Program Reviews

I have participated in 6 volunteer trips to Puglia with Global Volunteers, so that it feels now, each time, like going home again! The program attracts a wide variety of volunteers all of whom want to combine an interesting travel adventure with a chance to give something back to the people and places they visit. This program is a great way to make new friends both home and abroad. I've kept in touch with many of the students and teachers in Italy, as well as with many of my fellow travelers. Puglia is relatively unspoiled and the local population is very welcoming. There is no safer place to travel in Europe. There is ample time to enjoy the experience, sample the local cuisine and take side trips. The staff is well-organized and extremely helpful. I speak some Italian, but knowledge of the language is not a necessity, since the focus of the program is to allow the chance for students to converse in English with native speakers.

I very much enjoyed my experience in Hungary. I worked with elementary students, students about to take their exams for university and adults who wanted to improve their English. In our spare time, we visited museums,
a pottery, an embroidery shop, and a winery. We were well accepted by the community-we often ran into students as we walked to school or to do some shopping and everyone was welcoming and friendly. It's a wonderful opportunity for someone who wants to travel,
but has no companion as you can usually find a fellow volunteer who will accompany you somewhere. This particular program has been discontinued, but I would recommend the organization as a whole and plan to go on another volunteer vacation at some point.

From the time I met my co-volunteer at the airport and then our Country Manager and Team Leader that evening until the day of departure, I felt that every part of my dream to volunteer in Costa Rica had been met. Nia Salas made us feel comfortable in her country and explained in detail what we would be doing in Sta. Elena and the guidelines that Global Volunteers has set up to make the experience enjoyable and safe for all involved. Our accommodations (including dietary requests) were totally perfect...just like being at home. The service project included clearing trails in the Cloud Forest, a little bit of heaven, and then building a storage shed for recycling at the Colegio working with an amazing former student with so much enthusiasm that it was hard to keep our feet on the ground. We were treated with tons of respect and were even invited to watch fresh cheese being made and felt right at home every day we were there. We had our breaky meetings before heading off for the day and enjoyed our meals and quality time together in the evening with lots of free time to enjoy our surroundings. For me it was an amazing experience of community, family, love, fun, hard work with a joyous outcome of helping the lovely areas of Costa Rica and making it possible for the students to learn about recycling and maintaining the earth that we so cherish. I am looking forward to taking other Global Volunteer trips in other parts of the world.

I volunteered in Tutova twice and continue to support the program.
It was a pivotal and rewarding experience. As a busy professional I do not have much time for volunteer work at home. I loved GV because in two weeks I could give back to society in a concentrated effort. I made lifelong friends with several of my fellow volunteers. As a female solo traveler, GV is terrific because it enables one to travel to "exotic" or off-the beaten path regions and meet up with like-minded travelers/volunteers. The team leader Mihaela in Romania is terrific and English speaking. The work with the children was the most memorable, emotionally hard and most enjoyable vacation of my life.
Hard to believe diapering, running after children, dressing children and picking up toys would be a vacation but it was the best for me!

The leader was wonderful in making sure we were happy with our placement and arranged interesting after hours experience. The teachers were wonderful in explaning their situation. Will come again

I have been on 4 GV programs. I think this is an excellent organization. I am hoping to join GV next year on the ST. Lucia project.I have enjoyed myself immensely on each trip. The food was excellent, the staff could not have been better, I felt safe and the community in each country was welcoming. I had a roommate for two of the trips after the passing of my husband who was always with me and my friendship with them has endured. Cost is appropriate. The work is rewarding, the children were wonderful, and I can't wait to return.

Ann Goldstein

My volunteer program in Costa Rica was one of the three best vacation experiences of my life. The response from the community was incredible -- we ate lunch each day in someone's home and we got to help prepare the meals. All our meals were delicious, varied and well-prepared. Community members even opened their homes to us on Christmas. My fellow volunteers were a delight and even joined me on an early morning birding trip in the cloud forest where we hired two local birders to guide us and point out amazing birds and butterflies. The trip was well-organized in every respect and we were able to complete the project that had been planned.

This was my wife and my first major trip after I retired. We had previously traveled extensively but had never done a Volunteer Trip. The Global Volunteer stateside organization was very helpful with any questions we had regarding arrangements for the trip. The Global Volunteer in-country staff was there to meet our flight and took excellent care to ensure we had a productive as well as an enjoyable visit. We experienced many aspects of island life that the tourists never encounter. Plus we met many wonderful islanders that we will alwYs consider as friends. Our project while we were there was to assist the children improve their reading skills. The effort was enjoyable and rewarding. The children looked forward to their time with us as much as we look forward to being with them. A typical day began early as we had to catch our bus to school around 8 AM. It ended around 5 PM after the last class plus taking time to visit with the school staff to ensure what the plan was for tomorrow. Evenings and weekends were full of things to do and my wife and I went to the island of Aitutaki for one weekend and it was truly amazing. We loved our time so much that two years later while on a trip to other parts of the Far East, we scheduled a stop in the Cook Islands for a few days just to experience the people and the place agIn. It did not disappoint us.

What more can I say: I want to do it all over again.
Well, maybe I will. Carving a space out of my daily life and filling it with a cultural experience, fun, satisfaction when I finally "got it" made this two week period unforgettable.

This program was an amazing opportunity to not only volunteer, but to truly learn about another culture. I was there during the January trip, so there were a variety of assignments to choose from. Examples are: giving computer skills training to the teachers and the Red Cross, painting classrooms, cleaning up hiking trails, and sorting through donated books at the library. While at the work sites, you had a lot of time to interact with the locals, and learn about the Maoiri language and culture. Set in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, there was plenty of time to enjoy the island outside of the volunteer hours. I plan to return again soon!