quest was everything I could have hoped for. The project was really worthwhile. We were working with a local organisation. We had a lot of fun while working hard. I felt as if I gained a lot out of it. The accommodation in Villa Maria understandably wasn't five star, but it was perfectly fine. The group got along really well, probably owing to the fact that quest doesn't just accept anyone. The three week exped was unforgettable. We managed to do so much and it was all really fun, a lot of it was challenging but it still felt really safe. I definitely felt as if I got value for money.

I traveled with Quest Overseas to Villa Maria in 2011, it wasn't a hard decision for me when choosing who to take my gap year with, Quest just stood out as a transparent, genuine company who truly care for each of their projects and have been working a long time to build up their reputation overseas.

We organised and ran games and holiday activities for the deprived children of Villa Maria, a large slum on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. face-painting, dance routines to backstreet boys, you name it! Each day ended with an hour in the local pool being used as human climbing frames by dozens of excited kids.

The language phase in Ecuador before we went to Villa Maria also helped massively just with basin conversation with the children and when you were out in the town and things. There was great nightlife which our Spanish tutors took us out on so we got to see the REAL Ecuador as opposed to the tourist trail.

I would definitely go back and recommend Quest Overseas gap year trips to anyone looking for a gap year trip that involves volunteering and lots of fun. The Quest Staff and local staff were great creating the right balance between providing advice,support and direction and allowing us freedom and independence

I traveled with Quest Overseas to Villa Maria in 2011, it was an amazing experience, one which I will never forget.

Quest are a fantastic company to travel with, they are sustainable and have a great relationship with the communities they work with. The volunteering is full on, this way you can make a lot of difference in the short time you are in VM.

The last 6 weeks of travel are fantastic, with an activity for everyone, a combination of tourist highlights and some hidden gems off the beaten traveler track.

This is a trip of a lifetime, not to be missed!

We organised and ran games and holiday activities for the deprived children of Villa Maria, a large slum on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. We visited two communities a day, playing games and activities ranging from football and volleyball to jenga, colouring and painting. Each day ended with an hour in the local pool being used as human climbing frames by dozens of excited kids. Every Saturday we organised a feria (fair), which involve dressing up in costumes and running a range of games where children could win sweets as prizes. Sundays saw the group put on costumes and face paints and perform group dances at the Sunday show. During our last week we swapped toys and costumes for safety gear and power tools constructing a new classroom at the Quest school.

We lived in rooms above the Quest School. Living conditions were fairly basic and we were responsible for buying and cooking all our meals and keeping our accommodation clean and tidy.

It was a great experience. I would definitely go back and recommend Quest Overseas gap year trips to anyone looking for a gap year trip that involves volunteering and lots of fun. The Quest Staff and local staff were great creating the right balance between providing advice,support and direction and allowing us freedom and independence. The local staff and communities were very welcoming and by the end it felt like we were part of a huge extended family.