Program Reviews

Last summer I decided to spend a month in Senegal as a high school student going into sophomore year, and it was probably the best decision I have ever made. Going into it I had the wrong assumption that the trip was supposed to be a community service based trip, a trip where we help the people in developing countries. I was completely wrong. In Senegal we stayed in several different communities including home-stays, learned their local dialects, trekked, and discussed and reflected with the group as we experienced this culture so unique to us. In Senegal I experienced generosity and kindness that I have never seen in my own culture, I was surrounded with positive energy every day and words cannot describe how wonderful I felt. Senegalese people greet everyone they see, whether they are strangers or close relatives; they put others first before themselves. In the end, I realized that there are so much more things that I could learn from them rather than teach them, that our individual success isn't the most important thing, but rather love, kindness, and community.

The instructors and my peers were another reason why my trip was so great. Instructors and peers from different parts of the world really widened my perspectives. They also made the trip extremely fun.

Senegal was amazing. It changed my perspective of the world as well as my own life. I aspire to bring the sense of generosity and kindness that I felt in Senegal back in my own environment too.

The overall experience of this trip was quite amazing and somewhat life changing. My perception of the world changed entirely as I come from a sheltered part of the nation. By being able to expand my horizons and experience these different lifestyles has caused me to grow in ways that otherwise, would not be possible.
At first, I was like any normal kid, afraid of leaving my family and friends for the entirety of the summer. As soon as I left and was welcomed by the Dragons family I immediately knew I had made the right choice. After the 6 weeks were over it had felt like we just scratched the surface of all Indonesia had to offer. I highly recommend this program if you love to travel, appreciate different cultures and want to have the best experience possible.
Do not hesitate to ask questions or reach out to the Dragons administration as they are very knowledgeable and love to share information.

I decided to enroll on the Where there be Dragons Trip because I knew I wanted to take time off before the next step in my life. I felt very burned out after being in a very competitive academic environment, and did not know what I wanted to study in college. I also didn't feel experienced enough to travel completely on my own terms., so I chose Dragons as a program with. I wanted a unique, individual experience. And I got exactly that.

Dragons is unique for so many reasons. In terms of travel, Dragons allows students to go places that are completely off the beaten path, and transforms the experience into one of travel rather than tourism. I backpacked through Andean Mountains to communities of the last Incas, went inside networks of mines, and saw a huge range of 2 incredibly diverse countries. Dragons allowed me to focus on two countries and explore them in depth, form terrain and geography to culture, history, art and politics. If you like to travel to unusual and unique places, Dragons the trip for you.

What I also loved about Dragons was the group that I traveled with. I vitally wanted to only travel independently, but I would not have been able to go to the paces that i went and have the same learning experience if I had gone alone. Dragons trips are maximum 5 students with 3 instructors. I was able to ask questions and share experiences with people who became my lifelong friends. I was also still able to have my own time to be independent on the trip. The trip follows a flexible itinerary which allows students to help plan components of the course.

Dragons is unique in that it follows a 9-component plan for all of its courses, regardless of the location: Rugged Travel, Language Studies, Focus of Inquiry, Comparative Religion, Development Studies, Learning Service, Trekking, and Homestay. These are all huge part of dragons trip that allow you to have the most immersive, valuable experience while also being a respectful traveler in the places you go.

Fun memories: Eating piranha for Thanksgiving, hiking to Machu Picchu, exploring vast markets in the cities of Bolivia, seeing the sun rise over huge mountain peaks, meeting my best friends, etc.

What I will say about Dragons: If you want an easy, fun, vacation for 3 months, do not sign up for dragons. This course will test you, push you out of your comfort zone, will be challenging. However, it will also give you moments of joy and awe, create intense bonds with others, open your mind, and you will leave the trip a different person if you are willing to let it.

I am constantly using my experiences from my trip and applying it to my life today, whether that is in my classes at college, when engaging with others, or with my own personal goals. Dragons is definitely one of the most unique programs to go on and I highly recommend it!

The experience I had in Nepal lead to so much personal growth. When you are on this program you are far from a tourist, you are a traveler. From the moment your feet hit the soil you become immersed in the culture. The trip is filled with humbling experiences and great discussions with your group. My favorite memory from my trip would have to be when we were in our village homestay. I sat in the fire lit room with my Homestay mom and we exchanged language lessons by writing on the stone floor with charcoal. I would definitely reccomend this trip to anyone wanting a great life experience!

Once I returned home, the following six months were full of questions along the lines of “How was your trip?” Throughout much trial and error, I can now keep my answer under 2 minutes. But through this process, I’ve learned that I haven’t quite grasped a full understanding of what exactly my experience was, as I found it harder to explain my transformation than I thought it would be. My Dragons journey is with me everyday, and everyday I come closer to comprehending my knowledge that I gained on course. Having those meaningful conversations with NGO leaders, nurses, poets, religious officials, locals, homestay families, and instructors were so impactful. The knowledge that I walked away with was not directly taught to me, it was gained through experiential learning, which fostered personal growth and a stronger sense of self. Dragons demonstrated that in order to effectively interact with a community, I need to be able to listen first. I used to, and still struggle with, letting my preconceived notions dictate what a community needs. But I learned the concept of solidarity. And through transference (the last stage on all Dragons courses), I was taught how to bring these complicated, beautiful, intricate, exciting conversations and experiences back home with me. And through this I have found that we, westerners, are so unaware of the unknown. The unknown showed me that I’m far happier without a phone and that I don’t mind not showering for a week. That’s why I urge you to push your limits and jump into the chaos of another country and take the opportunity to view the world from a different lense. Dragons will venture into the unexplored. Will you?

I absolutely loved this trip and would recommend it to everyone, no matter there travel experience. As a person who travels pretty frequently I kinda knew what I was getting myself into, on the travel side. But what I wasn't expecting was how much I would connect so fast with my peers traveling with me and the peers I met along the way. Senegalese are defiantly the most generous people alive, or at least from who I have met. Each family I stayed with took me in like I was one of their own and each person I met treated me like I have known them forever. I picked Senegal because I wanted somewhere where the people were friendly and they were scared to come up to me or try and make a conversation. During this trip you get to experience many different aspects of being a traveler. You get the tourist side when you first step foot into this new country. You get the insider side when living with a local for a week (or so). And you get the learning side. One of my favorite parts was learning about not only the country itself, but the people and their language. To this day I still know the greeting, although I don't remember the name of the language I am speaking. As I am now a junior and getting ready to apply to colleges I am taking what I learned from this trip and using it for what I want to major in. Not only did I get this amazing experience at that time, but I was able to bring back what I learned and use it as I head off into the world, into college, and even as an adult. I 100% recommend this trip to anyone who wants to not only travel around Senegal but get an insight to the way Senegalese live and much more. GO TO SENEGAL!!!

My summer trip to Senegal was what I consider to be my first real experiential learning trip out of the country away from my family. This was unfamiliar territory so naturally I was a bit nervous, but more so excited for what this adventure had to offer.
Going in, I knew very little about the details of Senegalese culture and their rich heritage. I didn't want to know just yet. I was eager to go in with a clean slate and learn as much as I could, meet as many people as I can, and make the most of the summer before my senior year of high school.
The experiences I had given me a new global perspective that I treasure each day. It was profoundly valuable for me to be able to learn about a culture, through experiencing the culture. I gained an insight into the kindness, generosity, and open-mindedness of the locals which motivated me to be a better person in my own life. I witnessed many different lifestyles through Senegal that made me feel a little more fortunate for what I have; more importantly though, I learned how far simple gestures of kindness can go.
This trip didn't change my life, it changed my perspective on how I view the world, and those around me. I grew as a person and gained many skills through the Dragons curriculum. I wouldn't trade this experience, along with the memories I shared with my group, for anything in the world.

I can say without a doubt that my trip changed my life for the better. I attended the four week language program in Guatemala with Where There Be Dragons and could not have had a better experience. Their trips are thoughtful, beautiful intellectually interesting, and fun! I learned so much about the local culture while living in homestays and my Spanish improved in leaps and bounds. Where There Be Dragons trips are not vacation-y, they can certainly be intense and challenging at times. However, the instructors are an amazing support system and they always work hard to make certain everyone is safe and happy. You will learn so much about yourself, make lifelong friends, and become a more global citizen doing a trip with Dragons!

Towards the end of high school, I was extremely hesitant to take a gap year. Having now completed it, I have no doubt in my mind that it was the right thing to do, and that Where There Be Dragons was the right program to go with. I miss Senegal every single day. I had never travelled anywhere other than Europe or North America before I went, and going changed my entire perspective. Senegal overwhelms the senses. The heat, the taste thieboudienne, the songs, the sounds of shouted greetings and the feeling of gritty sand between my toes are all vivid in my memory. It is unbelievable how truly kind and outgoing the people are.

A major part of the reason it was so life changing for me was how Dragons is run. It teaches you the ropes of the culture, the language, how to be safe, and how to get around, while simultaneously allowing you to be extremely independent. Because of this independence, you are able to truly able to integrate yourself into the community as an individual, rather than being sheltered within a group of your own nationality.

The experience is not easy. Going to a country where the food is different, the language is different, the culture is different, the climate is different, and the resources are different is an extremely challenging experience. But it was the difficulty of that experience, and the fact that Dragons allowed me to face the challenge head on, that led me to acquire invaluable life skills and grow immensely as a person.

I loved this program. It introduced me to some of my best friends. It gave me an opportunity to speak a language I love. It allowed me to photograph beautiful landscapes. It gave me three amazing leaders from three different continents. It brought me out of my comfort zone on innumerable levels.
My experience was unique because of these components. I don't think you could gain these types of connections with people, places, and yourself through any other program. I never would have believed I could do something like this program, yet it was one of the most influential and memorable things I have done in my life. Therefore, I've realized you are only uncomfortable doing something until you learn to be comfortable instead.
I have been and lived around the world but this type of travel is very different. It was nothing like anything I've done before, and probably is unlike anything I will have the opportunity to do again. I would would love to relive it (but bring a warmer sleeping bag this time)! Thank you Dragons for such a unique opportunity.
HS