Program Reviews

It was a great experience to be able to travel around for 2 and a half months. I tried many new things. I bungee jumped, went canyoning, ate guinea pig, swam in the Amazon, swam with sea horses and sharks in Galapagos, and some of us put hot peppers in our eye. One of my favorite things we did was boating around the Amazon. We saw many creatures such as toucans, macaws, pink dolphins, capybaras, anacondas, black cayman, and tarantulas. It fun to get to know a group of 14 people over the two and a half months.

I had an amazing time on my Pacific Discovery trip with my leaders John Dewald and Erin Good! I have never traveled solo, or been to South America, and this program was the perfect bridge for me to learn how to travel safely while making the most of my experience and opportunities. Additionally, I learned a lot about myself through both experiences I had on the trip, and “core sessions,” where we sat down as a group and reflected on things like personal values and navigating cultural differences. Altogether, this was an unforgettable experience with amazing people in amazing places!

This experience was truly such an eye opener. Coming from a small town where I knew everyone, I gained social and communication skills that have already impacted my life since coming home. It gave me a new perspective of the world and its people. I loved learning about cultures I knew nothing about and I loved that I got to learn by experiencing. This was a great introduction to international travel because I felt very safe while also feeling independent. I feel more confident in my abilities from cooking to conflict. It truly taught me things I’d never thought I needed to learn.

I recommend this program to anyone interested in improving their Spanish, becoming a stronger hiker, or making new friends. Our instructors were amazing! Always supportive and fun... When I look back on my time in Peru and Ecuador, there are memorable moments from every single day: playing with my host family’s daughter in Ecuador, going bungee jumping, seeing tons of sharks in the Galapagos, hiking the Inca Trail! My time on program inspired me to keep trying new things every day, even now that I’m home. Beyond scheduled activities, there are other ways to make the most of the trip; I loved taking photos, going on runs, and playing soccer.

Im very glad to have chosen this experience for the fall of my gap year. I traveled with some very cool people all similar to me and always fun to be around I’ll keep in touch with these guys forever. Thanks to pacific discovery I was able to travel to the other side of the world safely and for quite a long time. I never thought id be camping in the mountains of New Zealand but it’s one of the highlights of my life for sure definitely pushed my boundaries at times but well worth it. Overall from surfing in Australia to completing some of the most challenging hikes in New Zealand this trip was one of the best parts of my life and I definitely recommend for nature lovers and travelers.

Everybody was awesome and the instructors were great. I had so much fun with all the people would definitely recover. To start off the activities that we did were great. The guides and the people we met were always very respectful and knowledgeable. Next, the people on the program were very welcoming and we had a lot of fun together. From the minute I met my group I knew it would be great. The instructors were always around to help if we needed it and both seemed up for anything. Overall 10/10 program!

This program is great for students looking to practice Spanish and fully dive into the culture in South America. So many once in a life time experiences like hiking to Machu Picchu, going through a home stay, and living in the Amazon for a week! Tried so many different foods and learned how to adapt to the cultural norms that change depending where you are. You will gain a lot of new perspectives through the service work you have the opportunity to do! Whether that’s volunteering at schools or helping plant trees, everything teaches you a lesson!

What stood out to me about PD was that they really are committed to helping you internally. I signed up to this looking for cool experiences rooted in exploration and I got that along with so many more valuable things from core sessions, my group and my amazing amazing instructors. In a new group you get to meet yourself and a bunch of new people who chose this experience for themselves just like you; that’s a bond that you never anticipated but now can’t live without. It’s an amazing feeling to feel like you’ve changed for the better and to watch members of your group do the same. I think I expected to remain cordial with the group, however being with people every second of a six week program unlocks dynamics you haven’t really experienced - positive or negative; the positive ones are the ones you want to keep forever. The things you see in exploration change you fundamentally - especially in places as spiritual as Hawaii.

What a trip! There aren’t many words that can do it justice to be completely honest. It’s really hard to sum my experience up in a short review but i’ll try my best! Overall I have absolutely no regret or doubt that this was the right decision for me this gap year. It grew me a lot as a person, it pushed me out of my comfort zone socially, culturally, and in the travel sense. I have a lot more knowledge in traveling now and the experience of ethical traveling! I have also gained new perspectives on travel and how you can seriously make a positive difference where you travel and give back to the local community who are essentially hosting you during your travels. I have also grown in my ability to make connections with people who I don’t know at all, in my group but also outside the group in hostels! I think going into the program I had a lot of questions and wonderings about just how each day is structured so I think that would be helpful to touch on. Every day is uniquely different but we still do have routine! Breakfasts in the morning together, getting ready for activities and pilling into our van all together to head to our activity, then of course our family dinners together and evening meetings and catch ups. I can confidently say I was never bored, we were always on the go experiencing amazing activities and opportunities 24/7. I also think it would be helpful for prospective students to know that we all share rooms together co-ed and the rooms switch at every accommodation. So be ready to be a little uncomfortable with sharing spaces. I was a little wary of sharing rooms but honestly it connected us and brought us closer so much faster then expected. Another thing is free time! I didn’t know if I would have any time to myself and while it is scarce, you can absolutely have enough time to yourself. What I learned was you need to advocate for yourself and if you want alone time maybe get up earlier in the mornings and take a walk or sit outside and call home or read and sit! You have to be the one to take the time for yourself so just know it’s totally possible to have alone time, just make it happen! One last thing to touch on is the accommodations. Be prepared to stay in some really amazing and unique places but also some places outside of your comfort zone that might not have all the amenities you are used to, like AC haha. Overall I would never take back my decision to join a Pacific Discovery trip. It was truly very growing and such a cool opportunity it’s insane how many cool things you get to do. Also shoutout to my absolutely amazing instructors Jack Craft and Destiny Rever, two beautiful people with hearts full of love for travel and sharing that. Thankyou PD!

I was so nervous about meeting everyone in person, I thought how was I going to connect with them, what would I say, and what if they don't like me. These thoughts plagued my mind for the first week and as time went on I learned that it's okay to be myself even if it's something I don't think other people would connect with or understand. After my trip was done I thought about all of the times I had where I got in the way of myself having a great experience and how if I could I would tell my past self that it's okay to make mistakes and that it's okay to be yourself.