Program Reviews

I traveled with Quest Overseas to Villa Maria in 2011, it wasn't a hard decision for me when choosing who to take my gap year with, Quest just stood out as a transparent, genuine company who truly care for each of their projects and have been working a long time to build up their reputation overseas.

We organised and ran games and holiday activities for the deprived children of Villa Maria, a large slum on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. face-painting, dance routines to backstreet boys, you name it! Each day ended with an hour in the local pool being used as human climbing frames by dozens of excited kids.

The language phase in Ecuador before we went to Villa Maria also helped massively just with basin conversation with the children and when you were out in the town and things. There was great nightlife which our Spanish tutors took us out on so we got to see the REAL Ecuador as opposed to the tourist trail.

I would definitely go back and recommend Quest Overseas gap year trips to anyone looking for a gap year trip that involves volunteering and lots of fun. The Quest Staff and local staff were great creating the right balance between providing advice,support and direction and allowing us freedom and independence

I went to South America with Quest Overseas in 2012. Taking a gap year was one of the best decision I ever made and that's because I chose to go with Quest Overseas. First of all it was the perfect combination of of language study, volunteering, and outdoor adventure. It's difficult to find a program that has it all, but Quest really does. I loved everything I did and I was really able to push myself. If I had gone traveling by myself I would never have enrolled in a Spanish class or gotten the courage to try rock climbing and surfing. I had incredible experiences and truly was a different person upon my return. I was able to work on my Spanish, do some really rewarding volunteer work, including getting up close and personal with a puma who I walked and fed, and pushed myself, trying new things for the entire 6 weeks of expedition. I made life long friendships with the people I traveled with, and because they come from all over, going to visit them is just another chance for me to get on a plane and go somewhere. Quest Overseas changed my perspective on everything, and changed me as a person. I can't wait to get back to South America, and now I have the confidence I needed to travel alone. I would absolutely recommend this trip to anyone!!

I traveled with Quest Overseas to Villa Maria in 2011, it was an amazing experience, one which I will never forget.

Quest are a fantastic company to travel with, they are sustainable and have a great relationship with the communities they work with. The volunteering is full on, this way you can make a lot of difference in the short time you are in VM.

The last 6 weeks of travel are fantastic, with an activity for everyone, a combination of tourist highlights and some hidden gems off the beaten traveler track.

This is a trip of a lifetime, not to be missed!

We organised and ran games and holiday activities for the deprived children of Villa Maria, a large slum on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. We visited two communities a day, playing games and activities ranging from football and volleyball to jenga, colouring and painting. Each day ended with an hour in the local pool being used as human climbing frames by dozens of excited kids. Every Saturday we organised a feria (fair), which involve dressing up in costumes and running a range of games where children could win sweets as prizes. Sundays saw the group put on costumes and face paints and perform group dances at the Sunday show. During our last week we swapped toys and costumes for safety gear and power tools constructing a new classroom at the Quest school.

We lived in rooms above the Quest School. Living conditions were fairly basic and we were responsible for buying and cooking all our meals and keeping our accommodation clean and tidy.

It was a great experience. I would definitely go back and recommend Quest Overseas gap year trips to anyone looking for a gap year trip that involves volunteering and lots of fun. The Quest Staff and local staff were great creating the right balance between providing advice,support and direction and allowing us freedom and independence. The local staff and communities were very welcoming and by the end it felt like we were part of a huge extended family.