ISV (International Student Volunteers) Reviews

During my travels I not only got the experience to be immersed in wildlife and work/play with elephants, but I got to be completed excepted by a group of friends and people in The Kingdom of Thailand and have a great time with them. The local people are lovely, genuine and sweet. The cities are beautiful and the islands will blow your mind! All the activities we get to do in each place makes the trip worth it. I felt really comfortable with everyone I met in every city I went to. It was special to volunteer in Thailand with elephants because the elephant is Thailand's national symbol, yet they are being mistreated. It was great to see the rescued elephants and educate others about how to properly care for elephants as well. This trip means so much to me and it has encouraged me to want to go back to Thailand again in the future. ISV made it a safe and awesome travel experience!!!

Being in Thailand for a month was absolutely amazing. It was very eye-opening to get to spend two weeks working at a center for women and children in rural Thailand. I came back home extremely grateful for all that I have, and with the desire to continue serving this world.

The program was clearly meant to help the community for those in the community development project, but what I never expected was my life to be impacted with amazing friendships and lessons to learn.

Lots of fun things planned but still leaves you time to do your own thing! I think that this is a good program especially if it is your first time doing international travel. I did the 4 week adventure program in Costa Rica with the trees volunteer program. The volunteer part was very remote but right next to the ocean so we got to swim every day. During the adventure program there was a lot more opportunities to go out than I would have thought so be sure to bring enough street clothes. My favorite part of the adventure part was the 2-day rafting trip. you raft into this resort and then raft out the next day. really high Rapids so it was really exciting and the guides were great. I also made a lot of life long friends and traveling buddies from this program. it's truly priceless.

Choosing to participate in the ISV program was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Prior to the trip, I was incredibly nervous to travel across the world by myself for a month. Within the first day of meeting my group members all my worries vanished. In a month's time I volunteered at a Wildlife Sanctuary working hard, long, and rewarding hours where my efforts were visibly making a difference. I met people that instantly became family, proudly faced my many fears, and experienced things throughout the two week adventure tour that most people spend a life time trying to achieve. Everything from the activities, to our leaders, to the accommodations was amazing. I was sad to say goodbye to a country I fell in love with and my new family. I cannot say enough good things about ISV and am already looking into participating in another trip. If you're willing to work hard and give it your all during the volunteer portion of the trip you will be pleasantly rewarded with the adventure tour, the people, and the memories you'll make along the way. To those who are on the fence about committing to this program, I warmly encourage you to do so. "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone", so start living!

This project was incredible! We started out in the city, with the Spanish program. We were totally engulfed in the language which was a bit frightening but the families and school were more than willing to help us learn some basic Spanish. For the next two weeks, we went to the beach to help researchers with their work with sea turtles in a coral graveyard. We helped them to figure out what they were eating so that we can help replenish their dietary needs. We got to work up close with several beautiful hawksbill and green sea turtles. For the last two weeks, we had a blast traveling all around the country and seeing awesome sights, meeting awesome locals, and doing really thrilling activities. I feel that this trip was a three- in- one deal, I improved my Spanish speaking skills, I helped in conservation work, and I was learning about the Costa Rican culture.

One thing that I found fascinating is that Australians encourage you to keep traveling and keep learning about other cultures and environments. My life goal now is to go to every country in this world.

Making the decision at age of 20 to venture off and explore the world was without a doubt the absolute best decision I have made yet. I participated in the 4 week program to Australia and there are no words to express the how close I will hold this trip to my heart for the rest of my life and how grateful I am that I was lead to such an extrodinary adventure. I made friendships that turned into family with people who will be apart of my life forever. The 2 week volunteer portion is hard work but very rewarding, practical and meaningful. The 2 week adventure tour is the jam packed with activities that will push your comfort zone and give you the opportunity to live life to the fullest and dare to do things all in 3 weeks that most people don't get the chance to do in a lifetime. I cannot express enough how thankful I am for ISV and this trip and how much it impacted my life. And absolute must do for anyone who loves to make an impact, travel, help those in need, make new friends, push your adrenaline limits, see the world, and LIVE LIFE! This trip is life changing and I'm already planning on how, where and when to go on another one!

We went to the hill tribe village with the children and they were able to show us around. We hiked up the hills and it was muddy and slippery, but definetly worth it, as the view from that point is breathtaking.

ISV has impacted my life in just two weeks so far and I cannot wait to see what is has in store for the next two. I absolutely adore the bond I created with almost every orphan I was around and I will be forever thankful and appreciative of this experience.