Program Reviews

From staffing a music festival in the Sahara to walking across the Morocco-Spain border by foot, this gap year program provided me with many unique, enriching, and unforgettable experiences.

Specifically, this 12-week trip consisted of well-balanced visits to natural, rural, suburban, and urban communities. Most of the time, we were either living with a homestay family in an urban city while attending language classes, volunteering with a community-oriented NGO in a suburb, relaxing and sightseeing in tourist-heavy areas, or exploring the natural wonders of Spain and Morocco (including the Spanish countryside, the Camino de Santiago, the Atlas Mountains, and the Sahara Desert).

This blend of experiences in a wide range of communities helped us gain an educated and well-rounded understanding of the communities in which we were immersed. Nevertheless, because we visited so many places in a short period of time (roughly 25 cities in 90 days), my overall experience was very fast-paced, which sometimes made it difficult to keep energy and motivation levels high.

Please note that-- despite the constant travel and unfamiliarity of new places-- I never felt unsafe at any point during the trip. The security measures taken by Carpe Diem and the relatively safe atmospheres of Spain and Morocco made for a safe adventure.

To me, this trip was especially unique because of the diversity of experiences that we had. Through classroom lessons, NGO volunteer work, outdoor adventures, sightseeing, and meeting new friends and (host) family, we learned about a plethora of topics, including immigration, environmental sustainability, the relationship between rural and urban communities, foreign language (Darija Arabic and Spanish), permaculture, religion, history, cuisine, and women’s empowerment. Yes, we really did focus on ALL of those topics.

This broad exposure gave us the opportunity to explore a variety of fields before having to specialize in our educations and careers. However, for this same reason, I would warn potential applicants that they can’t expect to become an expert on religion or learn to speak Arabic fluently; instead, you will dip your toes into each of these topics and get a well-rounded understanding of Moroccan and Spanish cultures.

Indeed, what I found especially impactful about this trip is that we learned about all of these topics through the lens of both Spain and Morocco. We never simply learned about the politics, language, or economy of one culture. Rather, we took a more holistic approach to these topics by considering the complex relationship between North Africa and Europe and how this interconnectedness influences these topics on a global scale.

Overall, despite the sometimes fast-paced and varied nature of this trip, I would highly recommend it to anyone interested.

My experience traveling with Carpe Diem's South America program was everything I could have wished it to be and so much more. As someone who has never traveled out of my home state before my experience, I left my semester abroad feeling confident in my abilities to navigate an unknown world and be a successful traveler. With every day came a new learning experience and room to grow as a person. With Carpe Diem, every day is a new adventure. I felt safe, cared for, and accommodated throughout my entire three months abroad. While abroad we took 4 weeks of Spanish classes, did many community service projects, visited cities and indigenous communities, and of course had a ton of fun. Through Carpe Diem I was given the space to grow, learn, and feel every experience to the fullest extent without judgement. If I could go back and do it again, I would not change a single thing about my experience. I will forever be grateful for Carpe Diem for providing me an experience of a life time and giving me memories, tools, and life long learning through my trip to South America.

Taking this semester abroad was one of the best decisions I have ever made. During my time in South America, my life was changed forever. I experienced things that are now motivating me to discover what truly makes me happy in life. On this trip, our cohort managed to learn and do so much. We took classes on history, social economics and Spanish immersion and it was amazing. We got to see so many cool and globally known places such as Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Rainbow Mountain, The Sacred Valley, Cotopaxi and many other cool places. We stayed in many villages where we lived among the indigenous communities in the Andes mountains. This semester was a semester that has impacted me and changed my life forever. Since my trip, I have developed new educational interests. I am now pursuing a bachelors in international studies and plan to work for a nonprofit in the U.S. or abroad. I want to help these marginalized and discounted indigenous communities that I lived with and learned from on my trip. My view of travel and seeing the world has changed. I use to think I would never be able to see the world. Now I plan trips to explore the world and gain new experiences.

This trip was my first time ever leaving the country. I never knew what the world had to offer outside of my hometown. I had dreams of traveling as a young child but I never thought that one day my dream would come true. I never thought that I would have ever gotten the travel to travel abroad. With the help of Carpe Diem Education and Carpe Mundi I was able to live the dreams that I had for myself that I thought were impossible. I not only made the most amazing memories but I gained friendships and life skills that have helped me know Moreno about myself. I got to stay with families that I had no way of communicating with but we found ways to communicate and we’re so happy. I got to experience life away from home and gained independence to be able to eat alone, be in strange places, and got to experience foods that I have never had before. I enjoyed that throughout the travel, each student was assigned a specific “role” each week. This included transportation and accommodation, which was how we will get from point A to point B and where we will be staying. We gained skills and knowledge on how to budget, book hostels, and how to get bus/plane tickets. Along side exploring, it was a little intimidating but with the help of my Carpe Diem Educators I was able to get around town comfortably and safety and I knew how to contact them if there was ever an emergency. I learned that traveling is possible.

I cannot stress enough how incredible this program is. Now that I am back home, the way I describe it to people is by saying "the time of my life" and a "lucky find" - as though Carpe is a gem everyone has yet to hear about. I stumbled upon it online and could not be happier that I did. The program is extremely well established and diverts away from the 'volon-tourism' that might be present in other programs. I truly felt like I discovered the authentic culture in Peru and Ecuador and that the long-lasting connections that Carpe had in the countries we visited was a singular and honest one. We met incredible people and shared unforgettable moments with each other. The group of 12 that we traveled with was led by 2 well-trained, inspiring and knowledgeable educators who maintained a perfect balance between mentor and friend with us throughout the entirety of the journey. Throughout the 3 months I lost the notion of a routine and time, for I was discovering, learning and growing all the while having - I must say it again, the time of my life. Embarking on this journey I had virtually no idea of what awaited in the upcoming months and my only tangible goal was to improve my Spanish. Not withstanding that my ability to have entire conversations and express myself in that language improved tremendously, it is probably the last thing that I talk about when I express how much this trip has taught me. The 12 of us grew emotionally, in independence and character, and made everlasting friends in the process. The work that we did was actually meaningful and we had the opportunity of forming real relationships with locals. I saw a side of Ecuador, Peru and traveling that I fear I may never have seen otherwise. I pat myself on the back for having instinctively signed up. The only downside, honestly, is how nostalgic you get when it's over.

I went on the Fall of 2018 Carpe Semester to Ecuador and Peru. There were twelve of us in the group and two Overseas Educators (OEs) who were incredible. I was very nervous to be spending three months with the same people, but I absolutely loved my group. I met so many incredible people and made so many new friends.

I was very nervous going into this trip for many reasons. I didn’t know any Spanish, I had never been particularly adventurous with food or activities, I had never been away from home for longer than two weeks, and so many other reasons. During orientation, the OEs did a really good job addressing potential fears for everyone and it helped me realize that we were all worried about the same things. Going from place to place with the same group of people helped me become more adventurous knowing that everyone in the group was very supportive. The Spanish schools we worked with were awesome and I definitely learned a lot. It was very nice to have a change from a typical classroom setting but still be learning a lot.

Some highlights of this trip for me would be tubing down a river in the Amazon, the Salkantay Trek, Machu Picchu, my homestay in Peguche, the Otavalo market, Rainbow mountain, and so many more. This trip was truly an incredible and transformative experience for me. I feel so much more independent, confident, and adventurous.

This program is great, it gives people a lot of support when they are going through challenges. While I was in Central America, I stayed with two host families, attended Spanish school, did a lot of community service (including building a compost toilet), and immersed myself in the culture. I also explored the nature and wildlife there. I was in Nicaragua for two months, and it was my first time out of the country. Exploring Nicaragua was an experience I will never forget.

I went on the Carpe Diem Education South America trip in the fall 2016 semester and it was the best experience of my life. I met some of my closest friends from this trips who I still stay in close contact with and have had the opportunity to travel with them since the Carpe Diem semester ended. Through the South America semester, I was able to stay with host families and be truly immersed within the culture as well as get acquainted with the other students in my program and fellow travelers while staying in hostels or at community organizations. Since my gap experience, I have been at college and have seen how much I have truly grown from this program. I feel more confident in not only who I am as a person but also what I aspire to accomplish. I wish that everyone could be able to go on an extensive trip like I did that promoted growth in so many different aspects of my life. Not only was it a fun trip where I got to meet so many unique individuals but it also encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone and do things I may never have if I stayed back home and jumped into college right away after high school. I am so glad I took advantage of this opportunity and I believe it is one of the best things that you possibly could do upon graduating high school. The staff at Carpe Diem Education were also extremely helpful throughout my entire year and were always willing to support me in whatever it was I needed - even after my gap year ended.

All of Carpe Diem’s contacts were well established and fit perfectly together to form an altogether very well rounded, diverse, and unique travel experience. I loved getting to know the Carpe staff and hear about all of their previous trips. The program has some strict rules but they are all put in place for the safety of the students. Really loved my overseas educators, and met a lot of really great people. I would recommend this program to anyone looking to make some lifelong friends and experience some really special stuff.
Overall a really fantastic program!

i had an amazing experience on my trip! i was very nervous at first but then towards the end realized how amazing it was and all the great people and memories i have and met over the course of 3 months. it was very eye opening and empowering! i recommend this trip or any other gap year program to everyone! I did wind up getting hurt on this trip and they brought me to every doctor i needed to understand my injury, then they sent me home and the leaders of the trip were able to let me come back on the trip and finish it out if i was cleared by a doctor! i went through many obsticles and through my trip i was able to face some fears and overcome some of th harder things in my life! Over all the greatest time of my life