Program Reviews

I signed up with Greenheart Travel's high school abroad Austria program for my gap year before college-- living abroad for around ten months. Yes, I was technically with Greenheart, but I was mainly under their partner program, STS; which was a whole other mess-- but that's a story for another time. I would say overall there was decent planning on Greenheart's part. You could tell the organizers of STS obviously had it in for the money, were very disorganized, and literally did no research on any of the host families before placing the students. I also don't know how some of the families make it past the approval check, considering the amount of horror stories I've heard and experienced. Despite the poor organization skills of their counterpart, Greenheart Travel was very supportive when issues arose, and continued to have an open ear about your time abroad when I got back. I feel every program has their ups and downs for sure, since you are considered a liability when abroad with an organization. I would recommend going abroad with a youth centered program if you are used to structure and rules-- if not, I'd recommend going and studying at a university or living in your country of choice on your own.

Besides the downs of my time abroad, living abroad was an indescribably AMAZING experience. I learned so much about not only another culture, but about myself. You meet so many people from different backgrounds as yourself- exchange students and natives- with whom you'll probably keep in contact with long after your exchange is over. I would never take my experience back. In fact, it has only encouraged me to go abroad again and learn more about the world around me.

I recently returned from two weeks in Salamanca, Spain. I had the best time there ever and it went by super quickly. Although everything was great, the best part of the trip was the friends that I made. I feel I have known the people I met there for ages, and I definitely will be keeping in touch. I wish that I went for longer, and I am considering returning again next summer! I felt that after this program I became more independent and it was reassuring to know that I was able to take care of myself and not be homesick, etc. Although I was only in Salamanca for two weeks, I feel that my Spanish has improved. However, what improved the most was my ability to feel comfortable speaking the language. If I were to have spent more time, I would have definitely improved even more. Just a heads up: most of the other kids there speak English and although sometimes we spoke Spanish with each other, often times we spoke in English so it wasn't 100% immersion, although I was fine with that. The support staff was great at Greenheart, specifically Allison, who would send out emails frequently preparing us and informing us about the trip. She quickly and thoroughly responded to any questions I had and I think that she was the reason I felt so prepared to go on the trip. In addition to learning a lot, the trip was probably one of the most fun experiences I have had so far. We had a lot of free time to explore the (very beautiful) city and do whatever we wanted. My host family was also part of what made the trip so great. They were kind, helpful, and funny, and I miss them so much! I definitely recommend staying with a host family as they were one of the reasons I learned so much Spanish. As for safety: the city felt super safe to me, even at night. There were always lots of people walking around everywhere, and I never felt scared. Finally, a tip: bring a Tide stain remover stick as it removes stains quickly and very well. It is super small and easy to carry around, and if I ever spilled something I didn't have to walk around the entire day with a huge stain. Overall, the trip went perfectly and I had a great time! I would highly recommend going to Salamanca to learn Spanish.

I was able to spend 1 month in the Piedmont region of northern Italy doing the Italy Homestay Program. I had wanted to travel to Italy for a long time, and as a teacher, I have more time to travel than most do. Having traveled a decent amount in the past, one thing I knew that was important to me was to spend enough time in a place to really feel like you understand the culture and get to see the real country- not just the touristy places. I found this program and it seemed like it was exactly what I wanted. I would be part of a family, I would get to experience real Italian culture, and I would be able to stay within my budget.

The program was a great experience for me. It was exactly what I was looking for, and I would definitely do it again. I had a lot of flexibility to go see places in the city. I would either ride into the city with my host family when they went to work or I would take the bus in. It was nice to have this freedom to explore at my own pace during most days. Because I was staying with a family, I got to do many things that tourists would never get to do. I did some traveling in Italy after I finished up with my homestay, and as nice as it was to stay in nice hotels and eat meals out at restaurants and see famous places, I really feel that the homestay experience was the most meaningful and memorable part of the trip.

The program is very orderly and well run, and the staff is very helpful and kind.

The process was very easy for me. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of items to take care of before my departure date, but as long as you create a checklist (with deadlines), take it 1 step at a time, and stick to it, it will go by so fast. Greenheart did a great job in executing this process for me and making it possible for me to be where I am now: very happy, teaching in Vietnam, and with an upcoming opportunity in Myanmar! More adventure awaits, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks again, Greenheart!

I was able to make close friends from around the world and was also able to become close with my host family. ( I still contact them and I hope to be able to see them again in a couple years.) The staff at GreenHeart Travel (Allison Yates) and GenkiJACS were amazing and they were able to answer all my questions. The only things I regret not doing were not being able to attend the last school day due to the weather. Thus making me not able to say proper goodbyes to anyone at the school. Also, I wasn’t able to go to all the places I have wished to go to. During me stay there, I was able to find some fantastic boba milk tea. I would be happy to share where I got them from if you want to know. (Sorry, I just had to say this because I love boba a lot....haha.) I do feel like the culture excursions on Saturdays could be improved. Overall, I feel that this trip was amazing!

I was in the summer language camp program for two weeks, and those two weeks were a fantastic time, not only was the school very nice and I feel I learned a lot, but being located in Tokyo, and living with a host family helped my language and communication skills increase exponentially, and I have also felt the experience in general has made me more able to communicate with people, even if I am doing it in English. I would definitely do it again if I ever have the chance.

Teaching English in an Italian household was an amazing experience! I learned so much, not only about another language, culture, and country, but about my own. I accomplished so much, learned so much, and above all, taught. I found a lot more of myself on this journey and I hope to find more on many other journeys. Everyone from Greenheart Travel were so supportive and right there when I needed them! Allison Yates helped me tremedously before I left. Without her, I'd be a lot more lost than I initially was when I first arrived. It was such a relief to be able to speak with her and get help along the way! My in-country director, Mariangela DeLuca, was also such a big help and always there when I needed her. I am so thankful for them and this opportunity! I will be back and I highly recommend to anyone else wanting to travel and learn!

I can't say enough positive things about my experience in the Greenheart Travel Teach in a Homestay program. I had been to Italy (to Siena) twice before as the assistant director of a study abroad program. I loved Italy, but really wanted to learn Italian, which I hadn't done staying by myself in an apartment. Looking for an inexpensive way to travel to Italy and be immersed in Italian, I stumbled upon this program, applied and was placed with a family in Cesena, Italy for one month.

My family welcomed me with open arms and quickly made me a part of their family, including me in outings with their friends and taking me to school functions of their three children. An unexpected but wonderful experience was the opportunity to be a guest teacher in the Italian elementary school where my host mom was a teacher. She got permission for me to collaborate with the English teachers at the school to get into every single English classroom in the school. The children were very excited to get to ask questions of an American, and I learned many things about the Italian school system that I didn't know before.
My teaching experiences involved helping the family's two pre-teen boys with their English homework and conversation, and preparing the oldest boy for his upcoming year abroad in an American school. I also taught the parents some English while simultaneously learning a lot of Italian! I also helped the next door neighbor with both her English and her Spanish (I am a Spanish professor).
I learned so much Italian that I was able to return to the US, test and be certified at an advanced low level of oral proficiency. There is NO WAY I could have done this studying Italian in the US, or even studying in Italy but not living with a family. The complete immersion was the key to my success. It wasn't easy by any means, and we had some good laughs at my blunders, but I can now speak Italian, and have made some good friends in the process. I miss my Italian family a great deal!

Allison Yates, the coordinator at Greenheart Travel, made everything very easy and stress-free. The communication was frequent and I knew if I had any problems while abroad I could get them quickly resolved. I am seriously considering applying to teach in a homestay again next summer, and have told many of my students and fellow teachers about this wonderful program!

If you are ready to make life-long friends with some of happiest people in the world, you will adore a HomeStay in Argentina? Even though I have traveled extensively, I was a little apprehensive about living in South America. But my host family integrated me into their lives very quickly. We shared meals with their friends and family most nights, drank matte (traditional herbal drink) with everyone, and traveled together to many places in Argentina. I fell in love with this country and its people very quickly.

Life is simpler and slower, so I was able to enjoy every day with my family with low stress. I enjoyed riding a bicycle to the cafe for a pastry, to the market for vegetables, or to fetch water for the household. The neighbors and school children waved at me almost immediately making me feel very welcome.

It is important to realize that you are an ambassador for the Greenheart program and your country while there. EVERYONE wants to know if an American is just like what they have seen on TV. So are being observed by many. One day, I was invited to speak to high schoolers about my background and experiences in Argentina. Besides all of us laughing about how teenagers loved their cell phones, they were sincerely excited to see that I was "normal" and "just like them" in many ways. A few said they would love to visit the US now that they know a little bit more. How wonderful, and I hope I can host them if they decide to come!

I took a month at the end of my family HomeStay to travel throughout the country. Everywhere I went, I felt safe (this was coupled with making good decisions), welcomed, and amazed at the breadth of beautiful landscapes. A couple of 'tips' to make the travel easier is to bring extra toilet paper with you, toilet paper is never flushed in the toilet, and always drink bottled water!

So, just GO! The HomeStay was a great way introduction to this fantastic country.

My three months in Italy was one I will always remember. The thing that made the most impact on me in my time in Italy was the hospitality of the Italians. The families that I stayed with, the teachers in the school I taught in and especially my students all welcomed me as part of their own. This made transitioning into my daily Italian life easy and I was reassured that I was in good hands.

The teaching experience is something that I also enjoyed. Whether you come with years of experience or none at all, the support and content you are given is there to make your lessons fun and enjoyable.

I highly recommend this program to anyone that is even having the slightest urge or curiosity about taking part. Because after the three months, you will definitely come out feeling accomplished, content and feeling like you want to go back.