Program Reviews

Carpe Diem without a doubt changed my life. I recommend it to everyone who has the opportunity. The schedule was perfectly planned out and every place we stayed was better than the last. I learned so much about different cultures and places I never thought Id go. Carpe not only helped me discover myself but also a love for traveling and learning that has inspired plans for the next part of my life. The people Ive met on this program are some of the best people I’ve ever met and I can’t recommend Carpe enough!

My program experience with Carpe Diem was really good. I feel like I was able to do things that would have been impossible or incredibly difficult to organize on my own, which was amazing. I had some amazing educators who were traveling with me, and all the contacts I met along the way were also wonderful. I chose to do one semester with an organized program, and one independently organized, and I think this was the right choice for me. I am a person who values independence and making decisions for myself, which was not super available in the program I participated in. I helped make lots of group decisions, which is an important skill that I'm glad I practiced, but I was grateful to be done with my program when I was. I think that if I were ever to do anything like this again, I would choose to travel with a cohort again, as I fostered some amazing friendships that I think I'll always have. I am glad that I did the program that I did, and I had an overall very positive experience.

I could rave about my Carpe semester in India and Nepal for hours. Our semester ends tomorrow, and I am on the train from Varkala to Fort Kochi as I write this. We had amazing overseas educators and I absolutely loved the people I travelled with. I have made friends I am sad to leave and hope they last a lifetime. I have developed a strong cultural understanding and I have definitely grown as a person. I have had difficult conversations that helped me grow. Carpe diem is the perfect balance. There is a lot of freedom, support, fun, challenges, and adventures, and the tech policy is ideal in my opinion. Most of the time you have your phone, sometimes you don’t, but usually you don’t even need it those weeks. This will be the most fun trip of your life.

The eight weeks I spent with Carpe Diem in Italy and Greece was the best experience of my life and the best decision I have ever made. Our program leaders (shoutout Megan and Ariana) were the absolute greatest people ever and made our trip as easy and enjoyable as it could have been. All the places we went, from Rome and Athens to rural Tuscany and the Peloponnese, were so amazing and fun. However, my favorite part of traveling with Carpe Diem was the people we met. Carpe Diem has partners located across both countries in every place we stayed. They are such incredible, interesting people with different backgrounds and inspiring stories. Overall, in every aspect, my semester with Carpe Diem was everything I could've hoped for and more. I would strongly recommend this program, as it will teach you many valuable lessons, have you coming out as a better version of yourself, and give you experiences you would never have otherwise.

I just came back from the hawai’i aloha spring semester 2023. Fricking amazing. I wanted a program that I would be able to camp, learn about the environment, learn some sustainable solutions for the planet, go to a cool place, and make friends. I did all of that and more. I grew so much on this program (emotionally). We had a rough start because of weather, however I felt the instructors did a great job with keeping us safe, happy, and having a good time. We got to work with so many contacts carrying in race, philosophy, goal, gender,…. I learned life lessons, made some of the best memories of my life, snorkeled in some of the clearest waters of my life (saw 2 sharks!), did an awesome hike, visited multiple national parks, and grew to absolutely love working with dirt even though I wasn’t a fan before. Even though I definitely had my struggles on the program, went through rough patches and struggled, I came through to be a new person with a new perspective on the world. Thank you carpe diem for helping me figure out a little bit of what I want to do and who I want to be! Recommend!!!!

This is an unforgettable experience that promotes education, adventure, immersion, and more. You get to experience the world through a whole different lens. You connect with nature, the community, and your teachers in school. The scuba certification was one of the greatest experiences I’ve had. The different species of fish, the many turtles, and the sharks were breathtaking. Costa Rica was really the sight for wildlife we got to see a number of sloths, monkeys, and anteaters! I 100% recommend carpe diem

This was an amazing program for me as I wanted to get more accustomed to traveling on my own. The student directed travel week was great and allowed me to do that in making plans with a group within a specific budget. The weeks were planned out well, we had an amazing balance of fun activities, volunteer work, and Spanish classes. I loved this program because it took me to parts of the country I might not have visited as a traditional tourist and really allowed me to experience these cultures in an enriching safe and educational way.

I am very thankful to have been on this trip. Everything about it was amazing. Every step that our group took on this trip has been unforgettable. From going all around Guatemala and then spending two weeks in Costa Rica was truly a once in a lifetime experience. On this trip I have changed so much and I saw things that I didn’t know was there. I am very grateful to Carpe Diem for having a trip of this magnitude and I recommend this trip to anyone that loves nature and someone that wants to grow a different perspective on the world and seeing a different side than what you are currently in. It has impacted me forever.

Was a great experience. I travelled across Italy and Greece which was such an amazing experience. We met so many lovely people from so many different countries and learned all about their cultures. We had some farm stays which were very engaging and some city stays which were fun because we had lots of free time. It was a great mix of working and exploring. I think if you are looking for a trip where you can explore and also learn about other cultures. Overall I highly recommend carpe diem gap year and the Italy and Greece semester especially.

My journey started in Cambodia landing in Siem reap and spending 6 days adjusting to a new environment. We met our first guide and visited temples like Angkor wat. We spent time teaching kids English at ptd. Camped outdoors at vitamin air, explored Bangkok,udon,chiang rai and chiang mai. Overall my experience was exciting and every moment felt unreal. I got to learn a lot about my cohort members and even got to see some small changes in myself. The curriculum helped me depend more on myself rather then relay on others.