Program Reviews

I was lucky enough to spend one week in the Dominican Republic with ISV, and I got to meet locals and children who were so unbelievably happy even though they had so little. Many families don't have running water, clean drinking water, and clothing, which are basic necessities that many Americans tend to take for granted. The work ISV does in the DR is truly needed, and those who we helped were so appreciative of everything.

New Zealand is hands-down one of the most beautiful countries I've ever visited, and its people are some of the most welcoming I've encountered. Through ISV, we planted thousands of trees and significantly restored natural habitats in just 2 weeks' time. We had the opportunity to spend one night during our project with a native Maori tribe. They graciously allowed us to stay at their home in exchange for some landscaping work on their property, and they even cooked us a traditional Maori dinner while they told us stories about their ancestors.

During the Adventure Tour, I got to experience white-water rafting, black-water rafting in caves underground, zorbing, horseback riding through the location where Lord of the Rings was filmed, and so much more. I even decided to face my fears and try bungee jumping in Queenstown, where it was invented.

If you're considering volunteering in New Zealand with ISV, do it!!! I've been on 4 ISV Programs and if I could, I'd do them all in a heartbeat.

Words cannot even describe how incredible my ISV Australia experience was. I was able to gain hands-on experience with several native Australian animal species, including kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, flying foxes, and much more! During the Adventure Tour, I was able to cross off snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef from my bucket list, and it truly exceeded all of my expectations.

ISV organized everything so that we were able to work hard, have fun, and learn as much as possible.

I brought a friend with me on my program, and to this day we still reminisce about how much that summer changed our lives.

I signed up for my ISV Costa Rica Program without knowing anyone else on the trip, and without knowing what to expect from a program like this. ISV has opened my eyes to the importance of getting out of my comfort zone and being a part of something so much bigger than myself.

I was able to gain hands-on experience working with sea turtle conservation, and even released hundreds of baby turtles back into the ocean! I also met some of my best friends on my ISV Programs, and my life has truly been changed for the better because of this experience.

This trip changed me as a person. I've learned so much about myself in Australia. I couldn't recommend this trip more. I met amazing people that will be life-long friends of mine for sure. It was the best experience of my life and I reminisce constantly.

This was my first time going overseas, and I do not regret, for a second, going with ISV. When I was deciding to go abroad, I knew I didn't want to sit in a classroom like you would with study abroad. With ISV you get hands-on experience, immersing yourself in the country's culture, gaining more knowledge than you ever could gain just by sitting in a classroom. Instead of listening to someone lecture, I actually got out and experienced these places first hand, seeing wallabies, baby sharks, and even holding a koala bear! For two weeks, you will volunteer in the project of your choice (if you apply early!). These two weeks are tough, and towards the end, you will be close to your breaking point. On my last day, I could barely lift a shovel! But you just have to keep pushing yourself, and know that what you are doing will be a great help to conservation in Australia. The last two weeks are the adventure tour, where you will participate in fun, but, sometimes, extreme activities! You will see The Great Barrier Reef, a bunch of wildlife, pet a koala bear, explore Sydney, white water raft in the rainforest, bungee jump etc. The locals were extremely friendly, helpful, and accepting. In addition, the ISV and CVA staff were the best! They truly appreciated what you were doing for them, making you more proud of all the work you were doing. ISV will force you outside your comfort zone more times than you can count, but you will come out as stronger individual: both mentally and physically. I recommend applying early in September, so you can visit the country you want, and get the program you want! Yes, this program is very expensive, but I couldn't put a price on it because there's nothing like it.

ISV Australia has provided me with experiences that I will cherish for the rest of my life! The ISV staff are incredible and the individuals I met within my volunteer group have been some of the greatest people I've met in my entire life. The conservation work my group did was so fulfilling it made me change my major of study once I completed the ISV program. We worked at Walkabout Wildlife Park for 2 weeks and had amazing opportunities every single day that you can't get while just being a tourist. Anything from cleaning animal enclosures, getting up close and personal with kangaroos and Dingoes, to clearing brush were all made possible due to my involvement with ISV. Australia is renowned for its shear beauty and with ISV you not only get to experience the beauty of Australia but you play a crucial role in the conservation of Australia's unique ecosystems. This program has changed my life in so many positive ways. Between the 2 weeks of working in the wildlife park and the other 2 weeks traveling the East coast of Australia I can say I have done more "once in a lifetime" things in a 4 week time span than majority of people do within an entire lifetime. Scuba diving and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, white water rafting on the Tully River, skydiving in Cairns overlooking the ocean, getting licked to death by dingoes, swimming next to Sea Turtles and the list could go on for ages! Don't let anything hold you back from joining ISV on a volunteer program because you 110% will not regret it!!

I can't express how incredible this trip was. Thailand is so unique and beautiful. My love wildlife project was amazing and I have never seen more in a month than in this trip. I met so many incredible people and saw beautiful sights. I'll never forget bungee jumping, white water rafting, hiking through the beautiful forests, and kayaking into a secret island full of monkeys. All together, it is a month of my life that I will never forget and I wish I could go back every day.

This was the best experience of my life! I learned so much about the South African culture, met so many wonderful people and saw so many amazing sites! I would do it a second time in a heart beat! My favorite moment was while we were in Ponto do Ouro, Mozambique and I had the opportunity to swim with wild dolphins. I got so close to three adult dolphins and one "child" dolphin. I got so close to each dolphin. It was one of my favorite experiences. The Dolphins were so playful and friendly. Our guides told us it was one of the best encounters they've had. The whole time I was in Mozambique, I never had to wear shoes, the whole town has super soft and white sand in place of roads. ISV made my trip so wonderful. I'm so glad I chose them to explore South Africa. I want to go to one of their other destinations now!

There are no words for the experience I had in the Dominican Republic at El Castillo. It is without a question the most incredible experience I have ever had in my life. I will never forget my first day there. I had a 4 hr plane ride from NYC then after waiting at the airport for an hour, my group leaders picked us up and then it was a 3 hr bus ride through the mountains and then we had to get on a safari truck to drive another hour up into the mountains on this dirt path that was too bumpy for regular cars. The entire way I was terrified of what I had signed up for. There was no cell service. When we got to the cabins where we were staying, there was limited hot water and electricity only for a few hours each day. The water from the faucets was not drinkable. There were no screens in the windows. This was the most remote place I had ever been in my life. But I had promised myself to be open to the experience before I left. The next 2 weeks were a challenge to make friends, to use my high school Spanish to communicate, to try new foods, to deal with a different climate and another culture, but after my initial feelings of being overwhelmed faded, I began to love it.

My group had about 20 kids in it. We all go super close within just a few days. The way it worked was that we split up into 2 groups of 10. Everyday one group would go to work on construction in the village and the other group would go to the school with lesson plans we prepared as a group and run a sort of summer camp/ school program with the kids. We had 2 group leaders who would take turns being with the different groups. Both group leaders were fluent in English and Spanish. On the weekends we did excursions. One was to Constanza (the town at the bottom of the hill where we had gotten into the Safari trucks) and the other was a trip to Aguas Blancas, the tallest waterfall in the Caribbean.

I highly recommend this experience to anyone/everyone. It was so eye opening to see a culture so different from my own. I am a very well traveled person. I used to live in Germany, have been to Italy, Spain, Canada, France, Austria and Denmark, but this trip was different. I felt like I was making a difference in the world. After seeing people live such simple lifestyles, it struck me (especially upon returning home) how much material stuff we have and how unnecessary it is to be happy. The village in which we worked had no running water, no plumbing, no electricity, and most families lived in a 1 room house often with a dirt floor (sometimes cement). Yet, these people living in El Castillo were some of the most welcoming and happiest I've ever met. It really gives you something to think about.