Program Reviews

From being accepted to the program to every current conversation I have about my trip to Korea, I am always told that I have this spark in my eyes and that I glow every time I talk about my time in Korea. The trip changed my life. I have become so confident in solo traveling and made lifelong friends. One friend I made on the trip lives in Germany. After becoming confident in traveling, I flew to Germany from Hawaii by myself to visit my friend. The trip is a milestone in my life that I cherish.

I had always felt I was too shy or didn’t go out and do what I wanted, so braving up and accomplishing this experience was one of the most amazing, rewarding experiences I have ever done and it made me feel so good about myself. It not only made me feel more confident and comfortable in myself and new or awkward scenarios and allowed me to be open to lots of opportunities but it also introduced me to some of the nicest people ever who I developed long lasting relationships with and helped me choose what I want to do with my future, and where I would want to live.

This program was very rough. Overall, there was an overwhelming lack of support from the program and not many experiences to engage in the culture outside of your host families resources. I did not have a horrible time, I still made friends and learned the language alright, but my experience was pretty limited in comparison to the amount I payed for this program. The only part of my program that went really well was the time at the high school I was placed in. However, the high school was an entirely different entity than Greenheart Travel, so Greenheart earns no points there.

The biggest problem was the huge variability in the quality of host families paired with the lack of in country support. While I did not expect to be placed with a very rich family, I did expect my family to be financially stable and to have the time and resources to care for me. This was not the case. My host family had barely enough money to get by, especially with me added to the family. They often asked to borrow money from me or to borrow my credit card. I found this highly inappropriate. In addition, most of the time I was on my own or only with my host sister (who was younger than me). Food situations were often tricky too, it was always awkward to ask for food. A lot of the time I did not get breakfast. The only method of transport in the host family was a motorcycle, so they were not even able to take me to and from the airport. I had to do most public transit on my own. I understand some people live this way and that is fine, I don’t mean to be disrespectful. However, the program did promise regular meals a day and a stable host family situation.

On top of the unstable family situations, the lack of in country support also made my experience very difficult. The staff in country knew nothing about exchanging money in Argentina and often recommended illegal methods. This is unacceptable. The staff tasked with selecting, interacting, and monitoring host families did not meant standard.They did not provide a lot of resources to me when my host family situation became volatile. The opportunity to swap families was mentioned but never presented as a real option. In addition, I found that the host families were not well prepared to accept exchange students. EduQuality staff members had not done a good job communicating with host families about expectations on meals, help with the language, etc.

The Greenheart program’s support back at home when I applied and when I returned were not admirable either. They often took weeks to respond to my emails and several mistakes were made during my payment process including pushed up deadlines and extra charges. While all of these problems were resolved it was troublesome. In addition, after returning in country I was not awarded my scholarship for several months. I was supposed to receive it while in Argentina or shortly after, however I took several emails, many phone calls, and the help of my parents to obtain the money. I was very disappointed in this.

The last thing I would like to say is that these problems did not only happen to me. The cohort I went with faced similar problems with food, housing, and completely unaccepting host families. They also experienced Greenheart and their companion company in Argentina take away in country support from them while they faced significant problems.

I sincerely hope you will think twice before sending yourself or your child with this program. I was not impressed and it was quite expensive. You could have a much better experience with another company. A better option might be the rotary program.

I am currently in the midst of teaching in Thailand after applying for the position through Greenheart Travel. I am loving my experience here as a teacher so far, and highly recommend this move for anyone who loves kids, teaching, and travel. Greenheart was very helpful with connecting me to the local Thai agencies that found my school placement, though I was surprised that Greenheart's direct involvement kind of ended once I was passed to another agency. With that being said, if there are any questions that Greenheart cannot answer for you, they can connect you with someone who can. Overall I recommend the program!

I really enjoyed my stay in Saint Malo France. For my activity I selected sailing which was a perfect thing to do in the ancient sailing town of Saint Malo. I met lots of people from all over the world and enjoyed sharing languages and customs with them. My host parents were very nice and took good care of me. I felt safe in their home and very comfortable I left my summer program with a much better command of French and will use this in the years ahead. I would highly recommend this program to any high school student who wishes to push their comfort level and desiring to learn how to communicate in another language and culture.

As it was my first time ever going to Japan, or to any country all by myself I was definitely excited but also a bit nervous. However, as soon as I landed in Japan I found myself surrounded by amazing and kind people including my host family who helped guide me the first few days and who I am truly grateful for. I loved spending time with my host family and their three children, trying all kinds of new foods they would make for dinner, and playing card games with them. I also enjoyed going to school every day to better my Japanese. All the teacher and staff I was surrounded with were so kind and really tried their best to make sure I got all the support I needed. However, aside from the school I loved all the activities the program brought us to. I was able to go to many places in Fukuoka with the school as well as my friends. Some of these included Dazaifu, Canal City Mall, and the school even took us to a Taiko drumming session. With friends, we would go every day to a different restaurant and eat so much delicious and new foods I had never even heard of before. Something I thought was cool about all my classmates was that even though we were all from different parts of the world, we were all in Japan because we all truly wanted to be there and learn the language and culture. Overall, I don't think I could have had a better experience anywhere else and I am thankful I chose this program for my first time in Japan.

I recently participated in a teen travel Spanish immersion course in Salamanca, Spain. Overall, the experience was positive, though there were areas that could be improved.

Pros:

Engaging Activities: The program included various cultural activities and excursions that were both fun and educational. Visits to museums, historical sites, and local markets enriched our understanding of Spanish culture.

Friendships: One of the highlights was meeting other teens from different parts of the world. The friendships and cultural exchanges we experienced were invaluable.

Overall Experience:

The teen travel Spanish immersion course in Salamanca was a worthwhile experience that provided a unique opportunity to improve my Spanish skills while enjoying the rich culture of Spain. While there were a few areas that could use improvement, the overall experience was positive and rewarding. I would recommend this program to other teens interested in language immersion and cultural exploration.

I have now completed 3 months teaching English abroad in Italy. Overall, this has been a great experience and I am extremely happy I did it! However, I would not recommend this particular program. There were some concerning aspects of this trip.
Number 1. The LACK OF COMMUNICATION. Communication from Greenheart was absolutely terrible. I would send emails and would no get a response until 2-3 weeks later (if any). They did not tell me where I was being placed until the end of November (I left end of January) and booking airplane tickets was expensive that late. They also did not tell me which grades/ages I would be working with until a few weeks before I left and still expected me to pack materials.
I often wondered if this program was a scam. I did not hear from them other than when they reminded me that I needed to pay the rest of the fee. When I had to pay the last large sum, I almost decided this company was a scam and didn't go, but decided to try it.
They also did not tell me about important holidays in Italy (when the school would be closed) so I could not plan anything until last minute. The last week of school was a half week due to a national holiday and therefore the program ended three days earlier than they had told me.
Overall, everything was very unorganized and everything was a surprise.

2. Host family.
Although I had a lovely host family that were very nice people, I do not believe that they were in a place in life to be hosting someone at this time (as they told me many times). I strongly believe that the program should have looked into this more. My family said that they applied 2 year earlier but did not get anyone placed with them. This year they were asked to host me and accepted, although this was not a good time for them. They were almost never home, and if they were they were very busy with their own lives (understandably). Often I would only see them for about 30 minutes at dinner, where they often fought and screamed at each other. There was also often no food in the house and I went many times without lunch or dinner. It was not much of a cultural exchange: my family almost never asked about me or my country and I was made to feel stupid if I asked about Italian culture.

3.Orientation
Orientation was pointless. It occurred a week after I had already been living in Italy. I do believe it would have been helpful it it occurred before I left home. However, everything they talked about I had found out for myself after I had arrived. All of the information would have been extremely helpful beforehand.
They also sent out a handbook that stated that orientation would take place over the first weekend in Turin with a group of people completing the program. Henceforth I booked my ticket to Turin expecting this to take place. Eventually I started asking questions and found out that was indeed not happening and that orientation would be online ( again, lack of communication).

Something good that came out of the program was the Facebook group. Although no one uses it, I was lucky that another girl completing the same program as me posted in it looking for connections. Luckily we started chatting and met up while in Italy. It was so nice to be able to chat with someone going through the same experience as you. Italy is extremely different from North America and had extremely challenging moments. I am extremely grateful that I met her and we were able to travel together on some weekends. We visited AMAZING places like Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Milan, and Turin and truly had the best time. Without her, I would have been extremely bored and depressed on the weekends. My family often did nothing with me and I would sit at home looking for something to do. There is much more free time here than in North America and without having something to look forward to on the weekends I do not think I would have been able to stay the entire 3 months.

My experience at the schools was overall great. At the secondary school (elementary level in North America) I was extremely welcomed by both staff and students. Most students were so excited to have me there and always waved and said hi to me. They treated me like a celebrity. I really enjoyed teaching my lessons each week and interacting with the students. Although, the language barrier was challenging and students in Italy have way less respect for their teachers compared to Canada. The school system is also completely different and old school compared to North America. Which was very challenging sometimes.
The primary school was very difficult to attend. They did not give me a schedule, and other classes from other schools would also show up and demand a lesson from me. Teacher did not speak English and they would all fight over my time and often were too aggressive towards me. I frankly hated going to the primary school, because of the teachers. However, the students were amazing and very interested and happy to have me. Somedays I was treated poorly by those teachers, and I paid A LOT of money to do this program which is why I am writing this review.

Overall, I am glad I did this experience. I love teaching and have enjoyed working with the students. I have enjoyed traveling on weekends and being in the country that is full of history. However, It is an expensive program where you work FOR FREE. There is a lot expected of you, even though you are the one paying to be here. So I believe that there must be a program out there that either is cheaper or pays you that may be a better option. Or simply just travel around Italy first before committing to living here. I do not think that I would do this program now knowing what I know. But I know everyone's experience is different.

3 months ago I began my teaching adventure abroad with Greenheart Travel. I've had a fulfilling experience overall. Initially unaware of their partnership with Xploreasia, I was happy with the level of support provided leading up to my departure. The program equipped me with valuable knowledge and resources, and their responsiveness to any questions made my feel at ease.

Now settled in the beautiful city of Chiang Mai, Thailand, I am thoroughly enjoying my teaching experience. The weather is delightful, the local community is welcoming, and there's an abundance of things to do!

Some of the downsides would be that the working hours are longer than anticipated, and the contract length exceeded my initial expectations. Additionally, I encountered unexpected hidden costs along the way.

Overall, my time with Greenheart Travel/XploreAsia has been positive, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to teach in such a beautiful location. While there have been challenges, the rewards of living and working in Chiang Mai are extremely fulfilling. I would recommend using Greenheart to allow the transition abroad to be smooth and stress free.

It was a really great trip, I cherish the opportunities it gave me and the memories I made. I am going to put much more effort into studying Japanese because I want to go back and be able to talk to people. I loved learning Japanese from native speakers and living with my host family the Yoshidas. They were the best part of the trip by far. Going to Osaka palace and bike riding at dusk were unforgettable experiences, and training Japanese kickboxing was so incredibly fun. Don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone!