Program Reviews

My experience on YI's Asia trip was an unforgettable trip. I was able to meet new people, new places, learn about different cultures by being emerged into it from doing homestays to helping the schools and interacting with students and teachers. There were some challenges, but manageable to get through. You will experience culture shock, being a little home sick, and even being sick. Everyone was really helpful and supportive and when I got really sick, my team leaders were there for me and also the members on the trip.
There was always fun, yet challenging things to do such as the Annapurna Hike, teaching, and homestays. I was able to learn a lot about myself as a person and as a traveler.
I encourage anyone interested in a gap year to go with Youth International, especially this trip.

It is difficult for me to put into words the impact that this trip had on me. I have been an avid traveler my entire life but it was nothing like anything I experienced with Youth International. I was pushed out of my comfort zone from the moment I arrived in Estes Park for the pre-trip meetings. Everything about the places we visited and the people we met felt genuine and real. The hikes we went on were some of the most amazing excursions I have ever experienced, and I have never seen stars so beautiful as the ones on the Salkantay Trek to Macchu Picchu and in the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador. The trip was humbling, and as cliche as it may sound, a truly life-changing experience. My only complaint about the program was that I wish it was longer. At the end of the trip, we all wrote letters to ourselves, and in mine I wrote "In this moment, you love yourself. Keep loving yourself. Never forget these 3 months, they changed you for the better." I am a different person because of my trip. I became more confident, independent, and happy, and I made some of the most amazing friends. I truly recommend this program to anyone, especially to those who may feel lost, as I did.

It has been nearly 10 years since I completed my trip with Youth International, and while I've written reviews in the past I wanted to give a long term review.
I went on the Gap Semester to Asia in the fall of 2009, right after graduating high school. My international travel experience was limited at the time and I had never been to a developing country before. Spending that 3 months backpacking throughout Thailand, India, and (as of then) Vietnam was the perfect way to learn how to travel and backpack. During the whole trip I felt immensely supported by my two team leaders, who by the end of the trip were letting us do most of the day-to-day planning, ticket purchasing, and hostel bookings. I'm still in contact with some of the people I traveled with, although during the time of the trip we all grew immensely close and leaving them at the end of our 3 months was heart wrenching.
Since finishing my experience with Youth International I continued on to college, where I studied abroad for a year in India and eventually graduated with a degree in Asian Studies. Living in India helped to open my eyes about the disparities in Women's Health around the world.
After college I did a quick stint in Mongolia with the Peace Corps, but for the past two and a half years I have been working with Planned Parenthood in both Family Planning and Abortion Services and plan to pursue nursing school in the near future.
I don't know if I would have had the courage to study abroad for an entire year or join the Peace Corps without my experience with Youth International.
I was recently reading through the journal I kept during my travels, which Brad encouraged us to do, and while the trip was at times difficult and brutal there is no doubt in my mind that it was monumental in shaping myself into the person I am today. I am so, so grateful for that.
I would shout it from the rooftops if I could, JOIN YOUTH INTERNATIONAL!!! I promise you won't regret it!

I traveled to Bolivia, Peru & Ecuador through Youth International's South America volunteer and exploration program Fall of 2016. My experience abroad has changed my life forever. When arriving at our first destination La, Paz Bolivia, I initially experienced some serious culture shock. With the support of my team leaders and fellow backpackers, I overcame all of the sudden changes and adjusted quickly. I allowed myself to become fully culturally immersed. By the end of the trip, I would have given anything to stay. I have too many "favorite memories" to just pick one. A few off of the top of my head would be hiking to the top of Mount Tunari in Bolivia, watching the sunrise from the Bolivian Amazon Jungle and swimming with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands. I made many life-long friends through Youth International that I still keep in touch with to this day. The euphoric, beautiful, picturesque places we traveled to have never left my mind along with all of the locals I was fortunate enough to work with/meet. I honestly couldn't speak more highly of my time abroad with Youth International. It has changed my perception of the world as I see it and has truly given me a deeper appreciation for the Earth we live on. It has also introduced me to my extreme love for backpacking! To any future participants thinking about traveling through YI, I could not recommend it more! And please don't hesitate to reach out to me for more information/useful tips :) I feel extremely blessed and grateful to have been able to be a part of such an accredited and well developed youth organization that gives you a real experience in another country. Thank you!!!

I took this gap tear program in the fall of 2012! My life has been forever changed. It provided me with experiences I never would have imagined. I was able to learn through experience, through workshops and lectures, and through practice. I feel that I was able to provide a meaningful impact to the communities we visited. My heart, soul and mind have been forever changed by this trip, and it has absolutely shaped me into the woman I am today! Since this trip, I have taken two solo trips: 5 weeks in Central America, and 9 months in SE Asia (even revisiting some of the communities I had visited through YI!). This program gave me the skills, confidence, and the passion to create this life of living my passion for this world and these other cultures! Hands down the best thing I could have done with my gap year.

Youth International has given me opportunities that I would have never imaged was possible. It's been a few years since I was went on this journey and I'm still drawing upon these experiences. From hiking in the Himalayans in Nepal, to teaching English in India, and swimming with tropical fishes in Thailand. During my time I had no idea how much of an impact it would have on me. Youth International is a very unique program where, you get what you put in. Meaning if you fully dive into each culture and put yourself out there, the reward is even more than anything one could imagine. This trip has truly shaped who I am today. It has taught me so much about who I am and what I want to do with my life. For example: I am an Environmental and Stability major with a minor in Entrepreneurship. I am the director of social media for a nonprofit. Without my time spent with Youth International I would not been where I am today. From this program I have a better since of the world because I was able to experience so many different lifestyles and cultures.
One of many things Youth International has taught me is... Treat each day is an adventure, it doesn't matter what you are doing or where you are, it's an adventure. A little cheesy. But it's true, there is no better way to explore this life than to fully dive in and take charge. When I look back at my time with Youth International I smile and think of all the times I stepped out of my comfort zone, all the times I was faced with a challenge, all the times I was doing something for the first time. Those are the moments and memories I will hold on to for the rest of my life. To you the reader or someone thinking about traveling with Youth International. DO IT!

Deciding to take this once in a lifetime opportunity was the best decision i’ve made in my life. I am 20 now, I was 18 while I was on the trip, I had just graduated high school. I live in Manchester, NH and I attended public high school in the inner city. I was no rich kid on an expensive vacation, i had to work for this. I learned more in these months than I have in any classroom or any other period of my life. I learned how other people around the world live, and how you don’t need money or any material items to make you happy. How a good effort and attitude will take you really far in life. I learned about what hard labor does to a mans/woman’s body, and how in North America we are blessed to have greater opportunity to to go school and become something. I saw a lot of nature’s beauty and i really enjoyed those experiences, however what I took home with me was a whole new outlook on life, a completely different mindset of what’s important in life and what makes one truly happy. I recommend this trip to anyone who is in atleast semi- decent shape to be able to conquer the hiking.

My semester with Youth International in South America was the best decision I ever made. My friends can all tell you even over a year later I'm always talking about it. I was lucky enough to make life long friends, experience completely different cultures and push myself out of my comfort zone. I would highly recommend this program to anyone that wants to go abroad, but isn't confident enough to go it alone. I learned how to travel on a budget and keep myself safe. Youth International doesn't just do everything for you; they teach you smart ways to travel so that you can eventually feel comfortable traveling solo. In addition to this they packed so many awesome experiences into the trip, giving me a taste of different ways of life. The home stays really helped deepen my experience by letting me bond with people from the countries and the families were always super nice. I'm so lucky to call some of my travel buddies life long friends and now I have fellow globe-trotters that are always eager to explore different parts of the world with me. It is hard to say which part was my favorite because it was all so awesome!

These 3 months were so incredible, it is hard to put into words. The greatest group of 16 young adults I have ever been surrounded with. From day one of orientation, I knew I was in the right place. Two fantastic, inspiring, and helpful leaders lead us through the craziest, scariest, most rewarding and exhausting times. Through sicknesses and new experiences, I never felt unsafe. We were educated before take off of the basic principles, but I quickly learned, there is only so much you can teach. I learned so much about myself and the world during these three months. Experiencing new cultures first hand by living with these families, emerged in all of the different cultures Asia has to offer. Words can't even describe my appreciation for these three months of my life, I would give so much to be back out there with those people. I faced some pretty interesting obstacles along the way, but never got completely lost, which could have been very easy to do out there. I recommend this trip to anyone from anywhere, any age, and any reason, as long as there is an open mind involved, this will undoubtably be a trip of a life time with a great program running it.

I have tried many times, and there is no way to describe how amazing my experience was. I highly recommend this program. Every day we learned so much; culture, religion, society, and so much more. I could not have asked for better leaders. I truly felt like we were in control, not being led around by a tour guide. my confidence grew immensely and I feel highly capable of traveling solo. One of my favorite parts was staying in a village in northern India. I learned how to communicate without language and felt like I was truly making an impact on the lives of the students. The trek taught me so much about myself and I am extremely thankful. Now that I am in my first semester of college I am finding that the time I spent studying traditional Tibetan Buddhism and meditation in silence was extremely worthwhile. This trip is priceless and worth every second of your time.