Program Reviews

Overall I had an amazing trip, met lovely people and contributed effectively to help preserve the area. I had lots of help and support before leaving so I knew exactly what I needed, the handbook is very useful and you should scan it before leaving. Whilst in South Africa the staff were very friendly and provided help whenever it was needed. The accommodation was average but was always kept clean by everyday cleaners which was very good. We did conservation work and even though it was tough, it was good fun and we were never overworked and we were never forced to do any work if we didn't want to.

I have just spent the past 4 weeks in Ghana. I completed a mixture of the medical and teaching project. The medical project was amazing. I learned so much and got some hands on experience that I wouldn't have been able to get at home. It's also amazing to see the different health care system over there. I really enjoyed the medical project but I loved the teaching project.
I didn't think I would enjoy teaching as much as I did. The children at the local school are all so eager to learn and it's just completely different to home. It's also so reward to teach a lesson and to be able to help struggling children understand.
The staff are all amazing. Cindy and Christie do an amazing job with the cooking and cleaning. They aren't given enough credit. Flo knows everything and can help with any problems or queries anyone has. Of course there is Dennis as well who can take you anywhere and will do anything you ask of him. Then lastly Seth, the project wouldn't be the same without Seth. He puts so much work into each project and ensures we get on well and that everything runs so smoothly.
The safety was also perfect. There wasn't a single time where I felt worried about my safety. Ghana is a lovely country and the people are all so welcoming. The volunteer house is also nice and private and safe.
I would recommend PMGY Ghana to friends as it was the experience of a lifetime that I am so grateful for.

PMGY Sri Lanka is a fantastic organisation and I would recommend it to anyone interested in volunteering abroad.
Prior to departure the staff at the UK office (Josh, Colby and Phillip) were really helpful in answering any questions that I had and are easily contactable via email, phone or on the Facebook page. They are all very friendly in their replies, even if the answer has already been covered in the handbook that you receive when booking definitely worth a read to find out about the projects and especially with regard to sorting your visa).
I had also read reviews and seen feedback posts on Facebook from previous volunteers that were extremely positive. This made me really excited for my upcoming trip but also wonder if it could actually be as good as people were making out. I was wrong to question it because it was amazing!
Despite arriving at the volunteer house at around 2am due to our late evening airport transfer, we were greeted with a smile and a homemade flower garland. The following day was orientation - a proper welcome to PMGY, overview of the projects and opportunity know one another. We were also taken to a moonstone mine, beautiful Buddhist temple and the town centre for money exchange/ATM and the supermarket.
I spent some of the time with PMGY at London House which can accommodate around 40 volunteer in single sex dorms and the second half of the stay at River House, the company's summer facility for when there are more volunteers. Both properties have similar bedrooms, shared bathrooms and some communal space. Meals are organised on a two weekly menu, mostly traditional Sri Lankan food (but probably less spicy!) with a few westernised dishes. I thought it was all delicious and there was always plenty to go round! The location is great and staff are always happy to suggest places to visit outside of project time such as the beach, tsunami museum and local towns. The atmosphere in the house was great, with a range of different ages, nationalities and project interests. Some volunteers arrive together, as myself and my friend from university did, but most arrive alone and leave with a whole new group of friends!
In terms of the project itself, I was doing the medical experience in the government hospital. As the handbook states, this was largely observational. I would recommend spreading your time between a variety of departments, unless you have a very specific interest, to gain the widest experience possible. The opportunity to do a turtle or elephant day pass is amazing too (although not guaranteed).
The only PMGY organised trip that I went on was the Maldives experience. It was an incredible weekend in a lovely hotel on the island of Maafushi. PMGY had done a great job of arranging flights, boat transfers and accommodation for the 15 of us. But we were left with the freedom to spend our time however we wanted once there. Recommended spending money of £200 was plenty, including snorkelling trip, tubing, day at a five star resort (amazing!) and food.
The other weekend trips also sounded fab and are good value for money. Both trips are a great way to see some beautiful parts of the country and pack in a lot more activities/sights than you could in a weekend of independent travel. The reason that I didn't sign up for these is that my friend and I covered most of the things they included in the extra week we had booked to travel Sri Lanka. Either way, I would recommend seeing country however you decide because it is beautiful, varied and unspoiled.
Finally, what I believe really makes PMGY fantastic are the people: the coordinators and local staff who go above and beyond their roles to make sure everyone is having the best time they can and the other volunteers who share amazing experiences and become great friends together.
To visit this country, have so many opportunities and experiences within and outside the project, and meet such beautiful people was an honour. Enjoy it!

Top tips:
General
- Bring some outfits that cover your shoulders and knees. The local area is very Buddhist so it isn't appropriate to be exposed, nor on public buses.
- You might want to pack/buy a sheet or sleeping bag liner as the beds have a bottom sheet but no cover (or you could sleep with the sheet over you, straight onto the mattress but I don't know how often they're washed).
- Buy a Fantastick ice cream. Just do it. You won't regret it.

Medical
- Ask questions! Some doctors and nurses speak better English than others and some are just generally friendlier but most will get you more involved if you seem keen.
- Experience a variety of departments if you can.
- Probably best to get a Sri Lankan sim card so that you can organise earlier or later transport back to the house depending on how busy the hospital is.
- Take water and tissues (some wards don't have air con or loo roll)!

I was in Sri Lanka for 3 weeks doing volunteering teaching English. The teaching was really stasifying and the kids were well behaved and eager to learn. I thought both at after school English classes and also at a Buddhist temple in the morning teaching monks. I highly recommend the teaching programme as once you get to know the kids you feel like you are adding real value. The whole programme was very well organised with transport provided both to and from project each day. Yet all of the projects only ran for half of the day giving you lots of time to explore the local area and visit the nearest town Ambalongoda. I also spent both weekends travelling indepentely with people I met at the volunteer house which I highly recommend. Before the trip I was apprehensive as I had never traveled alone before yet that didn't matter and it was one of the best experiences of my life and I highly recommend going you wont regret it!

I spent 4 truly amazing weeks in Ghana, and there wouldn't have been a better company to go with than Plan My Gap Year! I am so grateful I got to go as it was the best thing I have ever experienced.
I went to Ghana with a friend from school, it was really lovely getting to endure this opportunity with a friend and didn't make my first trip alone as daunting. However the team and all the other volunteers are so welcoming and friendly that going alone would be just as good, we were greeted with happiness and excitement at the airport and welcomed like family as soon as we stepped into the volunteer house.
I spent my time in Ghana volunteering in the orphanage, the first day we were greeted by many hugs and smiles, the children were so happy to see us each day and we were so happy to see them as well. Getting to spend so much time playing and helping with the children was so positive. The majority of my time was spent in the home unit and the nursery block where the bonds formed with these children were incredible, we got to help out with day to day childcare and washing of the clothes, each day we went staying till so late as we didn't want to leave we got to put the children and babies to bed which was always peaceful at the end of a long day. Taking the kids into the sensory room so they could play, paint, read and make music was my favourite part of the day as they looked so happy to get in and play with anything they could get hold of.
My birthday was in my first week of being there, and i will never forget it. Seth bought me a cake and the older boys helped organise a party with the kids, they all sang happy birthday to me on the stage in English and Twi and it was the sweetest!
The team in the house work so hard, and always make sure everyone is safe and is having the best time possible, they cannot be thanked enough for everything they do, it is always appreciated! The food was delicious, and we were never left hungry. Seth even went out of his way every Thursday to introduce us to the nicest spring rolls in Ghana!
The weekend trips were really well organised and so fun, getting to see more of Ghana and the culture.
The hardest thing about going to Ghana was leaving and saying goodbye to everyone, definitely want to come back! If i could change one thing about my time in Ghana it would be to go for longer as it went so quickly and I didn't want to leave. I would recommend PMGY Ghana to everyone! Thankyou so much, my heart will always be in Ghana X

I recently went on the 2 week mini Thailand experience in July. I have always have been very fond of this country and try to visit it every two years.

These two weeks have shown me a completely different side of Thailand which I haven't explored. I would really like to Thank Darryl and Sopida for being patient, fun, energetic and excellent hosts.

If you are thinking of traveling alone you should go for it because you will be surrounded in great company and like-minded people.

The highlight of the trip for me was staying at Koh Sok National Park. I wish we could stay there an extra day and explore more untapped areas.

I spent 2 months (8 weeks) doing the teaching project. In the morning I taught young Buddhist monks at a local temple and in the afternoon I taught at Old Tsunami school. I felt I was really able to make an impact on the lives of the children and monks and I became very close with them. Now I'm back in the UK I miss them all a lot! Teaching English was really fulfilling and I really enjoyed it. The other volunteers that I worked with were also great!

All the coordinators and everyone else with PMGY out in Sri Lanka were amazing and couldn't have been more dedicated and enthusiastic about their jobs! They were all funny, interesting and easy to get along with and were always there if you needed them. Also they were great at sorting out your problems from teaching ideas to keeping the local ice cream place open in the evening!

The accommodation was nice- with really beautiful views and socialable areas so it was easy to make friends with the other volunteers if you went alone (most people do). Also we had time to explore the local area (Ambalangoda) which was really nice. On the weekends we could go further and it was nice to explore more of Sri Lanka. I did both the Hill country/tea and Safari weekend trips organised by PMGY and they were both fab! The support and advice I recieved before I went was really good too.

Overall I had an incredible experience and would highly recommend it.

In July 2017, I decided to take part in the Two Week Thailand Experience. It was something that I knew would be completely out of my comfort zone but knew I needed to do some sort of travelling whilst I am still young.
First things first, Darryl the leader really did make the trip. He was on the ball for everything and although we were all adults on the trip, he constantly looked out for us whilst still being able to come out for drinks with us all.
The two week experience included three days in Bangkok, four days in Koh Phangan, four days in Koh Samui, a night in Khao Sok National Park plus one night on a night bus and one night on a night train. All four locations showed a different side of Thailand so you do get to see all of what Thailand has to offer.
What I really enjoyed about this trip was that there was lots of autonomy and although Darryl got us to each location, it was up to us how we spent our time and where we went to eat which I did appreciate.
The trip cost me £620 and I also spent another £300 whilst i was out there on extra trips, food, presents etc. I know if I had done the trip solo, I would not have spent £900, HOWEVER, I do think the fact that all the transport and accommodation is sorted for you is worth the extra cost, as well as having a tour leader who knows the country so well. I also had a really nice group and got on with everyone which did add to the whole experience.
My favourite day of the trip was the last day which was an excess tour that I paid £50 for. We went to Erawan waterfall and climbed up the top which was lots of fun, then we went to the Bridge over the River Kwai and had the most gorgeous lunch out of the whole two weeks which was included in the cost. We walked over the bridge then got a longtail boat to a little museum which gave some history about the bridge which was very interesting.
My only negative - and this is really nitpicking - was that the accommodation in Bangkok and Koh Phangan wasn't amazing and we did have a bit of an issue with hot water/water coming on at all.
I would highly recommend the two week trip for anyone who wants to do some travelling but doesn't want to go alone. It is great constantly being with the same 20 odd people for two weeks too because you build up some close bonds rather than meeting new people at every hostel you go to. Two weeks doesn't sound like a long time but you pack so much in that you will be ready to go home when it's over!

I have just returned home from 2 weeks in Ghana, taking part in the teaching project. I can honestly say that it was the most influential 2 weeks of my life, and I regret not staying longer.
The school has changed how I view education greatly. These kids are so excited to learn, especially about where the volunteers are from! They are incredibly smart and want to show you their work, and will drag you into their classroom so they can test their English.
The PMGY staff are very helpful and supportive, both the UK team and Ghana team. I was apprehensive prior to travelling due it being my first time travelling alone, and the UK team were always quick to respond to any questions I had. Regarding the Ghana team, they become more like your friends than staff. I would have late night chats with Dennis out on the porch, and Seth would crack my back and give me the best hugs, and Florence would get us all up and dancing and singing. If you had any issues with anything - Ghana or home related - you could go to any of them and they would help out and be as supportive as possible. You will also make life-lasting friendships with the other volunteers.
Ghana was surprisingly more safe than I thought it would be. We travel by ourselves to and from placements so you get used to not wearing a seatbelt. Even if you got lost travelling in the trotro,the locals would happily point you in the right direction. Although, if you any issue with strangers touching you, I don't think Ghana would be the best PMGY destination. Ghanians like the look of white and light hair, and will grab and stroke you as you walk past. I would definitely recommend Ghana otherwise though. I'm already planning my trip to Ghana.

I would highly recommend Plan my Gap Year Sri Lanka to anyone who is interested in volunteering. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country and is full of happy and friendly people. I volunteered with both the elephants and turtles during my time in Sri Lanka. I would highly recommend these two programmes to anyone who is interested in volunteering with animals.

The elephant programme allowed you to get very close with the most well natured animals. Nalaka, the cordinator for the elephants was extremely helpful when it came to communicating with the mahouts and was great fun to be around.
The turtle programme was also an amazing experience. Being able to get as close as you do to the turtles is a once in a lifetime experience and I'm so glad I was able to do it with Plan my Gap Year. The coordinator Saniru was fantastic, funny and extremely helpful.

The PMGY house was a great environment to live in. Everyone was so friendly and the staff were very kind. River House was a great place to socialise with everyone and the rooms were very spacious and clean.

Ambalangoda is a very nice town to live in. It is very traditional which I liked and has some good shops. If you want a change from the traditional town and want to go somewhere more touristy Hikkaduwa is the perfect place and is easy and cheap to get to. There are good shops and amazing places to eat.

The weekend trips that are arranged through Plan My Gap Year are definitely worth signing up for. They are the perfect way to explore Sri Lanka and see unique and beautiful places. The coordinators also make the trips a lot of fun.

Overall I would highly recommend volunteering through Plan My Gap Year Sri Lanka. All the programmes are so well organised and are a lot of fun. As well as this, all the staff are so kind and helpful. If you have any questions the coordinators were happy to help and were always interested in what you had been doing that day.
Sri Lanka is the most amazing country and I recommend to everyone to visit it. I would go back in a heartbeat.