Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) Reviews

This summer, I travelled with Global Leadership Adventures to Anloga, Ghana with the Children of Africa program. It was honestly the most amazing experience I've ever had. What made the program so great was the perfect balance between service, cultural learning, reflection, and free time. In the mornings, we would break into our two "mentor groups" and visit separate schools. There, we made bricks that would go towards building a new classroom for kindergarteners and we also taught the students. Teaching was a completely new experience for me. We taught the same class of students everyday which was helpful because we were able to begin building relationships with them. It was difficult at first to figure out how to approach it, but we were all partnered with another GLA student, so we learned how to work together. The teaching was definitely one of my favorite things that we got to do in Ghana. In the afternoons, we did different activities everyday. Sometimes we visited local chiefs, or went shopping in street markets. We bought traditional fabric and had extremely talented seamstresses sew clothing for us. Other times, we had leadership workshops lead by the mentors that helped us reflect on our activities. When we had free time, there was no shortage of fun to be had with the local children who came running from school to hang out with us. The GLA staff was incredible and they were always there when we needed them. There was no time where I felt unsafe in Ghana. It was very cool to have Ghanaian staff working on the program because it gave us more of an inside view. Overall, this experience inspired me to learn more about global issues and different cultures around the world. Everyone we met was extremely welcoming and glad we were there to experience Ghana.

Thailand was the best experience of my life. I had the best time with the best people and i learnt a lot about the country and myself. We visited many beautiful places including temples, we learnt about the Thai culture and beliefs. The staff were amazing and really supportive. We learnt about how elephants are treated in Thailand. The group also did alot of community service, half of the group went to a women's refuge and the other half went to an orphanage to help out. Global Leadership Adventures were the best company to volunteer abroad with because they are helpful and dedicated and i would recommend the company to anyone.

Service in the sacred valley had to be the best possible way to spend a part of my summer and it may have been my best summer yet. I had my doubts initially as to whether the program was the right one for me; I'm pretty introverted, so I didn't know if it would be to much social interaction. However, I've discovered that GLA offers the perfect amount. In traveling to architectural sights and hiking through the mountains, you could choose to appreciate and reflect on your surroundings internally or you could choose to express them externally, where a group of people could relay how they felt back to you and you could share in that with them. Being apart of this program has made me realize how much I like working with children, and how I want to incorporate that into my future. The same goes with traveling: once you're bit by the travel bug, there's no going back. Gla offers you an opportunity to discover what you're passionate about or, if you have that passion already, to further discover the best way to incorporate what you love into your future. I would definitely do this again.

My three weeks in Andahuaylillas (a little town about an hour south of Cusco) were easily among the most magical times of my life and is something that I will never forget as long as I live. Being in the Andes surrounded by all the culture and history of the land and people was extremely enlightening, it helped put more of a perspective on the size of the world. The massive mountains around you all the time and the best view of the night sky I have ever experienced in my life are extremely high up on my list of favorite things about going on this trip. The only thing that surpasses that is the people who went through it all with me. I met thirty-something of the most amazing people i could have ever hoped to meet, I consider these people to be some of my best and closest friends on the planet. One of the funniest times of my whole life was the series of days that we travelled to Machu Picchu. Each day was super awesome in a different way, from a multiple hour bus ride with a soak in some sweet hot springs at the end, to a scenic walk along railroad tracks next to the beautiful Urubamba river on our way to Aguas Calientes. I remember everyone walking around laughing and having a great time while we looked around all the markets that had things that you don't generally see in the USA. This trip was absolutely incredible and life changing in so many ways. I loved every second of my time in Peru and I would recommend this to everyone!

It's hard to put into words, or even cohesive thoughts, everything that I have gained from this experience, but I will do my best, as this is a review. Overall, the trip was an INCREDIBLE experience that I wouldn't have traded for anything else. It is hands down one of the best (if not the single best) things I have done in my life thus far, as it has opened my eyes to so many new cultures and perspectives. My trip began with a view of the most amazing sunset as we flew into Kilimanjaro airport, shortly followed by a delicious home-cooked meal (by candlelight) prepared by the wonderful Mamas! From there, my amazing experiences quickly multiplied, including shopping for fabric at a local market, dancing with a group of grandmothers on a coffee plantation, and hiking through the backyards of members of the Chaga tribe on Mount Kilimanjaro! However, my favorite excursion by far was the Safari Weekend. I have decided that Ngorongoro Crater is my new favorite place in the world--it is so serene and peaceful because the only people there are safari tourists and Maasai. The roof of the safari car raises up so we spent most of the ride standing on our seats, and when you're down there, all you can see is the open sky, rolling plains, and mountains on all sides. We saw zebras, elephants, lions, hippos, impala, and giraffes (to name a few)--some cars saw a lion cross the road right in front of them! Aside from the safari, I think my favorite part of the trip was getting to interact with all of the people I met. One of my favorite moments was when a student looked me in the eye and told me "I write better because of you", to which I replied "I am happier because of you"--I know, SUPER corny, but it's true! Another moment I loved was seeing the excitement on Mama Lucy's face when I told her that her daughter Glari had exceptional English for a six-year old (Glari had spent the evening sitting on my lap helping me play UNO). One of the absolute best moments from my trip was seeing how grateful Mama Hephzibah was when I gave her my sneakers on the last day (it's AMAZING what a single pair of shoes can do!). I was also blown away by how easily our host families accepted us into their homes, and I loved being able to sit in their living rooms and talk for hours about our cultures, dreams and aspirations. The first day I met him my host brother Patric was wearing a shirt with nearly every American logo patched on that you could imagine--he wants to come to America and be a DJ someday! In addition to the native people, I learned so much from my wonderful group members and mentors! It was amazing to hear everybody's stories, people came from all over the place! To name a few, there were six students from China, two Mormons from Utah, a girl from a Native American community in Minnesota, a nationally-ranked pageant-winner from Ohio and one of our mentors was an ex-opera singer on her fifth trip to Tanzania! Although I have tried, I cannot possibly fit everything I want to say into this review, so I will end it by saying that my parents originally said no when I asked to go on the trip (their concerns were cost and safety, neither of which ended up being a problem), but the other day my mom turned to me and said, "I am so glad that you convinced your father and I to let you go on this trip", and I can say with 100% certainty that I'll be forever grateful that I convinced them too!

I absolutely love this trip to India; it made this summer the best summer ever. The whole schedule was really well developed. It was very packed everyday but it didn't make me feel overwhelmed. The idea of leadership was being carried out all the time.

Every morning, we would go to our placement. I was worrying about whether there would be too many people doing one single thing; however, the mentors kept each placement under six people. I chose to be a sports camp, and my team had only six people. Everyone had to contribute something; no one could sit there and do nothing. Every night, our mentor would discuss about the lesson plan with us. The first few days, my team was a little bit unorganized, but we put a tons of effort into collaborating with each other. I learnt so much about team work through out this experience.

Lunch and dinner were always my favorite part of the day. Our mentor Elise put so much effort into the meals. Everyday, we would have one western meal and one Hindu meal. We built a strong connection between the kitchen guys; they really cared about what we eat and our favor. In free time, me and my dorm mates loved to visit them and watch them cook. They would teach us about different spices and how to make good chai.

In the afternoon, we would go explore Dharmasala. The local mentors dig deep into this town and let us experience the culture in numerous ways. We visited a philosopher, who mind-blowed me and is still in contact with me, Dalai Lama's temple, a local feminist, a animal shelter, a fair-trade business, a Tibet medicine factory. I would never have chances to go to these exotic places and meet those amazing people on a normal trip.

Overall, this trip is definitely a five-star trip. I definitely want to go back.

I truly wish there were words to adequately describe just how incredible my 3 week trip to Ghana was. It was without a doubt the best 21 days of my life. The experience will change students more than they could ever imagine and they will without a doubt never be the same.

My expectations going into the trip were extremely high, but they were more than surpassed. Everything about it was seemingly perfect - the service (teaching & building bricks), cultural activities, housing, food, and workshops. The relationships built are lifelong relationships- the mentors were insightful and more personable than I can describe and the bonds formed with them and especially with the other students are unique in the best way possible. Our group became a family very quickly and to this day they are still some of my greatest friends.

I cannot emphasize enough how highly I would recommend a GLA trip. The growth that takes place inside of every single person is unimaginable until one actually experiences it. Every high school student NEEDS this experience (although they might not realize it beforehand).

I went on this trip not having any clue as to what to expect. It was the first time this program (Spanish & Service in the Osa) had ever been done before. How could I have possibly known I was about to have the most incredible experience of my life? Everyone on the trip was lively on friendly, including the mentors. Their role may have been mentors but we were all enjoying the new and exciting scenery and adventures equally; as it was their first time seeing all of the things as well. The people in the town welcomed us with open arms and were very understanding of our developing spanish skills. Enjoying the culture of Rancho Quemado and eating the local cuisine was one of my favorite parts. Our time doing community service made me feel helpful and put me in touch with some of the needs of smaller communities. In addition to our everyday community service and tours to parts of the area, we took a weekend excursion that was amazing! We kayaked up a river, swam to our hike, hiked to multiple waterfalls, and then it began to rain making the experience a thousand times better. Being in the rainforest in Costa Rica, standing next to a waterfall while water pours down is what I consider a perfect moment.

GLA allowed me to have a rare life changing experience; the two weeks I spent in Costa Rica were the most amazing and genuinely unforgettable weeks I have ever had. My eyes were opened to another country and I was totally immersed in its culture and language. We actually got to know the locals as we helped rebuild their schools and reforest their land, forming real relationships with them. The service projects we participated in had remarkable effects on the community and feels so good to know that we had a positive impact. At the end of my program, one man spoke to a group of us and generously thanked us for everything we did; it was a heartwarming experience I will remember forever. I also formed strong friendships with all of the other teens who were in Costa Rica with me. In fact, we still talk almost every day. Within only a few days, it felt as if all of us had known each other for weeks. Without GLA, I never would have met such strong leaders who helped challenge me to develop my own leadership skills. Our mentors were also one of the highlights of the trip. We talked daily about how this experience affected our previous beliefs and we were given a great amount of instruction, advice, and guidance from our mentors.
From playing on the beaches to zip lining upside down through the rainforest to planting hundreds of trees, I learned myself as well as our planet while in Costa Rica and these experiences have affected my life in more ways than I ever though they could. I am so grateful I had this opportunity and wish I could relive the entire experience!

After going on three adventures with GLA (Guatemala, Galapagos and Costa Rica), I can say that if you’re looking for a physically challenging, rewarding and purposeful program, the Galapagos adventure is the one for you.

Galapagos was the most culturally immersive program and I got so much out of it. The local guide was very knowledgable, and I not only learned about the Galapagos Islands and their history, but also that of Ecuador as well.

At the home bases, I truly felt welcomed. Everyone always had a smile on his/her face, and it was a great start to every day. The food was amazing everywhere! We snorkeled at some pristine locations where nothing could’ve made my experience better; we were lucky enough to even see a sea turtle lay her eggs!

The service on this program was pretty tiring, yet so enjoyable that I was always motivated to keep going further than our goal. The best thing about the service was when the locals would join us and help out, demonstrating just how close a community these small islands are. When leaving the islands, I felt like I just came out of a dream. I couldn’t believe I was able to bike, kayak, hike and swim next to all of these exotic animals and gorgeous landscapes.

After the program, I definitely felt changed and more confident about myself. Many times I thought that I couldn’t handle something, but I was able to overcome my fears. I made many strong friendships with people around the world from this program, including the mentors, directors and locals, who were a big part of my experience and truly made it the adventure of a lifetime for me.