Program Reviews

I have recently returned home from an amazing 3 weeks doing the teaching project in Sri Lanka with PMGY.
The pre departure support was excellent, as staff were always on hand to answer any questions by email or on the Facebook group. The Facebook group also allowed me to contact people who would be travelling at the same time as me, making me feel more at ease and less nervous before travelling.
when in Sri Lanka staff were equally as helpful and supportive, they were always around to answer any questions or sort out any problems. Staff made everything really easy, such as transport to and from town and the surrounding area was organised on a transport group on Facebook using the PMGY tuk tuks and bus.
The tsunami summer camp teaching project took place for a few hours in the afternoon so my morning was free. During the morning there was the option to do a monk teaching project or explore the local area and do things in and around Ambalagoda. We went on a boat trip (which staff helped us organise), along with trips to local towns, the beach and a local tsunami museum. This allowed us to really gain an appreciation of the culture of Sri Lanka.
The project was really rewarding, as it allowed volunteers to build relationships with children and watch their English skills progress.
I have previously travelled with other volunteer organisations but I had the best experience with PMGY for the most reasonable cost. I would definitely recommend it to anyone considering the trip. I am already planning my next trip with PMGY!

I applied to go to Sri Lanka as a spur of the moment decision and it was by far the best experience i have ever had even though i set off alone the amazing people i met on the way will be friendships i will never be able to replace living with people so close for just 2 weeks builds bonds different to ones created at home this is with volunteers, coordinators and children in the orphange.
Even though it isnt the weathiest country everyone is so happy and it honestly rubs off on you, the living arrangments .. yes arent what you are used to believe me .. however you get past that because even with the mosquito net and air con all night you walk outside in the morning and look out onto the lake like wow this is real!
I have never been so happy as i was in sri lanka, the one little girl i was teaching in the orphanage had emotional difficulties and didnt bond with anyone because of her up bringing so i bought her some clothes and things for school and she was so grateful honestly the best feeling in the world and it was heart breaking to leave her.
The whole experience is a trip of a lifetime!

My trip to Sri Lanka with PMGY has been an unforgettable experience. From the moment I got to Colombo airport the In-country team already were waiting for us with transport to the accommodations. I stayed in only one of the the two accommodations, called London house. It is a very nice place to live and interact with the other volunteers when not at a project, with air conditioning, a swimming pool, hot meals cooked daily and many security measures made London house both safe to live in and enjoyable when not on project. I worked at the Turtle Hatchery for two weeks and it is very easy to get to know what you are doing. You will either feed or clean the Turtles, improve the quality of the hatchery's land, or paint on the compounds walls. Everyone there is friendly and more than willing to help out if you have any questions. When off project, there are plenty of other activities and places to visit in Amba or other nearby towns, which offer opportunities to go out to eat, buy souvenirs and engage in the local culture. Overall, I had a great experience when I was there, as all PMGY personnel were friendly and helpful to any queries and there was always something to do.

Before my journey began with Plan My Gap Year, I was fully informed with details about every aspect of my trip via the volunteers handbook. The team also provided details specifically about my project through a webinar, explaining vital information which would help us gain the most out of our experience when travelling with PMGY.

When in Sri Lanka, the support from the staff was excellent. There was always somebody on hand to answer our questions or provide general support when needed. Alongside the English speaking co-ordinators, the in-country staff were extremely helpful and allowed the volunteers to successfully immerse themselves into the culture of Sri Lanka.

The accommodation I stayed in was fabulous! We were situated right by a river which allowed us to wake up to incredible views and really feel like we were in the heart of Sri Lanka. It was very close to the town of Ambalangoda and only a short drive from the lively Hikkaduawa, meaning everything was accessible.

I was involved in the teaching project, working with a community that was devastated by the 2004 Tsunami. My group was the first to work with this particular project which meant the work we did with the children was invaluable for their community. The children were aged from 3-16 which meant we could situate ourselves in whichever age group we felt most comfortable, allowing both ourselves and the children to gain the most out of this experience. I also worked in the monk temple, where they taught us about their culture and in return we taught them English.

My only piece of advice for potential future volunteers is: just do it. You will not regret it.

I went to Sri Lanka open minded about the experience. When I arrived I was met by a local coordinator that brought us to a bus that would be taking us to the volunteer house. This all went very smoothly. Once at the volunteer house we were greeted by one of the English coordinators that showed us to our rooms. Throughout my month in Sri Lanka I was given support when needed but also freedom to travel alone during the weekends. The In-country support was great and they arranged everything they could from transport to ideas for weekend trips. I felt very welcomed and safe while I was there. River House where I stayed was very clean and the rooms can be compared with hostel rooms, comfortable and fit their purpose. Every room had its own AC unit which was nice. I signed up for two separate programs, the orphanage program and the elephant experience. With the orphanage program you gave an English lesson for an hour before playing with the kids for an hour and a half. I felt that at the orphanage program you bonded with the children and it helped me grow as a person. During the two weeks that I was doing the orphanage project I also signed up for monk teaching an optional program that was very interesting and fun to do. The elephant experience was truly amazing and had a good balance between different tasks with the elephants. Some advice to future volunteers keep your mind open about the programs and you will be amazed.

Visited Sri Lanka to take part in the Elephant project. If you're thinking about this project do it! It's pretty incredible, but you have to be willing to put in some hard work. You'll start the day with cleaning out where the elephants sleep. Yes this does mean moving their poo, but its actually pretty fun. You walk the elephants through the local town, the get in the river to scrub them with coconut shells. You finish the morning by feeding the elephants fruit and then spend some time getting amazing photos.

The volunteer house. Great place to meet new friends. Very weird but great how close you get so quickly. You genuinly feel like you've known these people for months. Different rooms had different amounts of people. I was in a room of 13. The room was fine, had air con which I don't think we could have lived without. Buckets are provided for washing which is great. The only bad thing about River house was that I was sharing a bathroom with 30 other girls. Not going to lie, this was a bit of a nightmare at times, especially when people get ill and need the bathroom at the same time, or you get back from the elephant/turtle project and you smell of elephant poo/fish.

The food was very limited. Each meal time there's one meal cooked and you either like it or not. If you don't it's kinda tough. I would recommend eating out every now and again and getting plenty of snacks.

The transport system is amazing. You get transport to project and back everyday, but when you wanted to go into the town, there was a pmgy bus, which costs the equivalent of 25p. Also, pmgy have their own tuk tuks, with drivers you know are safe and trustworthy. Which means you can get anywhere without worrying. Also great prices that you don't need to haggle.

The staff. Literally couldn't speak anymore highly of them. Any problem, anytime of the day and they will sort it. My friend was really ill during the night, and the pmgy staff took us straight to a hospital and we got seen within 10 minutes of arriving. The staff stayed with us all the time so we felt 100% safe and we didn't have any problem with translation.

When we left the project, I went to the Maldives and the staff even helped me once I had left the project with advice about the place, roughly how much money I would need etc.

On the whole I had an amazing 3 weeks in Sri Lanka. I would highly recommend anyone and everyone to come her, meet new people, and enjoy this beautiful country.

I am 19 years old and visited Sri Lanka for the elephant experience for 3 weeks alongside my friend and sister. The project was amazing. I enjoyed working with the elephants every day. Although the journey every day was around an hour long it was well worth it. The pmgy staff were more than helpful and went out of their way to help with any problems we had. They were especially helpful when I became ill with food poisoning, they took me straight to the hospital and stayed to translate. The transport system at river house is very good and the staff ensured that any transport that was needed was provided as quickly as possible, it was also very cheap.The only downside to my experience would have to be the accomodation. I was put in river house in the villa. The rooms themselves were nice enough, sharing with 13 people didn't cause many problems. However, the ratio of people to bathrooms was quite ridiculous. Having 30+ people sharing one bathroom caused a lot of problems, especially when lots of people fell ill with food poisoning at the same time. Another downside would have to be the food that was provided, we had to go out for food on many nights as we couldn't eat what was being provided. Overall my experience with pmgy Sri Lanka was very positive and I would recommend it to anybody considering to go.

Visited Sri Lanka on the elephant experience for 3 weeks and it was amazing. From pick up from the airport by PMGY to the organised weekend trips, everything was taken care for. The PMGY staff were so helpful when I fell ill and needed to see a doctor they took me right away and helped translate. The weekend trips were good but could be improved by adding more fun into them instead of constantly travelling but the standard of accommodation was a bonus! The only downside of the volunteer accommodation was that sharing a bathroom between 30 girls proved quite difficult when illness hit the villa. Overall the elephant experience was amazing and would defiantly recommend!

I've volunteered with other organisations and pmgy is the best for sure! I did 3 weeks on the childcare programme in Bali! After signing up, you receive a very detailed handbook which contains everything you need to know about PMGY, your programme, safety advice, contact details, country info, etc. The PMGY UK staff are very helpful and will be happy to answer any questions you have about your programme, helping with visas, etc. Upon arriving at the airport, I was welcomed by PMGY staff, and taken to the volunteer house. We were welcomed again by in-country staff at the house, and was given a detailed orientation. Ketut, her family, Katherine, and all the other pmgy staff in tabanan were very welcoming and attentive to any concerns or questions we had. You could literally ask them anything and they'd sort it for you straight away! The accommodation in Tabanan is great! You'll either stay in one of three houses, but you'll spend most time in the main house, where the wifi is! The programme itself was very rewarding. I worked on the project for around 4-5 hours per day, Monday to Thursday, and there's quite a bit of flexibility (some days I did childcare, other days teaching older kids, some days painting schools, etc). Overall, it's definitely been one of the best things I've ever done. You'll meet loads of cool people and it's sooo fun! I'd definitely recommend making the most of your weekends, whether it's going on organized trips that PMGY offer, or just travelling independently with others. I'd say 3 weeks is a decent amount of time, but I'd love to have stayed another week or two for sure!

I went on the Mini Thailand Experience at the beginning of 2017 and had a fantastic time. The group I went with were all really friendly, and Darryl and Sophia were great at introducing us to Thailand. Darryl stayed with us throughout, and was around for support when needed, but also let you get on with you own thing if you wanted to. All of the places we stayed were great, especially the floating raft houses and it was nice to not stay in one place for too long.

There are lots of fun and different things to do on all of the islands and in Bangkok, and I didn't have close to enough time to try most of it, but the stuff I did, was great. The food was also really tasty, and I enjoyed finding which place had the nicest, creamiest green Thai curry. And if you're trying to save money there is of course always 711. There was also cold coffee EVERYWHERE which I loved, because it is so expensive in England.

Advice? Pace yourself with your drinking at the Full Moon Party and apply Sun Cream frequently and liberally. And maybe take some after bite.