ISV (International Student Volunteers) Reviews

Figuring out the trip beforehand was quite a headache for me. People giving inaccurate answers, receiving emails saying I have to pay more than what was agreed on, nonsense like that. The trip itself was absolutely amazing!! Project coordinator was top notch, and tour leader was a blast. So although I had difficulty before I actually left, the trip was definitely worth every penny.

I stayed in kangaroo valley during the 2 weeks I volunteered. It was cold and rained a lot. I did wish I packed more for the type of weather-- look into that before you go. The living arrangements were really quaint. I wouldn't recommend if you're high maintenance. It had all the necessities which I greatly appreciated. The workload required moderate fitness, but overall it didn't strain you. It was reasonable.

Being with people who share the same values as you makes the experience that much more life-changing. We all are there to make a difference, to impact the world, and we change each others lives in the process. I made some of the greatest friends while I was there that I still contact regularly. Each day you wake up and go out not knowing what the day will bring. We would prepare food for the cheetahs, go on feeding rounds, play with the cubs even, and learn about cheetahs. You learn so much about sustainability and conservation. This trip made me grow so much as a person. Every day we would do hard work: fixing the roads, repairing the camps for the endangered vultures and African Wild Dogs, and trimming branches. The work never even seemed like it was work. The reward for everything we did was immediate. Every new project we did helped Shingwedzi incredibly. The traveling: caving, rappelling in Blyde River Canyon, horse back riding through the mountainside of Swaziland, meeting the kids in an orphanage, etc. were all once in a lifetime things! So many memories, people, and experiences I will have for the rest of my life.

My program coordinator was amazing. Day to day was alright. Food for breakfast and dinner was excellent, but lunch had to be taken on the boat. Those in charge of food were negligent of a particular student's peanut allergy, which was unfortunate. Work we did on boat days felt productive. Lessons by program coordinator were good. Days not on the boat were often a little dull or otherwise felt unproductive. Would not have been against doing some more manual labor, etc.

When I was younger, I did not know if I would ever have an opportunity to travel. I was never one of those people who spent their money on parties or cars or whatever else you can think of. I saved my money from all the work I had done for the only thing that was important to me: to one day travel the world and make a difference. When I heard about ISV, I took the time to read about the organization and realized that this was my first chance to make my dream come true. I booked my plane ticket to Los Angeles and the rest was almost completely taken care of by the organization. At first, I was worried about travelling because this was my first time travelling by plane and I was by myself. I realized quickly that there was nothing to worry about! The group of travellers I met were amazing, and the village we went to had some of the most friendly people I have ever met. I felt very welcome my entire stay with my Costa Rican family, and the slight language barrier was not an issue. Helping construct the road between the two parts of the village and in the coffee farms was very rewarding, and there was still plenty of time after the work was done to have fun! Our group leader, Jonathan, was a great guy who always kept you smiling throughout the entire trip. Not only was helping the community great, but the wildlife was phenomenonal as well. Any doubt's I had had about traveling alone before I left for Costa Rica were quickly erased as soon as this life-changing adventure began. Having the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica was an amazing experience, and I can't wait to continue traveling the world! If you are considering traveling with ISV, please don't waste this opportunity!

I agree with some reviews on accommodation spots. At first I was fine sleeping on a farm in the middle of no where, until we met up with the rest of the groups and heard how people were close to a town and able to adventure and do things after their day of volunteering. Although I would never trade my trip for anything, I would have enjoyed it even more if we could have been in a spot that we could still do things after our days of volunteering. The first two weeks we woke up, cut gorse and black berry bushes, went home, had dinner and went to bed. For that I feel we didn't get the full experience others did. The adventure tour was by far the best part of the trip. I know a lot of people said they would have preferred to have more free time to do stuff they wanted to do, but I would not. I think it was a perfect balance of planned fun and free time. When I returned to the US I was (and am still a year and a half later) finding myself so unbelievably bored and having too much down time. We did things such as rappelling, white water rafting, snorkeling in the great barrier reef, and visited/learned about aboriginal culture. I think of my trip every single day of my life and I can't wait to be able to return to Australia. The people I met I will never forget. It is a beautiful place and an experience like no other. There was never a time I didn't feel safe. I try to explain to people what the trip was like but there are truly no words to describe it other than an experience I will never forget.

The group leaders were friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. The host family was great. I was able to go off path in the jungle and see it in ways most are not allowed. The conservation program had a goal I could really get behind.

Traveling to New Zealand to volunteer was personally rewarding in so many ways. I was introduced to a new country and culture as well as a group of new people that I not only worked with, but also lived alongside for an entire month. Learning and understanding a different way of life, set of values, and challenges helped me to understand more of my own values and priorities. One of the most humbling realizations while traveling in a new country was seeing how similar people are even from different backgrounds, upbringings, socioeconomic status, etc. Aside from volunteering, traveling and experiencing the country was amazing! New Zealand is a beautiful country with much to offer.

I am from Los Angeles, California and first heard about ISV through my school at Cal State Northridge. I applied and went to New Zealand June 2011 for two weeks. At New Zealand it was winter time and there were about 30-40 international students that went to the program most that were from the states. The two weeks consisted of environmental sustainability volunteer work and there was heavy labor. I enjoyed it mostly because I learned alot about the different species of plants and animals. We also went to a local elementary school and community center to interact more with the community. What I loved was getting to know the indigenous people Maori and their culture.In my group there were alot of 2 week students and our program leader Daryl went out of his way to show us some awesome places around New Zealand to get our money worth. Upon departure we couldn't leave the island due to the cancellation of flights since there was some smoke from a Chile volcano eruption. What was great about having traveler insurance was that we got to stay at the five star hotel next to the airport and it was nice that the program leaders made sure we were settled in our rooms. I stayed an extra 3 days and visited the city of Auckland at my stay.

If I could go to another ISV trip for four weeks I would definitely go! Some other students that I went to the trip have traveled alot in other organizations like this one and would comment how this program is the best one. I am thankful for the experience and will forever remember this amazing trip.

This was my first step into international travel and 7 years later I still talk about this trip with frequency. This opened me up to trying new experiences on my own. This past summer I spent two months working in Asia and without the ISV trip I'm not sure I would have had the ambition to pursue that opportunity. Great people great fun would recommend to anyone that can afford it.