Program Reviews

I've put off writing this review for about six weeks now. I really don't like speaking badly about things, and I hate to put a damper on someone's dreamy fantasies of rainbows over sunsets and coconuts and palm trees. After all, that was me only five months ago. But I do feel an obligation to share the experience I had with Pacific Discovery this fall, and unfortunately that means I have to be critical; to do anything less would be a disservice to prospective students looking for an honest take on the program.
I am lucky to be a very well-traveled teen. My parents worked for an extremely renowned, global travel & exploration company for 20+ years, and as a result, I have a lot of experience with group settings, unfamiliar places, and adapting to the ebbs and flows of travel. Which is why I was startled to realize, even from the beginning of my semester, that PD lives up to none of the standards I've come to expect from this kind of program.
Students: It's not fair for me to speak ill of anyone on my program, so I'll just say this: almost all of my fellow students were in Hawaii for entirely the wrong reasons, and that quickly became a source of tension and negativity within the group.
Organization: Or should I say lack thereof...I can think of many an occasion on which hours of a day were wasted due to poor planning, failure to rally the group, or negligence to think ahead.
Structure: Days on end of intensely concentrated activity were followed by vast stretches of absolute nothingness. Not to mention that we crossed back and forth across the island many, many times (I know this was so that the groups didn't overlap, but it was nonetheless aggravating to waste away hours in the van). It made for a really frustrating and exhausting trip.
Itinerary: I know that right now, in the era of the coronavirus, travel plans are especially shifty. So I understand when things change, I do. Except that doesn't change the disappointment of having the key aspects of this trip canceled or vastly altered. Not a critique of the company, but to any maybe-students out there, do expect to not do the itinerary as written, and be prepared to not know where exactly you'll be camping until the day or two before.
Leadership: My instructors were lovely people, that is an objective and 110% true statement. For the most part, I did feel supported and cared for by them, but there were definitely a few times when I didn't, too. Maybe that's par for the course, but I do think my experience would have been better with stronger leadership that could deal more readily with difficult personalities. They let many things slip through the cracks, including rampant bullying and exclusion that affected me on a deep personal level. I got apologies and sympathies, but I never witnessed any true attempts to shut down malicious behavior. They also weren't the most experienced when it came to the great outdoors, which I think is quite important for leading any sort of outdoor-based program.
Overall, it wasn't a great experience, but it was a growth experience; I learned how to conduct myself on my own, since the group did very little for me. But I do think there are better ways to achieve that growth than to go through a largely negative experience like I did. If I had to name one redeeming quality of PD, it'd be the people. I got to interact with two staff members from HQ, both of whom were some of the kindest, most insightful, understanding people I have ever met. It makes me a little regretful to speak so negatively of a company with such great people at the helm, but alas.
Long story short, there are better programs out there for you.

I did have an incredible experience. The variety of places we went allowed me to experience and fully enjoy a vast amount of different environments from desert to snow and everything in between. The program has boosted my confidence by physically challenging me in ways I could not imagine before this trip such as rock climbing and mountain biking but I had such fun trying these activities that I now have more confidence to try new things in my everyday life. Additionally working with the group has helped me develop my teamwork and problem solving skills

This was an amazing experience because I was able to develop as a person so much more than I ever expected. I learned much more about myself and my values...as we learned more about the Hawaiian culture my perspective changed heavily from being in my own little bubble to opening my eyes to a whole new style of living and community.

Pacific Discovery bit off more than they could chew. They were ill-prepared for launching a new program during a world-wide pandemic. The concept of Discovery Campus was born only 2 months prior to start date, and it showed. Important infrastructure, like WiFi for online learning, was insufficient for the first 3 weeks of the program. Staff time and energy was spent attending to this problem, instead of focusing on program orientation and student transition to college life. One of the two group leaders was unavailable to the students upon their arrival as he was still in quarantine.

I was disappointed with the two group leaders for my daughter's Discovery Campus program. They lacked the maturity and responsibility required to run such a program. Communication was poor and inadequate. Questions were either answered insufficiently or not at all. They were ill-equipped to handle the various obstacles that they confronted. It's a big deal to send your child to live away from home for the first time, and I did not feel comfortable with the supervision and leadership provided.

Pacific Discovery Western US was a below average experience. The planning and coordination was incredibly poor; the second half of the trip was spent camping in below freezing weather in the rain and snow. It was incredibly dangerous, and we felt very uncomfortable, with very little concern from the instructions. In fact, while camping in the freezing cold, one of the instructors felt so uncomfortable that she slept on the bus instead of in her tent, leaving us to freeze all night by ourselves outside. Regarding the instructors, they were very immature and irresponsible, and when students felt unsafe or unhappy, they offered little to no input when issues were brought to their attention. Additionally, throughout the 70 days there were weeks in a row where we were doing non-stop activity, followed by weeks in a row where we had nothing planned but “relaxation days” and it became incredibly boring and unstimulating.

The trip was amazing because of the natural beauty that we explored like Arches National Park, Olympic National Park, Stanley - Idaho, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Montesano, Onalaska - Washington, San Juan Islands, Missoula and more. But the trip was so much more enjoyable because of the people including the instructors. I am not the most social person to have all these what were strangers be kind and accept me was really something that I will remember and take from this experience.

This trip has been an amazing experience. We started in Colorado, went through Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Oregon and now we are in California. We have done lots of activities from hiking to service work to whitewater rafting to mountain biking and to many more activities. All of those activities have been a total blast and I will miss doing these activities with a group of people. I have made some incredible memories and friends on this trip and I will remember this for the rest of my life. The trip was very enjoyable in general and I hope to do something like this again in the near future!!

Bear with me, I know this review is long but it is worth the read.

In theory, this trip really does seem lovely. You get to make new friends, see new places, have the safety net of a program with instructors to guide you. In reality, it is the absolute opposite. I went in the fall of 2019 on the Southeast Asia trip. I was BEYOND excited when I was preparing for the trip all the way through the 24 hours of flying. So beyond the price tag(12k+ could last you a whole year easily in Asia, most people don't understand how severely overpriced this trip was, even I didn't till I was there), what could be so wrong with this seemingly amazing trip?

The amount of freedom you get is virtually zero, you always have to have someone with you. It is not about not being allowed to drink or have sex, it is that you are constantly being watched, where you are, and what you are doing. As young adults, you will be treated like toddlers. The instructors that led my trip were incredibly unprepared, Pacific Discovery put two leaders together who had never led a trip. There was so much drama between everyone it was sickening, we had all graduated high school and some were in college yet some acted like petty middle schoolers, no action was taken against them. The time I enjoyed the most was when we were not doing anything in particular, and that was RARE. We barely got any free time whatsoever, you were not allowed to tap out of activities that went against what I was told when I signed up.

The elephants, that is what I was really looking forward to when I signed up, as a lot of people are. It is not what they advertised it to be, it is all volunteer work meaning scooping feces, cleaning their water bowls, etc etc. You do not get to bathe them or really hang out with them at all, the food is very good though I’ll give them that. This is just one example of the misleading information they put on their site.

Food, you would not think it to be such a huge issue on the trip but it was. For how much money you put into the trip, you got so little money for food I was always hungry. You were not allowed to use your own money in addition to the budget as it became “too complicated for them”. I was never able to even afford a drink with my meal, let alone enough to feed myself properly.
Now the big issue that sent me over the edge, being removed from the program only a month or so in. I was also not the only one, there were several others on my trip for various reasons. They mentioned constantly that they will support you if you struggle mentally, that it’s hard on everyone. That simply is not the case, they will just kick you off if they do not want to deal with you. In my case, I did struggle mentally during the program. It really is a lot to take in and to deal with. After getting in trouble for breaking a rule, which I signed a slip saying I would not do it again, I cried a lot. We had a few days in Vietnam free so I spent those days mostly in my room because yeah, I was really sad. Pacific told other parents and their kids that I had decided to leave which was so far from the truth it was almost comical. I reached out several times to either resolve this issue emotionally or financially after the trip and they did not respond for months, when they finally did respond they just said no, they wanted nothing to do with me as I was now just a liability as I apparently was before.

Overall, just do not go on this trip. You would have much better luck just going by yourself or finding another tour group.

Visiting Australia and New Zealand had always been on my bucket list, and I couldn't be happier that I got the opportunity to experience it with Pacific Discovery. You can tell how much meticulous planning they put into curating each program's itinerary and making sure that you'll see as much of Australia and New Zealand as possible in your 70 days there. On the program, you'll embody the traveler's spirit, always on the move and never staying in any one place for more than a couple of days. Looking back, the breadth and depth of activities you get to partake in on this program are amazing. From surfing on Australia's pristine beaches to taking in New Zealand's most famous glacier, your experience with PD will leave you with memories that last a lifetime.

I am really so grateful to Pacific Discovery for giving me the ideal start to my gap year. I can't think of a better way to have spent the last 3 months. I want everyone to be able to have the same life-changing experience I did, so I highly recommend Pacific Discovery if you are taking a gap year! You'll learn about sustainability, culture, and the unique environment on these islands, but more importantly, you'll learn so much about yourself. If you're like me and haven't made up your mind about what you want your future to look like, this program will help give you clarity on what truly drives you to be who you are.

Once again, thanks to PD for this incredible experience!!

I went on the NZ and Fiji program in July and it was amazing. It was super varied from relaxing on the beach in Fiji to going to hobbition in NZ. We also did scuba diving, rafting, kayaking, mountain biking, we even went to castaway island. It was only 4 weeks long and I wish it was longer! We had a smaller group which made the trip really feel like a family and for me, made the trip even better. I learnt so much about myself and think the others on the program did too. We really became so close in such a short time, i feel like I've known everyone for years. I recommend this trip to anyone that wants to see NZ and Fiji and travel with others the same age as you, you will make lifelong friends and memory’s you will never forget. I will never forget this trip.