Program Reviews

This is by far the best decision I have made as a young adult! This program allowed me to meet others similar to me and make memories I will never forget. While it was challanging at times, for me more in a social aspect than physically, I enjoyed every part of the adventure especially interacting with people from such a diverse culture. I have made bonds with people from the country that I hope to maintain and built friendships with nepali volunteers I wish to visit In the future again :) Daisy

I took part in the Borneo expedition with Raleigh International in 2011 and it was an incredible experience. I knew I wanted to travel on my gap year, but didn't have the courage to go completely by myself. The pre expedition weekend was an excellent way to meet people and who I planned further travel with around South East Asia after the expedition.

I learnt so much about myself while on expedition. I feel like my attitude to travel, different cultures and my overall personality changed for the better. Since coming home from the expedition, I think having working with Raleigh on my CV helped me stand out from other candidates when applying for jobs and further education. I am now a teacher and I remember my interview for my teacher training course being mostly talking about my experiences from my Raleigh expedition.

Now I am a teacher, I am lucky enough to be the Outdoor Coordinator for my school and every couple of years I run expeditions for my students, so I essentially get paid to travel to amazing destinations! Last year I took the students to Tanzania. It is an amazing country with very friendly people. The wildlife is incredible, especially on Safari and would really recommend it!

The experience that you get on an expedition is nothing like going to a similar location on holiday. You are fully immersed into the culture and you get to learn and see so much. I cannot recommend an expedition with Raleigh International enough!

This is an amazing opportunity to get into the heart of the poorer parts of Nepal and support the victims of the 2015 Earthquake as they re-build their communities. You are able to live and work in remote mountain villages educating, improving water supply and sanitation and experiencing the warmth and friendliness of the Nepalese people. You will be part of a young and enthusiastic team with shared goals as they spend 3 week phases in the villages around the Gorkha region, a couple of hours or so drive from the capital, Kathmandu. in addition to the local support you will also have the opportunity to trek through the Ruby Valley experiencing some of the most majestic mountain views in the world sharing your time with new friends. Your group will be led by your peers and you will sleep in local tea houses and community buildings in the remote mountain villages, many of which have no road access.
It will be a life changing experience and the opportunity to experience this style of adventure is unique. Support Raleigh and the Nepali people, you won't be disappointed.

For me personally, signing up as a Volunteer Project Manager was one of the best things I’ve done. After taking early retirement, I was looking for a new purpose in life and my Raleigh experience provided that.
As a Volunteer Project Manager on the Spring 2018 expedition I worked with teams of volunteers to help construct a handwashing station and renovate an outdated toilet block at a village primary school and, in another village, to help establish a tree nursery working with a Tanzanian forestry conservation partner. Throughout the expedition I worked with some amazing and inspiring people – Raleigh staff; other Volunteer Managers from very different backgrounds; local partners; Tanzanian families we lived with and the volunteers themselves. It gave me a real buzz to see many of the volunteers grow as the programme progressed; from uncertain, often homesick teenagers to confident young adults. It was also brilliant to get to see and experience ‘real’ Africa – way off the tourist trails, in very rural villages, living with local families, knowing I was helping to make a real difference.
Mind you, being a Volunteer Project Manager is no picnic. It was often hard and uncomfortable. It’s a long time since I’d shared a small room with other people and I’d never before gone for any great length of time without a sit-down flushing toilet, running water and electricity. That said, all project homestays used by Raleigh are vetted and, although basic, they were clean and safe. Working in close proximity with such a diversity of different people could also be challenging at times. Some of the volunteers had personal issues or issues with each other that needed handling sensitively. But it’s not supposed to be easy - it’s challenging and that makes the experience all the richer and more rewarding.
And Raleigh stays with you – there is a strong legacy. The experience, particularly overcoming challenges on expedition, has made me more adaptable and confident. I’m still in touch with people on my expedition and even now I often think of some of the amazing places I visited, people I met and things we did. I’ve also become a more active citizen, getting more involved with my local community and various causes. I’m still in touch with Raleigh; helping out at information events in my area and I’ve been accepted as a Volunteer Project Manager again and hope to go on another expedition next year.
My advice? Just do it – you won’t regret it but you might regret letting the opportunity go.

I had such an incredible time on Raleigh. I met people I didn’t think I’d ever meet and did things I never thought I’d get the chance to do! Honestly, couldn’t recommend enough! Working in an NRM project was so beautiful and trekking across Costa Rica was challenging but so rewarding! Working with indigenous communities was so eye opening and I’m so grateful to have had the chance to go there. I have made incredible friends that I will keep in touch with for the rest of my life and I really hope that many more people will get to have the experience that I have had! The support and learning you receive throughout your Raleigh experience is invaluable. I feel I have developed so many different hard and soft skills, few of which I would ever have had the chance to develop had it not been for Raleigh. Thank you all so much!

I went out in 2017 January to volunteer with young people and develop their leadership skills as well as try working in a different environment to that which i am used to. I learned lots about the Nepali culture, cuisine, language and way of life. Living in a rural community for 6 weeks and trekking through the Ruby valley for 3 weeks are among the best experiences of my life.

In the community we worked alongside qualified masons and trainee masons to build earthquake resistant homes for the community. Who received the homes was decided within the community. I was lucky enough to develop a positive relationship with one of the recipients of a home. She and her family were also involved in the building and learning how to build an earthquake resistant home. Hopefully they will take this knowledge and the skills forward and help others build their own homes built to resist destruction from an earthquake.

Seeing the young people develop over the 3 months was wonderful too. Some arrived shy and under confident and as they left they had gained positive skills enabling them to find employment or increase their social circles. This could be anyone with the support Raleigh offers to all the volunteers.

I first heard about Raleigh International through school and as soon as I decided to take a gap year following school, I knew I wanted to embark on a Raleigh expedition. It was the best decision I have ever made!
Spending 10 weeks in Costa Rica and Nicaragua with Raleigh allowed me to experience new cultures, learn valuable communication, problem solving and organisational skills and meet a whole host of people I would never otherwise have met. To say that I was taken out of my comfort zone during my expedition would be an understatement- a Raleigh expedition will completely propel you from your comfort zone!!! From reinforcing paths and fixing bridges in the heart of a national park to making dream comes true for the local people with the addition of a gravity water system to hiking across breathtaking landscapes, every day on Raleigh is different. Some days will be harder than others and everyone will likely be affected by illness and feeling home sick at some point but the support and safety in place mean that sooner rather than later you will be feeling elated and in awe of the experience you are living! The projects take venturers and volunteer managers off the beaten track and allow you to experience parts of the country you would never be able to experience if you were travelling on your own or with a tour company. In addition the projects present the unique opportunity to live and work alongside local people to contribute towards the UN sustainable development goals.
I had always been very shy and reserved at school and I lacked a significant amount of self confidence but following my Raleigh expedition I arrived home a completely changed person (for the better!). Although vastly different it equipped me with so many of the skills I needed to completely my pharmacy degree and go on to begin my career as a pharmacist and I’m sure the same would be true regardless of the sector that you go on to work in. I guarantee you will absolutely not regret choosing Raleigh International.

This experience for me came when I needed it the most. The experience in leadership and team work that I gained on expedition I could take with me back into my day to day life.
The friendships I built through out this trip were life changing everyone had a different impact teaching me something new and helping me develop as a person. I felt safe though out and all of the instructors where amazing. The amount of effort put in to make sure we were safe and enjoying are experiene was above and beyond what I expected. I pushed my self mentally and physically at times especially during trek. However your group was always there to support you though the tough days and where there to celebrate the wins. Would definitely recommend Raleigh international (I want to do it all again)

Undertaking a 7 week expedition with Raleigh to Costa Rica and Nicaragua was the best thing I could have done with my year out. It not only gave me the chance to give back in some way and create lasting positive change, but also took me on a journey of personal development.

I lived and worked alongside the community of Los Llanitos in Nicaragua, to help them create a 7 km gravity-fed water system. Being fully immersed in the life of a rural Nicaraguan community was one of the best parts of my expedition, allowing me to build friendships and learn about a completed new culture, diversifying my knowledge and improving my Spanish to no end!
Although one of the most challenging experiences of my life to-date - expedition helped me develop a new confidence and willingness to challenge myself and others everywhere I go. I would recommend Raleigh expedition to anyone.

I'm not sure I really knew what I was letting myself into when I signed up for a Raleigh Expedition. However, what I can say is that I definitely didn't expect the most memorable experience of my life so far. I contributed to something genuinely meaningful - whilst part of an incredible, internationally diverse team of other young people. Not only that, it felt adventurous, fun and it created a change within me - it made me who I am today. Costa Rica and Nicaragua were incredible countries to visit. Seeing the issues they face with my own eyes, and working collaboratively alongside volunteers from those countries really opened my mind to what you can achieve together. Nothing is impossible. I can't recommend this programme highly enough. If you do it, I think it's likely it will be a turning point in your life, just as it was in mine.