Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) Reviews

I had never traveled outside of the United States prior to going to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with Global Leadership Adventures. The experience was great! GLA really takes care of its students before going to the country and once you are there. It opened my eyes to a whole new world of nature and sustainability I had not seen before. The meals were great and able to accommodate any dietary needs. You are not only able to do community service but also travel around the islands and experience the true natural beauty of some of the most pristine islands left on the planet. Sign up today!

The GLA China program was fantastic. The tuition is a bit pricey, but the multitude of activities every day makes up for that.
The language classes were fun and effective; allowing me to communicate with others who speak Mandarin.
The service projects were enjoyable and rewarding as well, especially those in which we taught English and visited orphanages.
The staff is very knowledgeable and open to teach and explain.
They also go the extra mile to make sure you are comfortable and have food that you will enjoy eating.
Through the GLA China program, I made many friends that I still keep in touch with. I would definitely recommend Global Leadership Adventures!

This program is more than just a trip to help those in need, its a program to help yourself. Going to Tanzania taught me so much about myself and about the world we live in...I wouldn't change it for the world. I definitely recommend this program, I swear you won't regret it! It's not only eye-opening, its also pretty fun and you get to make friends that'll probably last a life-time...I still keep in touch with my group and we're all pretty close. You will return home with a whole new perspective. :)

Last summer, I went on Global Leadership Adventures's Beach Side service trip to Costa Rica. During the week days, we went to a local primary school and worked with the kids, giving them English lessons. We developed the lessons we were going to teach the nights before going to the school in small groups with adult mentors. I felt like we were really doing something in the community that was around us. DUring the weekends, we had fun (Not like everything else wasn't fun). We went on a trail ride through the forest, ziplining, and other fun things. It was a really great experience. I was the first abroad community service trip i have doe, ad i would recommend it to people who haven't done something like this yet.

GLA Galapagos is literally the best thing I've ever done. The community service is so great--probably my favorite part of the trip. It's such an incredible feeling to accomplish so much with just your hands. Most of the work we did was removing invasive plant species such as blackberry and elephant grass from a mountaintop to restore it's native state and ability to sustain wildlife. The family we were helping out was so inspiring as well--their work is actually so innovative and progressive that they've now been recognized and supported by the national park! Of course, after a long morning of work, the beach hopping, horseback riding, kayaking and more make the trip pretty great too. The price is pretty high but don't be turned away by it! I raised all the money for tuition and airfare--it's possible and SO worthwhile! Sign up today!

I loved everything about this trip. The best part was working with the kids and how much they loved that we were there. I also loved the weekend trips we did, so they we were doing things for the community but also looking around the beautiful country. I must say that I had the best 17th birthday day; I zip lined, rid a horse for the first time, inner tubed, but more importantly was making an impact on these kids.

During my 8 day trip to Costa Rica with Global Leadership Adventures, I learned so much about their culture and so much more about myself. During our days of service, we would wake up at about 7 a.m. to get ready, eat breakfast, and arrive at the local school by 8:30. We broke up the kids into three smaller groups, and each of my friends would be assigned to a group (normally about three of us with 10 of the kids). We spent a couple hours with them playing sports, teaching them basic English, and doing arts and crafts activities. Then, they would return home and we would continue to paint two of their classrooms. We really impacted the lives of those amazing children, and the service was so rewarding once we saw the finished rooms and how much the kids learned. We were always safe and taken care of thanks to Daniel, the absolutely amazing local director who shared so much of his knowledge with us. He planned our unbelievable excursions and the fun events for us to take part in, such as tubing down a flowing river and zip-lining through the rainforest. Jenna, our mentor, definitely taught us how to reflect on our feelings and learn how to communicate well with one another too. The food was made up of beans and rice at every meal, along with some other local dishes and snacks. We shared rooms with 1-2 other people that were very small, but we didn’t spend much time in them unless we were asleep anyways. The bathrooms were downstairs and we couldn’t flush our toilet paper due to the system, so we threw it out. The showers had inconsistent hot water, meaning it would change temperature in the blink of an eye depending on how many other people were showing at once. It didn’t really matter the water temperature though, as it was always around 90 degrees fahrenheit during the day so anything felt nice. I really took away lasting friendships and bonds with my friends, along with the amazing memories of working with the school children and our adventures in the city.

I went to Guatemala last summer on the 10-day program and it was one of the best experiences of my life. My group participated in so many interesting activities! I loved learning about the Mayan culture, visiting the markets, experiencing a traditional mayan wedding, interacting with a shaman, and so much more! The community service aspect of it all was so amazing as well. My group repainted an elementary school and everyone there, from the children to the teachers, were so welcoming. It was a very satisfying experience all in all. I would definitely recommend it!

Last summer I had the opportunity to go to Costa Rica with GLA and it was a life changing experience! I absolutely loved it, everyone on the trip shares a common interest of volunteering and helping and the staff members are so nice and helpful! The home base is beautiful and everyones time is spent productively! While I was there we taught school children how to speak English as well as spending time cleaning up beaches. I would recommend this trip to anyone! It is the perfect way to travel and see the country as well as help and make a difference and meet people from all over the world!

Global Leadership Adventures has been an amazing program that has changed my life. I have been on two different trips, each one returning with a new perspective. GLA Peru not only opened my eyes to the struggles of the people, but helped me connect to my home environment by recycling and thought provoking decisions. Through eye-opening community service work and intense hiking adventures I was able to learn how strong I truly am. By pushing myself to work harder, or do something I was not totally comfortable with, like carrying materials up mountains to help build greenhouses I found my true strengths.