Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) Reviews

Over the summer I traveled to Guatemala with the program children of the Maya. My experience was one of the best I have ever had! Between the Guatemalan children, amazing volunteers, and adventuring experiences, my trip was filled with fun. We hiked a mountain, learned to make chocolate, and created unbreakable bonds with each other. I suggest GLA to any teens who want to make a change in the world. This experience is worth every penny and will stay with you forever!

I spent a total of five weeks over the summer with Global Leadership Adventures, two of which were spent in Thailand on the Elephant Village Initiative trip. After weeks of comparing different programs and weighing the pros and cons, I decided that GLA was the right program for me, and I've never regretted it. Global Leadership Adventures not only made me feel safe and secure during the entire process, but the program really feels like a community. The facebook pages set up make it very easy to talk to people who have already done trips through GLA, and the support system does it's job incredibly. The mentors on this trip were amazing, and when we requested an activity they did their best to make sure it happened (which made the trip even more amazing). I would love to do another trip with GLA, and would recommend it to anybody.

I spent a total of five weeks abroad with Global Leadership Adventures, three of which were in India. After many pros & cons lists I decided that Global Leadership Adventures was the company for me, and I've never regretted it. Even while walking (more climbing) up and down the steep roads of the Himalayas, I still loved every minute of the trip, and felt as though it was totally worth it. The service opportunities to work with the kids in the local schools were amazing, and we got to spend a lot of time doing it. Saying goodbye to the kids I worked with was easily the hardest part of the trip and I hope to return to India some day.

GLA provided a wonderful support system while preparing to leave, and the mentors on the trip were amazing. I would definitely recommend Global Leadership Adventures to anyone who wanted to do service abroad while simultaneously learning about different cultures.

I returned from this trip 3 days ago, and I miss it so much! It was the most amazing experience, with the most amazing people, in the most amazing place! There was a perfect combination of adventure and relaxation. We snorkeled, kayaked, hiked, explored, and of course did community service. We also had plenty of free time to read, relax on the beach, and spend time together. Meanwhile, I always felt safe and secure. The food was great, especially the fresh fruit. The mentors and guides were friendly, informative, and all around awesome! The islands themselves are out of this world! You get face to face with the wildlife, and the landscape is amazing. The lodges we stayed at are run by local families, and they were perfect in helping us submerge ourselves with the culture. This trip was certainly out of my comfort zone, but it was worth it! I'm a different person now, and I would completely recommend the Galapagos trip, as well as any other GLA trip.

Your child will return a changed person--more responsible, more aware of the world, more eager to make a difference. But beware--he or she will want to do more GLA programs! Addressing concerns that parents have: This organization is well-run, the staff communicates well with parents, the programs are safe, there is true educational value in the experience, and it's worth the expense. Our son has completed 2 of the programs, and we've seen a real change in his confidence level, his interactions with others, his maturity. But he mostly thought that he was having the time of his life. He remains friends with kids from both programs, he's started volunteering in our community, and he's discovered that there's a whole world outside the (for him) misery of high school. I'd recommend these GLA programs to parents in a heart beat.

My daughter went on this trip in 2013 and had a wonderful time! She is still in touch with many of the kids and leaders in the group! She misses the people in Ghana every day and because of this experience she has decided to study abroad in Ghana. The accomodations were nice, no hot water but that is everywhere in Ghana. Side trips were also life changing experiences. She loved the food and spent a lot of time with the kids, which was her main purpose that she went on the trip. She went on with a different organization this summer to Fiji and had a horrible time so my advice is that you stay with this company. If you decide to go with a different company please ask about accomodations, how much they will need to walk/hike daily, foods, adult-supervision, etc.

Program Staff: some of the best people I have ever met, the staff are inspiring because they live their lives doing what makes them happy and traveling the world, they have experienced so many different cultures and have so much knowledge to share, they love to do the activities with the students but are also supportive as guides

Facilities: Ecoplaya is a private resort with a large pool connected to a smaller one and two hot tubs, leads right to the beach where it has its own ocean front, view of an island, palm trees and flowers everywhere, a large canopy covers the open dining area, there is a separate meeting house with foosball and ping pong, volleyball net, soccer field with goals, paths for morning runs

Fun: meeting local children and their families, painting, playing soccer and volleyball on the resort, swimming in the pool and ocean on the resort, seeing sunsets, shopping at local stores and markets, visiting a cultural festival in town, dancing lessons, white water tubing, horseback riding, zip-lining, cooking local meals, boat ride to an island, hike up the island to look back down on the resort

Safety: 5-Point Safety System, clean tap water, additional water provided at all times in lobby, 3 meals a day with snacks, mentors have phones that allow students to call home during trip if necessary, all students call upon arriving, each plane has a GLA mentor on it, students meet other mentors upon arrival, same GLA cars stay with program throughout the trip, mentors are present whenever someone is swimming or leaving resort, mentors keep passports during stay, safes in room, locked doors at night, helmets/protective gear for horseback riding/tubing/zip-lining

Last summer I traveled with GLA to Costa Rica and it was the most incredible experience of my life. I met so many inspiring people and I I strongly believe I can change the world. I felt so safe traveling with them, I was always around staff from the minuet I stepped on the plane until I got off. I would recommend this program to be the best for anyone interested in service travel.

GLA is a perfect organization for high school students who want to volunteer abroad. Everything is set up in a way that parents can be assured their child is safe while logistics and scheduling run smoothly in the program country. I heard only positive feedback from almost everybody in my group, and I know I will be referring people to GLA in the future. Global Leadership Adventures delivers an experience that matches all three aspects of GLA's name: participants are exposed to beautiful cultures and introduced to the concept of a global citizen, they are given plenty of opportunities to refine their leadership skills, and their taste for adventure is satisfied through a meaningful service project and powerful day trips. I have never seen so many earnest people together in one setting; returning home from such an amazing experience was difficult for all of us!

During my transformational service trip in the Dominican Republic, I experienced aspects of poverty that I have never seen before. Members of my volunteer group and I were told that we were going to be completing various tasks involving manual labor as part of several service projects that would help alleviate some of the symptoms of poverty seen in two villages and a Haitian Refugee camp in the Dominican Republic. I was introduced to many Dominican and Haitian children and was completely immersed into their culture. I made many new friends and felt that the impoverished communities that I had been working with provided me with the greatest gifts that I could ever ask for: awareness, empathy, and a drive to make a difference.