ARCC Gap: Hawaii - O'ahu, Maui & the Big Island

I am so happy i chose the ARCC Hawaii Gap Year Trip. I was not ready for college and needed to grow more as a person and wanted to have new experiences traveling. This trip was amazing for that. We did really cool things like scuba, manta ray snorkels, and hikes to volcanoes. Those were some highlights for me, but we also did a fair amount of service during the trip. It felt like a lot at times, but looking back it taught me to push myself in ways i hadn’t before. I have met the most amazing people on this program and had the best leaders i hope to always stay in contact with them.

I can easily say that going to Hawaii with ARCC was one of the best decisions of my life. I made such close friends and was constantly laughing with my group. The people that ARCC attracts for its program are simply awesome. I was nervous going into the program as I had never been camping before, but I grew to love it and impressed myself with how many tent-related obstacles I conquered. This program pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way possible, and I grew so much as a person as a result of that. I loved the limited technology aspect of this program, as it really helped the group bond on a deeper level and allowed us all to live in the present. It was so refreshing to be able to block out the outside world and appreciate everything that was right in front of me. I loved all of the partners that we worked with for service projects - ARCC did a great job of finding these awesome organizations and people. I can't express how much fun I had on this program, and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in experiential learning and is down for an adventure.

I had an amazing 2 months with ARCC in Hawaii. I was iffy about traveling due to covid, but everyone in the office was super helpful and easy to contact. I felt safe about covid the whole time as ARCC had a good plan set in place to help combat this uncertain time. I felt this program had the perfect balance of service and adventure as well as tent camping and cabins/hostels. I was able to foster some really great relationships between those in my group as well as my instructors and was able to learn a lot. The service we did was super exciting and meaningful, my favorite was doing aquaponics at UHMC :) the partners we worked with were all lovely and I was able to learn a lot from each and every one of them. I’d definitely recommend this program to anyone looking for a mix of service, adventure, and experiential learning!

this was the best trip ever ever. because of covid, we had a bunch of our service fall through but luckily ARCC is such a flexible company that they filled in the spots for service and we did so many amazing projects ! so many times we’d be in the van on the way back to our campsite and our group would be talking about how amazing that day of service was, no matter if it was scheduled 3 months ago or 1 week ago. i have so many everlasting memories and friends that i will take with me, and i’ve also learned so much information ! all my “goals” for this semester have been fulfilled and beyond: i made amazing friends, funny moments, moments of growth, and i’ve learned a lot about what i want to do with my future. thank you ARCC for an incredible 2 months :)

Even with the pandemic situation, I had the best time on this trip. One of the big focuses is student leadership so all the meals & many of the activities are student planned, and I feel like I gained a lot of experience. My group loved thrift shopping and beaches, so we did a lot of city days and surfing, but there were tons of opportunities for hikes, service work, whatever the group wants to do, really. The trip leaders and other students are so fun, there’s a perfect mix of exploring the cities and nature activities, and the curriculum is fascinating. We were camping probably 75% of the time because of COVID restrictions, so I can’t speak to the accommodations very accurately, but the campsites were pretty nice. The leaders facilitated a lot of personal growth experiences and I got to know myself a lot better over the 2 months, so if you like adventure-type stuff, learning about social activism/Indigenous history, and want to *find yourself*, I definitely recommend this trip. Also, feel free to email me if you have any questions or want to talk more about the trip!!! I’m doing another ARCC semester in Belize in the spring, which should be a good sign :) email: audreyxcobb@gmail.com

I had a really great time on my trip even though it was during the COVID pandemic. I had really great instructors and made so many close friends. This trip helped me gain confidence in living away from home and I was able to learn through experience as opposed to being in a classroom, which was great for me. I enjoyed every main thing that we did and didn't really have any bad days at all. I feel really grateful to have gone on this trip and would recommend that people considering a gap year to go for it!

I had the best semester in Hawaii with ARCC. My group was amazing, and we got along really well. Everyone came into this experience with an open mind, and we had so much fun exploring and learning together. ARCC managed to make this experience phenomenal despite the ongoing pandemic, and I always felt safe. Everyone that we interacted with outside our group was extremely kind and very willing to help us learn. I enjoyed getting my SCUBA certification and going on hikes and adventures around the Big Island. My instructors were caring, kind, and responsible. They helped us delve deeper into our passions and have meaningful experiences. The also helped us grow as leaders and individuals and were eager to teach, learn, and adventure alongside the group. I could not have asked for a better way to spend the first half of my gap year.

I had a great time! It was a nice balance of adventure activities and bonding with the group. I loved my instructors and they were very well prepared for the job and supportive of us. They were also very passionate and knowledgeable about the things we were doing. I liked that we spent half the time in Hawaii and half on the mainland. This gave me two distinct experiences that I found very valuable yet different. I also liked how we moved around so much, I feel like I saw a very wide variety of places in just eight short weeks.