Program Reviews

I absolutely loved my experience in Italy and Greece with Carpe Diem. The program is a beautiful blend of city and rural living, and the contacts we met along the way were truly amazing. This program is an excellent way to experience Europe in a diverse way, in a manner that would have been impossible for me to do on my own. The Oversee Educators were supportive and fun, and it was beautiful to connect deeply with a group of students from across the United States. My one critique of the program is that our travels weren't framed through the lens of environmentalism or climate change. There were some places and people who framed it that way (Regreen, Carly the Archeobotanist) but for a program advertised as environmentally focused it could have leaned more heavily that way. Overall, I would absolutely recommend this program to anyone looking to expand their horizons and take a hiatus from the USA.

At first, I was hesitant to spend ten weeks away from home with a group of people I have not met before, but I completed this program and left with no regrets. These ten weeks were probably the best weeks of my life. I got to experience what it feels like to live and bond with people in a genuine, human way, which was especially beneficial during the pandemic. A huge part of my life has been dominated by the use of technology and screens, and this program allowed for me to connect with people in a wholesome, face-to-face manner (in one of the most beautiful places on earth!). I made such great friends from this program, and learned so much from it, too. I now feel much more confident traveling, and I have a greater appreciation for different cultures and ways of living as well. I have learned several very important lessons about myself from this experience that I will take with me through the rest of my life. I would strongly recommend this program to any gap year student.

These past three months were a great opportunity to get away from everything going on the world and just go out and live. You get to be with 11 other people for 10 weeks, some people you like, some aren’t your vibe and that’s okay - you learn how to work together and just put differences aside.

The accommodations were not the best at times but it was definitely a great experience and with that brought a lot of learning experiences and fun times.

I was very hesitant to go on this trip when I originally signed up but now after completing this trip - no regrets!

This program was an incredibly unique and fun way for me to take a break from the everyday life I live back home and emirs myself in a variety of different cultures and countries. This program gives students a chance to get a feel for independence and what the life of traveling looks like. For me personally the semester abroad was a great opportunity to take some time away from the stresses of everyday life to thoroughly reflect on what I would like out of life in the future. This program also provides students with an large number of unique activities that include the perfect balance of education and fun. Happy

My semester with Carpe Diem was definitely one of the highlights of my life so far. I pushed my limits, physically and mentally, and grew into the person I want to be. The places we visited and the experiences I had challenged me deeply, but I never felt unsafe or unsupported. I always had my fellow students and OEs (leaders) close to me if I felt unsure or needed to take a step back. I learned a lot about culture, food, sustainability, and Spanish, but perhaps even more valuable was the way I was able to get to know myself and connect with the people and places around me. This is truly a life-changing program.

Thinking back to before this trip, I remember reading reviews trying to get a better idea of the way this program works. Now that I've gone through it, I'm going to try to answer a couple of my own questions in hopes that it can help you!

What are accommodations like?
Accommodations ranged from cold showers and concrete floors to comfy beds and an internet connection. We had 10 students in total and I ended up rooming with each of them at least once. The majority of my time was spent in dorm style rooms with 4-9 other students, but we also did 4 weeks of homestays with two students per household. At the beginning of the trip, there was the option to choose if we were comfortable sleeping in mixed gender rooms. The one person who said no was paired only with other girls for all except two weeks. This was during our trek and student directed travel where there was only one room for all of us.

How was the food?
The most consistent part of the trip was the mind blowing food. Almost every single meal hit so hard. Most of the time meals were relatively simple - eggs, beans, rice, fruit, veggies, and chicken - but something about the way they make it is SO amazing. The majority of the time meals were pre-ordered for us, provided by our host families or the places we stayed, but some weeks we were given money to order from restaurants or cook for ourselves. I did feel that the budgeting was done a little poorly at times - In Guatemala I would often would be confined to the cheapest option if I didn't supplement with my own money, and in Costa Rica I felt I had more than I needed - but ultimately, I only ended up spending a few dollars of my own money per meal, if anything, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Something I didn't expect is the lack of trouble I had with my food allergies. I'm gluten and dairy intolerant, and only eat white meat. To my surprise, I never had a problem or was faced with a meal I couldn't eat. We also had vegans and vegetarians and every location we visited was extremely accommodating of that as well.

How is the pacing?
My semester was very action packed. We had multiple activities each day, usually eating breakfast at around 7AM and having classes, volunteer work, hikes, tours, ect. until much later in the day. Activities weren't always mandatory, but much of what we did was. That being said, whenever I needed a break or had a health issue my OE's were supportive and listened to what I and/or the group wanted/needed. I think there is a certain level of physical fitness needed to keep up with the pace, especially if you want to do all of the activities, but I was able to build this throughout the trip. We moved locations about every week, sometimes less and sometimes more.

What did you learn?
I learned a lot of Spanish, through excellent teachers, loving homestay moms, and the practice that naturally comes with living in a Spanish-speaking country. I also learned a lot about green building and sustainability. We had two weeks of classes on green/sustainable building with the ability to apply our knowledge after class by building eco friendly structures and dreaming up potential green building expeditions with the help of our teacher. We had cooking classes and farm tours where I learned a lot about the plants and food in the area. We did volunteer work with conservation, planting trees and learning about nature and preservation efforts. I joke that Carpe should advertise their programs as a great chance to move dirt around for 3 months but really... there's a lot of truth to it.

We were also challenged to be reflective and think deeply about ourselves. The program gave us a structured way to think about concepts like what is love, what goals or values to I have, how can I function in a community and in new and different cultures, ect.

I hope this helps! Everyone I on my semester had moments that really challenged them or were uncomfortable, but we were never unsafe. If you're looking to learn and grow, and have the drive to make it a reality, I truly cannot recommend this program enough.

I went to Hawaii looking for an informative experience both about a culture I was unfamiliar with, as well as environmental resilience. I left Hawaii feeling more myself than I have in years (along with having a much deeper understanding of Hawaiian culture and sustainability). Carpe Diem clearly puts a lot of effort into their partnerships with local families and organizations, and provided tons of unique opportunities across two islands in the archipelago. From working with conservation groups and permaculture farms to surfing, snorkeling, and hiking, this trip brought together adventure and cultural experience in a very cohesive way. The format of the trip flowed well, the overseas educators were so well qualified and joys to travel with, and I made so many friends both within the group and the greater community on the islands.

It isn't a walk in the park kind of trip; there are challenges, as not everyone is accustomed to camping for extended periods of time, or cooking every meal for themselves. But these were valuable experiences that I think I benefited from.

I loved my experience with this program! There were ten students total and two OEs, which I thought was a comfortable number of people. Everyone in my group got along from the beginning and we were able to not only exist together very well but also form deep connections that I hope will last a long time. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to see the side of Hawaii that most tourists don’t see, and that I was able to learn directly from the locals and native Hawaiians about the complicated and dark history of the land. We went on hikes, learned to surf, tried paddle boarding and canoeing, watched many sunsets, visited beaches, learned a hula dance, and much more. I also really appreciated that all the students came in on a level playing field, meaning that none of us knew each other previously and there were no grudges or friendships from the past. This program helped me grow as a person and taught me more about myself that I wouldn’t have realized otherwise. 100% recommend

This was a well-organized trip and I loved our Oversees Educators Ryan and Soumya! They were super fun to be around but also facilitated lots of important discussions. They always encouraged us to learn more about the community and place we were in, and on that front I think Carpe did very very well. I do wish Carpe was a bit more transparent with the way budgeting works and where our money goes.

Sometimes the program felt super busy and I wish I had had more time in the day to make sure I always had time to reflect take time for myself but also make the most out of the opportunities we had.

I would recommend going on this trip if you’ve read about it and genuinely want to go. Don’t go because your parents want you to or any other reason. It‘a really a great opportunity, but whether your experience is positive or not is mostly dependent on if your goals align with the programs goals, and how much you make out of it.

What the program offers you that is unique from traveling alone is this - a group of students (hopefully a community), two supportive and knowledgeable adults, a pre-planned and researched itinerary (I think Carpe also tries to ensure that the places we support are as environmentally and socially responsible as possible), a guarantee that you won’t ever have a day with nothing to do, more built in learning opportunities, security.

I’d recommend checking out the blog page on the carpe website for more info! Also students are mostly 18-19 years old, at least on my trip.

This environment was extremely pivotal in developing both my confidence and awareness of the world around me. It was extremely supportive emotionally as well as safety wise. The OEs and fellow students on the trip are definitely going become life long friends. We were bonded by hands-on experiences that are difficult to give justice to with mere words. This program has sparked a new fire inside of me that is curious about not only traveling, but also finding ways to learn more about the area that I already live. These memories will live in my mind forever.

I loved this trip! It was really well organized and very safe. The activities were incredibly fun (we did a mix of work like farming and clearing land and fun things like surfing, paddle boarding, and hiking). The program was very educational as we learned a lot about protecting the environment (marine and land conservation), Hawaiian culture and history, and social/life skills. We stayed in tents for the majority of the trip which was a challenge for some of us. Sometimes the tents got wet inside and there were bugs but we worked through it and in my opinion, it was worth it. Carpe Diem has a huge emphasis on pushing your personal boundaries and the program educators definitely encouraged us to do this so it's important to be open minded coming into this. If you're the type of person who likes a lot of alone time, this probably isn't the trip for you. We were constantly surrounded by the group and though there is some chill time that you can take alone, there were definitely many times when my group would've appreciated more relaxation time. We had 5 days of student travel near the end of the trip which was really nice because we learned how to plan activities, transportation, food, and budgeting.