Program Reviews

I have recently spent 6 weeks in Sri Lanka on the Childcare/Teaching project at the SUNFO girl's home. The whole trip was amazing and I cannot thank everyone at PMGY enough for giving me this opportunity at a time when I didn't think it would be possible to travel and volunteer abroad.
From the beginning Phillip, at the UK office, was so helpful. He supported me through applying for a visa and answering any questions I had including what PCR tests I would need and when, the quarantine process in Sri Lanka and travel insurance queries. He also kept me informed of any Covid-19 travel updates that may affect my trip to Sri Lanka in the weeks leading up to my departure.
In-country, Ashika (the PMGY coordinator) stayed in contact with me throughout my quarantine stay to make sure I was comfortable. The hotel was really nice and right on the beach with a pool and friendly staff. On arrival at London House, Ashika welcomed us into his home and went above and beyond for our entire stay. Everyone there treated us like family and couldn't do enough for us. I am going to really miss the Sri Lankan food that Ashika's mother makes and all of the jokes with Manoj!
I was honoured to be part of the first group of volunteers to go to the SUNFO girl's home since the Covid-19 pandemic began. Ashika gave us all the support we needed throughout to enable us to carry out the project safely and adhere to Covid-19 guidelines. The project was extremely rewarding and by the time we left we saw a huge difference in the girls' confidence and ability to speak English. Every afternoon at the project we spent around an hour doing more formal teaching and then played games to include a more fun element too. I was extremely sad and emotional to leave the project as over the 6 weeks we got to know the girls' personalities so well! I would highly recommend this project to anyone looking to really make a tangible difference.
Whilst I was in-country there were changes to the Sri Lankan Covid-19 restrictions, which Ashika always kept us up-to-date with. Despite the changes to restrictions Ashika made every effort to make sure we could still go on trips to all parts of the country on our days off, which I am so thankful for! There are no lengths that he will not go to in order to make your experience the best it can be.
I feel so grateful for all the PMGY team that helped me to travel to Sri Lanka during the pandemic. I cannot recommend PMGY Sri Lanka enough, it is an experience that I will never forget where I met some amazing people. I will definitely be returning to see even more of this beautiful country.
Thank you for everything Ashika and all the PMGY team! ❤️❤️

Thank you so much to everyone at PMGY for the best month of my life! I went to Ghana and it was the best, most enriching and memorable month of my life. Everyone was so welcoming and had an answer to every question, especially in the booking process. It is a very straight forward process to join the program and you are provided with all the necessary information to be fully prepared. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone involved with PMGY Ghana, you will always hold a special place in my heart.

I just want to first say a massive thank you to everyone at PMGY for making my experience in Ghana so amazing! The team went above and beyond to ensure we were supported through every step of the process. The multiple to opportunities PMGY gave me during my 4 weeks allowed me to fully submerge myself in the culture and have learnt so much because of that. I was given the chance to try all the projects and maximise my time and I will treasure my experience for the rest of my life. Thank you PMGY for making it possible!

Hello, my name is Madison and I’m from Florida, United States.
I only stayed in [Kumasi], Ghana for two weeks, but it was an amazing time.
Even though I’m in the United States and Planmygapyear is a UK-based program, it was feasible for me to sign up and complete the requirements in a timely manner (ex: Visa, Yellow Fever Vaccine). They are a very organized organization and I appreciate it.
The volunteer house, headed by Seth, was a warm and welcoming environment. The people there are open, honest, and caring. Everyone is able to thrive under Seth’s impeccable leadership. If there is something you need, you can always ask. It’s a loving community, no matter how long you are there.
The relationships Seth has built within the community from the drivers to the volunteer locations have been positive and has allowed the volunteers to have a great and smooth experience in Kumasi. The volunteering I did was at the orphanage and teaching at the school. The children love the people that visit and are very respectful.
Additionally, trips outside of the volunteering portion are amazing as well. I was able to climbs mountains, go on a Safari, and visit the capital city, Accra. There is a lot to see and do.
Of course, there’s no place like home, but if you are looking for a great time to volunteer and explore a new culture, this is certainly an opportunity not to miss! Ghana has a deep-rooted culture that cannot be missed!

This July I spent a month volunteering through PMGY with CSDS in Vietnam and I can honestly say that it has been the best month of my life. Initially I was supposed to go to Sri Lanka but with the terrorist attacks I thought it was better to change destination and, throughout that whole process, PMGY was very helpful. I ended up going to Vietnam, which was a country that I had always wanted to visit, and I had a fairly good idea of what to expect of it due to the handbook that was given to us before our trip but even so I was still amazed by what it had to offer!! Vietnam is amazing and so complex and, even better than only being a tourist in it, I was able to have a great volunteering experience with CSDS in the Sakuranbo Kindergarten teaching children between the age of eleven months and seven years old. My coordinators were amazing and super helpful in every circumstance. I will be forever grateful for the experience that Huyen, our project coordinator, provided me and my friend Rita and for her availability and kindness towards us in every circumstance. The accommodation was also amazing despite being in one of the secondary houses. For the future volunteers I would advise you to go to these projects with an open mind and determination! I recommend this experience to everyone who wants to get to know a beautiful and rich country while making a difference!

This July I spent a month volunteering through PMGY with CSDS in Vietnam and I can honestly say that it has been the best month of my life. I had a fairly good idea of what to expect of Vietnam due to the handbook that was given to us before our trip but Vietnam still was able to amaze me!! The country is amazing and so complex and, even better than only being a tourist in it, I was able to have a great volunteering experience with CSDS. My coordinators were amazing and super helpful in every circumstance. I will be forever grateful for the experience that Huyen, our project coordinator, provided me and my friend Rita. The accommodation was also amazing despite being in one of the secondary houses. For the future volunteers I would advise you to go to these projects with an open mind and determination.

In July of 2019, I traveled to Hanoi, Vietnam to embark on what would be one of the best experiences of my entire life! Through Plan My Gap Year, I volunteered in Sakuranbo Kindergarten for a month, teaching English to children between the age of eleven months old and seven years old.

Initially, I was supposed to go to Sri Lanka. However, taking into consideration the events that had taken place months earlier, I was not able to volunteer in that country. Plan My Gap Year was amazing in helping me change my destination and making the change as smooth as possible.

Although I did not go to my first chosen destination, I am so incredibly grateful that I went to Vietnam and was able to get to know its culture and beautiful places. When I arrived in the country, I stayed with a local organization: CSDS. They were great and helpful with everything I could need. I would like to specifically highlight my project coordinator, Huyen. She was so sweet and always willing to help me and my friend Mafalda, whether with things related to our project or other personal issues. I am incredibly grateful to her.

Overall, I am extremely happy with my decision to do volunteering through PMGY. It was one of the best experiences of my life! Not only did I have the opportunity to discover amazing Vietnamese places and explore its culture, but I also met incredible people along the way, both Vietnamese as well as other volunteers from different parts of the world. 100% recommend!

This was my first time away with PMGY but it certainly won’t be my last. I had the most amazing time away in Sri Lanka, for three weeks in November 2017 on their Elephant Experience Project. From the beginning, there was nothing to worry about. I was swiftly accepted onto the programme and they were very responsive with any questions which I had.

The handbook was full and thorough with great knowledge which meant I had a full understanding of the cultural differences, and what was available to me whilst there. They had a recommended packing list which was useful too. There was a pre-departure webinar which was really interesting and helpful, which eased any worries. A week before I left they sent a very useful email with the contact details of the place we were staying for relatives, and a reminder of the pick-up information.

Once out in Sri Lanka, the local team over there run by Ashika were professional and very helpful. The weekend trips which are organised were fabulous and totally worth every penny. They even planned the Maldives weekend trip at short notice for us – they really are a great bunch of people. We were able to help release Turtle hatchlings one evening which was wonderful, and one of the highlights of the trip. This certainly will not be my last experience with them. I’m now looking into the possibility of helping out on projects in Nepal, Bali and/or Fiji in the near future. Who knows which one?! Thanks for an amazing experience which I will never forget.

I did childcare in Bali for 3 weeks and I have to admit these were the most life changing weeks in my life so far. Before I even came I was anxious about the pick up, because I was arriving late in night, so I assumed nobody's going to be there, because you know it's outside their working hours. But I was wrong, staff 10000% will pick you up, no doubt. Also, they will help you to settle in, move your stuff in the house and make sure you are having a good time. In my opinion, accommodation was better than I expected. Really nice rooms, I d want to say even luxurious + they have a pool + you can also sunbath. The food was amazing. You will get to experience 10/10 Indonesian food. For breakfast we had variety of fruits (e.g. Dragonfruit(which personally I am big fan of), watermelon, papaya, pineapple and others). Fulfilling lunch and dinner. Therefore, the house is near from famous Bali night markets(like 7min walk), where you can get everything very cheap and have a good time and maybe bound with your fellow Co-volunteers. I was suprised by the working hours. Childcare was from around 8am till like 11:30am and then lunch break + rest time and then second period from like 2pm till 04:30pm, which, in my opinion, are great working hours and you don't get worn out. Which makes me think that PMGY cares about your well-being. Big shout-out for that! Therefore, you have free time from Thursday evening till Sunday evening, where you can explore Bali!!! How amazing is that?! In fact, if you consider to childcare in Bali, I can promise you it's gonna be one of the most rewarding experiences! Indonesian children are the sweetest and kindest children you will ever meet. I loved spending time with them, playing, being silly, teaching simple English throughout games etc. Staff is great there, they will help you out no matter what! If you consider to do Bali childcare DO IT! I promise you won't regret!P.S. 3 weeks for me flew away so quick, I wish I was there for longer❤️😭

Hello!
Overall my experience was very positive. I assisted in the school as a teacher, helping children to learn English and also provide support and help with the children at the orphanage. It was a very fulfill experience because I was able to experience a different culture and be emerge myself in it. I enjoyed being part of this program. It has completely opened my eyes when it comes to volunteerism and I have become more outgoing and open to new experiences. I was in India for 2 weeks during the month of November and being with the staff throughout the state made me know them better and understand their life more and more. I made amazing friends and explore things that I never thought of doing.

PMGY has the most helpful service and you can see it from the beginning of the trip to the very end. I was given enough information to know the project and the people involved. I felt very safe because I understood that they had my back. I also want to note that I traveled to Peru on March 2019 and thanks to the travel insurance I have purchased with the program I was provided exclusive medical assistance when I experienced altitude sickness. I was hospitalized and then stayed in a hotel until I recovered then paid tickets to travel home, and all of this covered by the insurance. I truly appreciate the support and efficiency that the offered me. I will continue to travel with this company, because they have guaranteed me a safe and adventurous trip and that is exactly what I got.