ARCC Programs

Program Reviews

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Izzy
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

East Africa

This trip was beyond amazing!!! It was the perfect mix of educational and fun. I met incredible people while learning about their culture.My favorite part was Daraja as it was so amazing to be able to live alongside these girls for a week. They are the most inspiring people that i’ve ever met. Learning their stories changed my life forever. Another highlight was the safari. Seeing all the animals was so cool! Especially having our tour guide fill us in on all the cool facts!
I feel so grateful for this experience and opportunity!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Journal!!! It is such a good way to capture memories that you will have your whole life. Plus it’s so fun to look back on
Pros
  • Met new people!
  • learned about new cultures
  • tried so many new foods!!!
Cons
  • lots of camping
  • sleeping on the floor
  • bugs
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Max
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Two month chance to change your life

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.

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
The most interesting food I ate was being fully vegan for a week in the desert of Spain while eating food only cooked mere yards away from me. Was delicious to say the least.
Pros
  • Expanded my worldview and gained more insight into the lives of others
  • Viewed stunning sights
  • Delicious food of all kinds of cuisine
Cons
  • With the same people for a while so don’t make too many enemies
  • Constant travel can be very draining
  • Not able to go out and see the nightlife
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Tabitha
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Spain, Portugal and Morocco

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!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Expect to be overwhelmed at times considering your always with other members of the group, especially if you are someone who needs time to recharge your social battery.
Pros
  • Seeing amazing architecture, views and sites
  • Having a lot of fun with other members of the group
  • Expanding my horizons
Cons
  • Not being able to do your own thing
  • Needing instructors to go to a lot of places
  • Certain arc rules that I knew about prior but became annoying at times
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Yousef
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Yousef’s Review

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.

What was your funniest moment?
One of the funniest moments I had was at Sunseed, when we did a short hike up a mountain. While the hike was challenging, the view made it worth it. And the time spent with everyone on top of the mountain is what made it stand out amongst the many other fun moments throughout the trip.
Pros
  • How kind the instructors are
  • How fun the other students made each moment
  • The different cultures we got the chance to experience
Cons
  • How quick group dynamics can change
  • The occasional long travel days
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Alex
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Life Changing Gap Experience

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.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Come on this program expecting to learn and experience brand new challenging things. There’s a bunch of experiences that might be different than you were expecting but staying positive and welcoming helps a ton.
Pros
  • Great food and safe water everywhere
  • Diverse activities
  • Spread out across multiple countries
Cons
  • Heavy bags are difficult to move and carry
  • Wifi can be spotty and having no phone is very inconvenient
  • Group dynamics can be complex and difficult to navigate
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Mylie
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Spain Morocco Portugal Review

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.

What would you improve about this program?
I think the food options were a little subpar, the budget was hard to work with in order to feel full.
Pros
  • The people
  • The sightseeing
  • Surfing
Cons
  • Small groups made it hard if there were conflicts
  • The food budget was low so not many options to eat
  • Long days and carrying the bags around was very hard on the body
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Lelya
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

ARCC Gap Semester

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.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Make sure that you pack the right amount of items for what countries that you are going to and also make sure that you keep an open mind when traveling with others.
Pros
  • Everything was handled for us for schedule
  • Spending time with other your age
  • Building life long relationships
Cons
  • Don’t really have any alone time
  • It can be taxing traveling for so long
  • Can’t do all the things you might want to do
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Charles
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

ARCC Gap Semester Review.

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.

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
Prickly pear from a street vendor in the Fes Medina.
Pros
  • Being able to connect with members of various local communities that we stayed with and helped.
  • Improved collaboration skills as we were challenged to create our own itinerary during the student planned module.
  • I was able to learn many new skills such as surfing, cooking paella, and many more.
Cons
  • The group dynamic was not always good. Many people, you could tell, were sent here by their parents.
  • Sometimes the budget for food was not enough.
  • Occasionally we would not do as many things as I what I wanted to do.
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Thomas
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

ARCC Central America

This program was really awesome! We did a bunch of engaging and super fun activities. We visited so many different and amazing places throughout our trip! We started in Puerto Rico, then drove down to Panama, then we took a flight to Belize for our last stop! My favorite area/activity that we have done/been on this trip was definitely helping floating doctors in bocas del toro, really awesome place, its so cool instead of taking taxis to places, you have to take boats! since it is pretty much just water!

all in all really cool program would recommend!

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
While we were touring this farm in La Fortuna (start of our trip) me and another guy in the group ate a california reaper! It was really awesome experience and I learned that I can handle spice pretty well!
Pros
  • group travel
  • set itinerary
  • companionship?
Cons
  • Group travel
  • constant socialization
  • not a lot of rest/free days
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Livvy
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

ARCC Central America Gap Program

This program provides unique experiences and adventures you might not necessarily find on your own. The itinerary is well planned and detailed, keeping your group busy with projects and service work most of the time while still including free days to explore on your own. You will become very close with your group and build strong relationships with others. The memories I made were some that will stay with me for the rest of my life. During the fall, there is a lot of rain and also be prepared to eat a lot of rice and beans!

What was your funniest moment?
Getting stuck in deep mud while walking with all my bags on!
Pros
  • Group bonding
  • seeing new cultures
  • having unique experiences
Cons
  • lots of rain
  • rustic living conditions sometimes
  • lots of same food