ARCC Gap: Spain, Morocco, Portugal - Western Mediterranean

A once in a lifetime opportunity to expand your horizons beyond two continents and immerse yourself into different cultures, religions, diets and find the similarities that make us all human in the end. Every place that we traveled to brought new challenges and experiences and was constantly struck by the beauty of the architecture and history that stands true to this day centuries later. Also made so many lifelong friendships everywhere I went both inside the group and anywhere I turned whether on the stunning beaches of Nazare or the cities of Rabat. So if you have the time and money do it trust me.

I had a lot of fun on the program and I enjoyed sharing this unique experience with the members of my group who quickly became my friends. This program was the perfect experience to help move me out of my comfort zone and a great step to prepare me from the change between high school and living at home to going to university and living away from home. The program was a great mix of learning and culture history and sightseeing along with fun activities. The academic experience was more than I had initially anticipated but I’m grateful for having had it. Overall I’m very happy to have chosen this program as apart of my gap year!

I loved the experience because how varied it was. It wasn't just adventuring, and neither was it just learning. It was a mix of both and more. The instructors were supportive, my fellow students were very nice, and everyone we met throughout the trip was very accommodating. However, one thing to point out is that much more time was spent in cities than I thought. So it was a bit of a shock in the beginning, but I don't think its a negative thing at all. Just something to know before signing up.

I had a blast on this trip. The group was 11 people and it felt like a great number. Some things to share that are good to know about before booking is that the program has a no phone policy for the first four weeks of the program. There is a group journal that is used for the blog which ends up being the responsibility of a few students every week. Also there are daily evening meetings where the group discusses plans for the next days and chats with each other. I certainly recommend this program but definitely take into consideration the little things that happen every day.

Overall, the program was great. The places we went were a great mix of tourism and culture. Wee got to see many popular places such as being in the main city of Madrid, Sevilla, Marrakech, Rabat, Fez, other less known cities such as Tarifa, Chefchaouen, Essouira, and many more. We also got to see two eco villages, Tizi Noucheg and Sunseed/Almeria. Getting to see the more rural places was very eye opening and wonderful to see, the people were very amicable and hospitable.The food was subpar, the group dynamic had tension and created conflict with this small group of people.

It was an immersive program that focus on being able to connect with each of the cultures in the countries that we visited. We personally went to Spain, Morocco, and Portugal. It was amazing to experience the different places such as Morocco and the different landscapes. I had so much fun with the girls in my group we got so close and able to help each other out through the program. Our mini adventure that we went on just exploring the streets of Portugal and just shopping around and finding an amazing gift for our families.

Overall, this was a life changing experience. Although the trip had its challenges, the upsides far outweighed them. Furthermore, some of the challenges that we faced only made me stronger and helped me learn along the way. I strongly recommend this trip if you are someone who is independent, curious, bold, a traveler, and not overly sensitive. I particularly want to shout out my group leaders Jasmine, Sam, Yasmina, Abdul, and Emma’s for helping us throughout the whole trip and particularly during our student planned module.