Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) Reviews

After a very long flight from New York, I and the other GLA students arrived in Chiang Mai greeted by an excited staff. For the next three days, we visited extravagant temples, a Christian school, and busy markets. My favorite activity in Chiang Mai was visiting the school where we exchanged our American culture with the students by teaching them slang words and they taught us about Thai dances and games. It was uplifting to see the students so happy, welcoming and excited to meet us. Our elephant education began in Chiang Mai where we visited the Elephant Conservation Center and Elephant Hospital. It was the first time I had ever touched an elephant which was scary and amazing!
When we arrived at Thai Elephant Home, the elephants greeted us and we were assigned a roommate and our elephant. My elephant was named Mae Chan and she was a sweetheart! Our counselors took us on a five hour trek where we rode our elephants, played in the mud with them and then took them to the river for a bath. It's daunting the first time you are riding or standing next to an elephant, but the mahouts are right there to guide us. That first day was surreal - I never thought I would actually be interacting with an elephant so intimately. Even though we were all pretty sore the next day from the riding the elephants, we got used to it quickly. All of the staff and counselors were helpful and outgoing. The atmosphere of the home is warm, safe and comfortable. Our days started at 5:30am, but we were always excited to see what the day had in store for us. In the morning, we shoveled our elephant's mess, bathed our elephants and fed them new grass before our breakfast. The food is INCREDIBLE - and this is coming from a very picky eater. Everyday, we did service work (grass cutting or dam building) which was tiresome but everyone participated and no one complained. We did have a lot of free time to get to know each other and I loved hanging out, playing bananagrams and cards. The two weeks flew by and I was sad to leave my elephant and new friends that I made.

This is my second trip with GLA and I didn't think it was possible, but it was even better than my first. The service you do, the people you meet, and the adventures you experience are absolutely unforgettable. One moment you're singing camp songs with the local children and the next you're snorkeling with sharks. You then end the day sitting at a bonfire with you're new friends coming from all over the world just to do one thing; be the change.

My time in Rancho Quemado was unforgettable and life-changing. I went in to the two weeks by myself not knowing what to expect, but from the second I walked out of the airport in San Jose I was immediately greeted with great enthusiasm and excitement from the mentors. This program really stood out to me in that Rancho Quemado reached out to GLA for help rather than the other way around, the way it often is. From this, I truly felt accepted by the community. We were living in their hostels, hiking on their trails, eating their food, and learning about their culture: all of which they were ecstatic to show us. One of my highlights of the trip was playing in the towns daily "majengas", or street soccer games. This really allowed me to communicate with the village members, from 2 year olds to 60 year olds. Other than the community service aspect of the trip with building a library and helping with a garden and recycling project, we learned and improved our knowledge of sustainable tourism and its importance as well as Spanish. This trip and the people I met along the way (from the US and Costa Rica!) has impacted me to become more appreciative of the world and its people. I would 100% suggest this trip to anyone wanting to learn Spanish, support a community, and to have an amazing time doing so.

When I came across GLA online the first thing that stood out to me was the emphasis on connections with the local community that you would be spending your time with. This was one of the most important things to me when choosing a program. Besides that the idea of visiting the Osa Peninsula was new and unique and appealed to me in every way. The preparation for the trip felt very organized and there were contacts always available to answer any questions my family or I had about the trip. The travel went smoothly and I was promptly met with a mentor at the airport. Throughout my time spent in Costa Rica I felt fully supported by every mentor, always felt safe, and most of all was able to build life long friendships and create incredible memories. The program's strong emphasis on Spanish, service, and community relationships was able to motivate students to put themselves out of their comfort zones and learn to their greatest ability. The most valuable thing for me was that everyone on the trip or living in the town was passionate about learning of new cultures and interacting with brand new people. I learned more Spanish and was able to gain new work ethic during the community service portion of the trip. Overall my trip to Costa Rica opened my eyes and changed my life. I am coming out of the experience with amazing friends and I will never forget the incredible experience.

Over the summer, I went on the 21-day GLA Dominican Republic: Building a Sustainable World trip. It was a great experience and I had an amazing time. From meeting the locals to talking about how we impact our environment, I was able to learn a lot of new things while getting to know some pretty exceptional people. I thought that 7elements and GLA did a great job integrating an educational factor to the trip and that it was a perfect mix of service and fun.

The lodging was beautiful and it was really close to the beach, so we were able to go to go the beach after long days of building basketball courts or constructing green houses. The work hours were really fun and interesting because of all the exposure to the Dominican culture and lifestyle.

My favorite experiences were the service hours we completed because I really felt like we made a difference. Turning cement for hours can be vigorous, however, the outcome was more than worth it. We were able to help establish a water filter/tank for a local batey. A batey is a community made of both Dominicans and Haitians and they are usually very segregated because of all the political issues the countries have had with one another. It was great seeing our progress, especially after witnessing the quality of the water the community uses on a daily basis.

Other than the service, I loved all of the excursions that were offered. We were able to go cliff jumping into lagoons, hike mountains, snorkel, sightsee in Santo Domingo, go to waterfalls and beaches, tour a water filter factory, go to a Haitian market, and go on a cable car. There was always something to do or see, so you could never be bored. Every excursion helped get you out of your comfort zone and brought you closer to the people around you. Whether it was jumping from the 30 ft. cliff or struggling through the Haitian market, you knew you had people behind you.

This program made me reflect on my life, figure out what I am passionate about and discover what I want to accomplish in the future. It’s one thing to see the conditions that these people live in and it’s another thing to witness them. There are no words to describe the feeling of entering the Haitian side of the batey, where barely any of the kids were clothed and families of 5+ lived in windowless, 1-room houses, and have all of the kids run to play with you.

Overall, I had an amazing time on my trip and I think that it helped me grow as a person. It’s revitalizing to experience these moments and to learn about how we can help one another on a local and global level. I hope that I can use what the program taught me and help make our world a better place. For all of these things that I was able to learn and experience, I would absolutely recommend this trip to other kids who want to broaden their horizons and who genuinely love to help others.

This was the most amazing experience of my life. Not only did I immediately fall in love with Thailand, but I fell in love with the people, the culture, the language, and the elephants. I was greeted at the airport by Joon, who was super funny and was so welcoming. He gave me this flower necklace that smelled amazing. That day at the airport I met my forever best friend. From the 3 days we stayed in Chiang Mai in the Imm Hotel, I knew I wanted to come back with all of my friends and family. We got to experience some of the culture first hand. We went to authentic Thai restaurants, holy temples, and even the schools. We got to interact with the people and the children and they are always just so happy and friendly and welcoming. I have never felt safer or more at home in my life! The staff did an awesome job at making us all feel super comfortable and made sure we were always happy and learning new things. When we went to the first elephant hospital in the world and got to meet elephants for the first time, we were all silenced. These animals are so breathtaking and have such beautiful souls. This is when I first discovered that I want to be a large exotic wildlife vet, and work with elephants and other endangered species like them. Our group bonded extremely well and we were always so eager to go out and learn and experience Thailand and the culture. At the Thai Elephant Home, my life was changed. My elephant changed my life. She was so kindhearted and we formed an extremely unique and beautiful bond. Her mahout didn't speak a word of English, but we still managed to become the best of friends and we learned so much from each other. Being able to care for your own elephant was just the most extraordinary experience. Our service, which was cutting and planting grass and building dams was so incredibly rewarding. We were all more than happy to give a little back to the Thai people and the elephants. There was never a dull moment in Thailand, no matter how tired we were, we were ALWAYS having fun and learning so much from each other. It's so important to get different perspectives of other people from other places in the world, and we did just that. We learned a lot about elephant conservation and we got to all form our own opinions about it, which was awesome. I learned more Thai than I know in the language that I have been taking for 7 years. This was just the most incredible experience and I am forever thankful for it.

During the summer of 2015, my friend and I went on the GLA Costa Rica Beachside Service Adventure for 10 days. This was one of the most amazing things I have ever done and I will never forget this experience. When I went, I did travel with my friend but you really don't need to. So many people came alone and everyone became so close so fast that it didn't even matter who came with who. I met people that I know I will keep in touch with for a long time and we still meet up and talk all the time. Advice I would give to people who are thinking about this trip is to show up with an open mind and be ready to try different things because I am from NY and the culture there is so different. Also, you really don't need as many clothes as you think you do so there is no need to overpack. The only thing I would say to bring extra of is T-shirts. During service they might get dirty and since there is no wash your best bet would be to have extras. I would definitely say to bring granola bars with you or just foods to snack on because sometimes after service or during free time I would get really hungry. Although I can't pick one favorite part of my trip, I would have to say two of my favorite things I did were the zip lining on one of the adventure days, and going into the town and experiencing the culture. When I was there it was Guanacaste's Independence Day so there was a HUGE festival going on in the heart of the town so that was so much fun. Overall, the mentors are the coolest people you will ever meet and they always have an answer to your questions. If you leave something at home they will find a way to get what you need or you can borrow from someone else because the environment is so kind and caring and everyone is nice to one another. I would 100% recommend this trip! You will make memories for a life time.

In June 2015, I went on the GLA Heart & Soul of Africa trip in Arusha, Tanzania. These two weeks were honestly the best and most rewarding weeks of my life. I learned and personally got to experience Tanzania culture - from eating food to speaking in Swahili to the locals, I gained so much valuable insight and knowledge into not just a different culture but a different world as well. In two weeks, I experienced so many things - painting traditional African batik paintings, hiking the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, cooking plantain soup, teaching primary school kids, exploring the wild outdoors through the safari weekend at Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park, and so much more. To parents who are interested in sending their kids to a volunteer program or students who are interested in going, I highly recommend not just Global Leadership Adventures but the Heart & Soul of Africa trip as well, as they make sure you are comfortable and safe during the whole trip while also providing you with the culture and experience of that country you are visiting. A helpful tip to anyone going on a trip like this: keep an open mind! Don't shy away from any activities! You are probably already outside your comfort zone just by flying to another country, but try to have an open mind to make sure that you make the most of the trip and your time in Tanzania!

This was my fourth and final trip with Global Leadership Adventures. After traveling to Costa Rica, the Galapagos and the Dominican Republic with GLA, I was thrilled to finally be going to Thailand. The local staff was amazing and I learned so much about Thai culture. Working with elephants every day was an experience rivaled by none. After spending a few days in the city of Chiang Mai, we finally headed off to the village where the Elephant Conservation center was. We woke up very early every day to clean up after the elephants and bathe them, a surprisingly enjoyable task. We also participated in other service activities such as planting trees, teaching english in schools, and cutting and planting grass (the food for the elephants). I really was not sure what to expect as this was my first time traveling to Asia. But now that I have spent two weeks there and met so many wonderful people, all I can think about is going back. I was in the first group of the program so we acted sort of as the guinea pigs for what service work activities would work the best. We also were given the chance to help cook at the conservation center. We were assigned a day to cook dinner and we learned how to prepare an official Thai dish. I have a million wonderful things to say about this program, and I couldn't be happier with my experience. I was really able to discover my love for learning about other cultures, and my love for preserving species. We engaged in meaningful discussions about animal rights, and how one person can make a change (a discussion started by our mentor Ash Hastings). I cannot recommend Global Leadership Adventures enough, it is such a wonderful program.

last summer I volunteered abroad global leadership adventures protecting the pacific program in costa rica and I'd have to say it was one if not the best experience I've ever had, I learned so much and met so many incredible people I will never forget, Costa Rica is absolutely beautiful and the people are extremely nice, it really was the best summer. I'm looking forward to volunteering abroad Global Leadership Adventures agin soon.