ActionQuest: Summer Adventure Program in British Virgin Islands

Our daughter not only had an amazing time with incredible experiences but she learned a lot about herself. She's gained a new confidence and continues to have a more clear picture of where she's heading in the future. ​The blog was the best part for us. It helped us know she was doing great and having fun. What a relief! Our daughter has gained a lot of confidence and self-awareness as a result of the experience. ActionQuest does an incredible job of getting kids out of their comfort zone. Staff was great. Equipment was top notch!

“Our son just completed his 2nd year with AQ and loves the program. I believe that your Participant Portal is an excellent resource. During the program our son had a few difficult days and when I reached out to AQ - Travis was most helpful and a good listener and we came up with successful tactics in how to approach our son. Once he worked out his feelings - he got right back on track and Loved his trip!!! We love AQ for our son. We appreciate the independence he must muster and the team work that results from every participant working to a common goal.

AQ truly is responsive in wanting your child to have a lasting and memorable experience. AQ cannot over communicate. it is good to hear from the "Powers that be". I really liked that there was more service involved in the islands this year. I believe in "many helping hands make for light work!" I do believe that a few hours of service is critical to these participants to see that they need to give back too - they "take from the community and need to give back"

Have a teen that likes traditional camps but is ready for something more? Action Quest was just the right next step for my adventurous son.

The depth of the program and the way to teaches important life lessons within a program that is both fun and rewarding for the students. I find that both years my son attended, he returned with such huge emotional growth! I love that expectations are clear. I look forward to reading the blog the whole time he's gone. I especially appreciate that the kids write them. That is just another great example of Action Quest empowering the kids to take ownership of their experience! I can't even put into words the confidence and broadened world view my son has both times he's returned from an Action Quest trip.

On Action Quest trips, the kids learn new skills and gain valuable insights into who they are. My son went on his first trip thinking that scuba diving was going to be his passion. Turns out, he's a natural sailor. He fell in love with the sailing experience and chose the longer (Minerva) trip that sails to the West Indies this past summer. He was able to get his advanced sailing certificate just a few weeks after his 15th birthday! Can't wait to see which trip he'll pick next summer.

Professional operation from beginning to end! The process is extremely organized, honestly a well oiled machine. However, they have a unique way of making this adventure feel very personal and inclusive from the beginning. I chatted multiple times with several different staff members before the trip and every person gave me a greater level of comfort. The daily trip log is so engaging and great for family and friends to see what the campers are up to! My favorite thing about this entire experience was sitting with my son reading all the handwritten notes from their crew and staff members. I could tell he was proud to read them and truly felt apart of something very meaningful. What an emotional and perfect way to end an experience he will never forget! See you next year!

My 13 year old daughter traveled with ActionQuest summer of 2017 in the BVIs. From the first inquiry to follow-up emails at the end of the trip, the communication was extremely forthcoming, patient and professional. It was an incredible experience for her and seemless for us, her parents. She joined AQ as a self-confident young woman but came home with an even stronger sense of self and confidence, knowing that not only did she achieve what she set out to achieve (Barracuda - Advanced Diving w/3 specialties and Marine Biology) but she could survive and enjoy herself for the nearly 3 weeks in tight quarters with 14 others of different levels of maturity and motivation. What a great life lesson that she will carry with her through the rest of her life.

The Staff (counselors) onboard are incredible and so well chosen for the challenge of living with 10-12 young teenagers of varying expereince and maturity. We couldn't have been more impressed by the quality of the individuals that are chosen by ActionQuest.

This is an outstanding program and I believe that this past summer will be the first of many with AQ. I plan to register her today for summer 2018. Highly, highly recommend ActionQuest!

I have completed two trips with ActionQuest, in the summers of 2016 and 2017. I participated in the Neptune and Rescue programs, both are part of the "dive side" of ActionQuest. Not only did I improve my diving certifications, I learned how to sail, and about the marine world. The program is run aboard a boat, meaning there is no daily routine, you sail to a new spot everyday. Each trip you sail about 250 nautical miles, and get to visit some of the most famous sites in the islands, such as the Baths and Sidney's Peace and Love.

My son's experience was above and beyond our wildest expectations. He came back a confident and happy guy, very proud of having successfully faced the challenges of the trip. The counselors were top-notch - caring, capable, and fun. It was truly a life-changing experience for him.

I was very impressed with the program after initially talking to Jake on the phone. He spent a lot of time answering my questions and making me feel that the program was a good fit for my son. The staff was always helpful when I called with questions before the trip. Leah the travel agent was also very easy to work with for travel plans, and made the whole process a breeze.

My son's travel days went seamlessly. It was great that there were a few kids flying together from Boston, as he did not know anyone. These kids were very friendly right away, which was great.

While my son was away for the 3 weeks, we were treated to a creatively crafted blog posts every day - such a wonderful way to keep in touch and much appreciated. It was clear that the kids were really having a ball as we read the posts every morning.

I have never seen my kid as happy as he was when he returned. Just had a whole new air of confidence about him, and now has a whole set of goals he wants to work on - getting his sailing credentials over time, learning to scuba dive, and planning on taking a gap year to sail!

The instructors really seemed to make the trip for my son. Shannon, George, and Elise were so supportive and fun, and taught him so much. They really gave of themselves, it seemed. Also, my son really appreciated the fact that there was enough "down time" along with all of the super active time. That is really important to him. And that the kids were given a fair amount of independence when exploring on land. He felt that he was treated with respect and trust, which is so key at age 16!
He loved having time to wander around the various towns. He also loved visiting some of the historic sites, and the boat yard (I forget which island that was). It was great that there were some alternatives to the harder hikes for kids with major problems with the heat, like my son. He loves to eat, and had nothing negative to say about food - loved it all! Especially the opportunity to eat in the towns.

Overall an incredibly supportive, caring, exciting and nurturing environment was created on this trip, that gave my son a gift he will never forget!!

Between the scuba diving, making new friends, watersports, and family reflections at the end of the day, I had an amazing time with my shipmates and crew. The best part of this trip was travelling somewhere new and exciting, to a place I had never been to before, and learning and experiencing what the BVIs had to offer. This experience impacted me because I had a chance to participate in something that was new to me. My favorite memory about this journey was with my shipmates and how we always gathered together during free time to hang out, play cards, swim, and talk- no one was ever left out. I encourage future participants to understand that this is an unique experience, and that they are very lucky to be sailing with ActionQuest.