Program Reviews

I travelled to Nepal in May 2018 with Plan My Gap Year. I have volunteered with this company twice before in Ghana and India, therefore when wanting to volunteer in Nepal, I wanted to go with a company I knew and trusted.

The support from PMGY before arriving in the country is always so responsive and puts me at ease. Any questions I have are answered so quickly and their knowledge of Nepal and the projects were reassuring. As I was already travelling Asia at the time of booking the programme, Philip assisted in booking my flights for me and advised in getting my Visa.

We were picked up at Kathmandu airport as arranged (although I have been with PMGY before this is always a scary process as I always question- will somewhere be at the airport to pick me up??). The first few days were spent exploring Kathmandu and we were given 'orientation'. We were shown around the city and learnt a lot about the local culture, history and the language. After a few days in Kathmandu we were given the opportunity to choose the project we wanted to do- you can choose to volunteer in three cities in Nepal- Pokhara, Chitwan or Kathmandu. Our coordinator called Asim explained the programmes in each city and where more help was needed. We chose to go to Pokhara as there were no volunteers here and they needed help building the children's orphanage.

Everything was quite structured and it was very clear what we were doing and what was expected from us. The project was so eye opening, we were building in the day and in the evenings playing with the children from the orphanage and helping them with any homework they had to do. As the orphanage was being built it had no running water at the time therefore for the children's to wash we would walk them to the river nearby and everyone would go for a wash and swim.

Impact wise I felt as though I was making such a difference. I felt as though our presence was needed and even though some evenings there was no homework to go through or the children didn't want to play sports, some would just want to sit and chat and attempt to improve their English. I have recently seen photos of the completed orphanage and it just makes me so proud knowing I was apart of building it.

Whilst in Nepal we wanted to do some trips and explore and our coordinator in Pokhara was so responsive when we asked to do something and very helpful in arranging things for us. Some incredible things we did that was recommended to us is; rowing the lakes in Pokhara, the Panchase trek, Chitwan national park, watching sunrise over the Annapurna mountain range- we did this on my birthday and was truly incredible!!

I felt very safe in the country and although we were staying in a home stay we always had contact with our country coordinator and he checked up on us regularly. The homestay was an incredible experience, I would highly recommend that if you get the option to choose the homestay as you learn so much about the culture and you get to immerse yourself completely into the local lifestyle. All meals were provided and cooked by the mother of the homestay, dhallbatt is what we ate regularly- the traditional veggie curry and rice. Sometime's if we felt a bit tired of dhallbatt we would buy the mother looking after us some chicken and she would cook it for us- if you're not happy with something its definitely best to act on it rather than leaving unsatisfied!

If I was to advise anyone going to Nepal with PMGY, I would say go with an open mind and be pro-active!! Read the handbook- that was so useful and be flexible when you’re there, as their culture may mean things aren’t as structured as you expect them to be.

My experience with PMGY was overall extremely positive and the support from Plan My Gap Year is amazing. The company is organised and I couldn't recommend them more. I have volunteered with PMGY three times now and I will definitely be going a fourth time!

I had an absolutely incredible time In Ghana with Plan My Gap Year and would recommend this experience and PMGY to anyone and everyone. Philip and Josh in the UK team were so incredibly helpful from moment one. They went out of their way to answer any questions promptly, organise absolutely everything and make the booking process quick and easy. Plan My Gap Year is extremely reasonable with exceptional service. Seth, Flo, Dennis, Prince, Christie and Emmanuel out in Ghana are incredibly friendly, helpful and welcoming. I quickly felt welcomed into their big family. I took part in the medical program and was amazed by all the incredible experiences I had the pleasure of being involved with and observing. I also had the opportunity to help out in an orphanage and on an outreach program where Plan My Gap Year provide medical care to remote villagers who are unable to afford/ access it. I would highly recommend the Plan My Gap Year project in Ghana as the people, food and weather are just fantastic in every way. The people are the most open, fun and kind that I have ever met. This was to date the best experience of my life. I cannot wait to book my next trip. Plan My Gap Year is the best!!

Peru, Cusco 🌹. PMGY have established a project so worthy of recognition and accolade, it would be a crime not to post the beauty of the project. Cusco - the Pachamama of cities in Peru and in my eyes, of South America. It was everything I could dream of and then some ....

The children of the Colibri, the project I chose to work with, inspired my life and my thought patterns. These beautiful children, wide eyed and engaging were open to visitors and volunteers from across the globe making me feel at home in their home. Their personalities and strong individual personas carried me through this project and though my Spanish weak, the universal language of children was strong and helped my engagement in trying to assist whatever requirement of education, or game playing these people of tomorrow needed!

Their influence and strong attachment to Cusco was influential on my stay and no doubt my learning from the children tripled from their input! THANK YOU Colby Robinson Pmgy!

Besides from the obvious beauty of Peru, there was something so pure about choosing Cusco as my destination. Prior to booking, feeling worried (and parents worried) I pestered Colby almost daily about the ins and outs of the place and project. Colby took it into her own hands to look after me so well and set me up with a family so honest, lovely and welcoming, I didn't dare dream about missing home! My Peruvian family were active, engaging and encouraging in everything I was in Peru for and extra. They had their own children and like minded volunteers, therefore I was never short of company in their home! I am vegetarian, eating no meat and fish, and my Peruvian Mama went out of her way daily, to cook me fresh clean food! I could not have been more grateful and not once did I feel sickly or unwell. My peruvian mother would even wake up on my early morning 3am tours to make sure I was ok!!! Therefore I could not be more grateful and in favour of Colby and PMGY for setting me up with such due diligence, safety and well being.

Also in Peru there was the 'base camp' set up, for us volunteers to touch base with (daily if you would like) and a chance to meet other international volunteers and/or participate in activities for bonding. I think the offer of Spanish lessons and other engagements was a bonus I was not expecting and a sure welcome of validity and safety in Peru.

I would rate PMGY 5 stars on the basis of the following things I felt important to me and my stay: the project cause and what it represented; the country/city PMGY have chosen to set up base in; the touching base/in country team support and project/peer engagement available they offer while in country; the family and their home; and finally the BEAUTY OF PERU CUSCO!!!! I could not speak more highly of such exquisite scenery and for a company to set up meaningful projects in such areas is a fortune.

Thank you PMGY and Thank you Colby - memories made in love.

I took part in the medical program in India Summer 2017 for two weeks. This was one of the most rewarding, jam packed two weeks of my life! Firstly, I was thoroughly impressed with the breadth of activities available for you. A typical day consisted of a 9 am start in either the hospital, slum clinic or dispensary. I was able to learn and reinforce basic medical examinations and I found scrubbing into surgery very useful as I experienced first hand how a busy hospital is run in a developing country. Then in the evening you could explore the local town or volunteer in the orphanage or disable school, which I particularly looked forward to.
You are well looked after by Vishi, Kranti and the family with three cooked meals a day. The volunteering housing facility is equipped as well as can be for the extremely warm climate, with a fan in each room.
On the weekend you have the opportunity to visit different cities which I organised myself. I visited the beautiful Amritsar, which was definitely one of the highlights of my trip.

Thank you to everyone out there who made my experience a thoroughly rewarding one!

The Sri Lanka Real Experience was amazing! The two weeks travelling was tightly planned, it felt like we saw as much of Sri Lanka as possible in the time we had. We were constantly supervised by our tour guide which made the whole experience feel really safe - I came as a solo traveller so it was reassuring staying as a group the entire time. The hotels we stayed in during the two weeks had everything you could need, we were all warmly welcomed. We mainly ate in hotels during the two weeks, however, I didn't feel like I missed out on the Sri Lankan culture. Most of the food we ate were traditional Sri Lankan curries, I am coeliac and all the curries are naturally gluten free - so there's no issue eating in Sri Lanka! A particular highlight of the trip was going on a jeep safari through Parakrama Samudra. We were able to give presents to the children in the village, and saw so much nature as we were driving through. Our tour guide kept on stopping the jeep to explain what we could see, it was just amazing! We finished the journey off by watching the sun set over the river, we were incredibly lucky to see an elephant basking in the water. It was truly magical and my favourite memory of the trip!
The two weeks volunteering was equally rewarding - but in different ways. I volunteered with the elephants in the morning and did teaching in the afternoon. I absolutely loved the elephant experience, however, I think you get the most out of it by understanding that in Sri Lanka, elephants are working animals. Once you understand the cultural difference, and therefore appreciate that the elephants you look after are working elephants that are almost having 'time off', you understand the impact your care has. I loved it, and felt like cleaning them and feeding them made their situation a lot better.
Teaching was one of the challenging, yet one of the most satisfying experiences ever. I taught the lowest ability class which ranged from 4-9 year olds. Once we found ways in which we could communicate to them (through drawing pictures and asking the teacher to translate) it was so much easier! They are so willing to learn, I learnt so much about myself just from the happiness they get from living such simple lives. You really realise how little you need to be content, and how precious these children are.
I stayed in the River House. The views are amazing, you see such beautiful sunsets at night! Make sure you bring a blanket with you, the beds only have pillows so many of us had to go and buy scarfs etc. from the nearby town! The whole team are really friendly and willing to make your experience the best it can be. I had the most amazing time and would recommend it to anyone!

James and I decided to start our gap year volunteering in India, and we chose this program to do so. The choice was the best we could have made.
On arrival, we couldn’t find any wifi, but as they told us, there was a driver waiting for us that drove us to the accommodation. Our place was fine, sharing with other volunteers. It had a rooftop to chill out.
We taught in the slums school in the mornings and helped in the orphanage in the afternoons. During our month of volunteering we really developed a close relationship with those amazing kids. Sometimes we think that we learnt more about them than we did from them. We really encourage other people to try the same. Give them your best and you won’t be disappointed. Those kids are great!
Thank you for everything!

I recently returned home from the most amazing 6 weeks in Bali. The whole experience was so much fun, well organised and a completely unique travelling experience which allows to visit many different places as well as taking part in some amazing projects. I did the childcare project, which was so much fun. The children were just incredible, so loving and happy and always to willing to learn. The project involves basic care of the babies and children, playing with them and teaching basic English, and every day is different! Working with these kids is hard work, but so worth it and an invaluable experience.
The pre-departure support was great, PMGY were always on hand to help and answer any questions. It was nice to have such good support when sorting things such as the visa, especially for first time travellers.
One of my favourite things about PMGY Bali is that the accommodation is with a family, meaning that you instantly feel at home. Ketut, Rush, Indra and family are so welcoming, nothing is too much trouble and therefore the in country support is amazing.
Weekends are great as you have the freedom to travel to different spots around the island, making new friends and seeing some of the most beautiful places you will ever find. The PMGY planned trips are great value for money, and ensures you see all the best spots and tourist locations! Each place I visited at the weekends was different, and each having their own unique features, making it very hard to chose a favourite! Uluwatu had the most beautiful beaches, the culture in Ubud was amazing and Seminyak had fab shops and places to eat.
As well as this, the volunteer house is located near to many great places to visit in the evenings after project, such as Tannah Lot temple. Tabanan also has a nigh market every night, and the best donut shop which was always very popular!!!

In November I returned from four weeks volunteering in Tabanan, Bali in the childcare project. This was my first time travelling, and doing it alone was really nerve-racking but the whole experience was absolutely amazing.
I booked my place with Plan My Gap Year and left for Bali quite quickly, I only had about two months to prepare but PMGY were very efficient and helpful throughout the preparation process and answered any questions I had quickly. There was a really thorough volunteer handbook to read through and useful webinar sessions you could sign onto.
The childcare programme was incredible, the children were so amazing and I still miss them massively! The childcare programme was mostly looking after the children, and playing with them with a little bit of basic teaching involved. The children are so loving. I loved every minute of it.
I really loved that in Bali, your accommodation includes living with a local family who were amazing! Ketut, Rush, Indra and family were so welcoming and accommodating. It really made the experience 10x better living with such a lovely family. We even got to attend a family wedding which was a great experience.
During my four weeks, I never once felt unsafe and the locals in Tabanan and different areas in Bali were so friendly. Travelling around different places in Bali on our weekends was unbelievable and I am so happy I got to see the places I did, each one was unique and beautiful.
Overall, my time in Bali was incredible and I would love to go back again.

I was lucky enough to stumble across PMGY while searching the internet for what I wanted to do on my gap year. I spent 6 weeks in Sri lanka with Ashika and all the other coordinators and its fiar to say that it's been the best 6 weeks I could ever have imagined. The house (london house) is lovdely and all the sisters work hard to cook your meals and keep everything tidy for you. Abalangoda itself is an amazing little town where you get to experience the real culture of Sri Lanka, but tourist towns such as Hikkadua arent to far away either. The people you meet inside the house will become your life long friends in a matter of days and you so quickly learn to go out and adventure together on weekends.

If you're looking at doing the teaching program, get ready for a whole lot of love. These kids will enrich your life with love and gratitude like you never knew possible. Depending on how many volunteers on the project at the time, you may get a class to yourself or be teaching with someone. It only really takes a couple of days to get used to them and then you know exactly how to work with them. The house has many helpful books to help you plan lessons, and the coordinators are gret for advice too. The kids I worked with for 6 weeks changed my life in a way I never expected!!

My experience volunteering in Bali was unbelievable. I did childcare which also involved a bit of teaching. I came into it with no idea of what i was doing, just like most volunteers I'm sure but it was amazing. The children were beautiful, bright and kind souls that smiled no matter what. They were always up for having fun and running around and they really loved colouring in! Although they were young and it's hard to learn another language at their age, they tried their hardest and seeing that was the most rewarding feeling. The Akasa family made us feel like part of their own family and I will always be grateful for that because they made everyone feel so welcomed in their home! Bali overall was incredible. Travelling on weekends with friends and every making new memories that will never be forgotten was amazing. The locals were always very friendly and you never felt out of place there. I loved every minute of this experience and would 100% do it again.