Program Reviews

I’ve always wanted to go Interrailing, and the Europe Tour with Gapforce has allowed me to experience multiple major cities without the stress of organising the trip myself, as well as to meet lovely people from all around the world. Our leaders, Andy and Will, were a great pair, and were both fun and professional. I always felt that they could be relied upon, and were on hand to help with any concerns or questions we had.
Our walking tours were very enjoyable, allowing us to see the main tourist attractions whilst also getting a feel for the city. We also had subsequent ‘free time’ which was very flexible, and ensured that we could personalise our itinerary a bit more. I have countless amazing memories, yet the spontaneous trip to see the lights of the Eiffel Tower will definitely be something that I remember for a long, long time!
Overall, I think that this trip is a fantastic travel opportunity, and I would highly recommend it.

I had such an amazing time on the Europe tour with Gapforce. I was looking forward to the trip for ages, and once it started it didn’t disappoint. I met such great people on the trip. Our group leaders were awesome. Will and Andy couldn’t have done a better job. They knew a lot about each city we traveled to, and lead great tours throughout the trip. I really enjoyed the itinerary- the leaders did a really nice job of letting us explore each city in small groups after a big group tour. Escape days throughout the trip were so fun, and it was nice to be able to make your own itinerary for the day! If you’re looking into a travel agency, I would 100% recommend Gapforce. The Gapforce team was so helpful when questions needed answers. The Europe tour with Will and Andy was by far the highlight of my summer!!

This trip was so fun! It was perfect for someone like me who really wanted to travel to Europe but wasn’t comfortable traveling by myself. I got to experience so many different cultures, see beautiful places, learn about so much history and meet so many amazing people that I will continue to keep In touch with. Our leaders Andy and Will were amazing and did a great job keeping everything running smoothly and making sure that everyone was always having a good time and felt comfortable and safe. They knew so much about each place we went to and did there best to make sure we got to do everything we wanted to do. If we had any suggestions or ideas on what to do for escape days, they would gladly help us research museums, tours, etc. I would 100% recommend this trip to anyone looking to travel around Europe!

The South East Asia trip is a perfect way of exploring Asia with a group of like-minded people. It's a great all round trip that allows you to explore the beautiful beaches of Koh Tao to the vibrant city in Bangkok. It gives you a great opportunity to make lifelong friends from around the world and helps you explore aspects of yourself you didn't know you had.

It's a unique experience that would be hard to replicate if you travel by yourself. The volunteering programs are very good and I especially loved the house building in Cambodia. The highlight of this experience was the house building ceremony as we felt very honored to take part in. The hostels have also been a great way to meet new people and make great friends along the way. The hostels are very sociable and always clean and comfortable.

The Southeast Asia trip with Gapforce was the best 2 months of my life. I’ve done things I never thought I would, such as swim with Reef sharks, building a house for a family and looking after an elephant for a week. I couldn’t recommend this trip enough. Although it’s an organized trip, you still have a lot of independence and the free days allow you to explore other areas of each place. I wouldn’t have known where to go in each country but with the trip, you go to all the main places and do the best activities on offer.

I loved meeting new people at the hostels, which were always really clean and nice as well as very sociable. I’ve made friends for life and now when I next go traveling I’ve got a group of people to go with. It was an amazing experience and worth the money.

I loved my time with Gapforce in Nepal and India! I felt safe from the very beginning in Kathmandu. I arrived early, and my leaders made sure that I felt safe in a new city and were on top of communication. From that point on, it was very easy meeting the rest of the group and mingling. I would have like to have had a few icebreakers to help remember names, as we were sort of left to our own devices the first few hours, but otherwise it was fine.

In addition, I would have appreciated better and quicker communication from Gapforce prior to the trip. I had a lot of questions before departing, and waited three weeks before hearing anything back. My final comment would be more transparency with the budget and allowing participants to know exactly where their money is going.

In Mumbai especially, our group would have preferred a longer travel day to stay in a hostel in south Mumbai rather than where we ended up staying. For Nepal, doing the volunteering at the monastery would have been much more beneficial for us and the students if they had actually been studying at the time. We were left to play soccer and fill our time without really doing anything. However, despite these comments, the trip overall was incredible! Callum and Alfie were amazing leaders who made sure we always felt safe. Yay Gapforce!

this trip was one of the best experiences in my life! I was really scared before leaving but as soon as I got to Kathmandu and I was with the whole group I calmed down. Everyone was so open and friendly and we became really close really fast, especially during the trek since we saw each others' best and worst moments. Our expedition leaders, Callum and Alfie, were incredible. They were professional but were still able to enjoy and have fun with rest of us. When things went wrong, they were always prepared and knew what to do.

I enjoyed every single part of the trip so much. The first two weeks in Nepal were fun and we got to do things many people had never done before like Rafting and paragliding. The second part of Nepal was the trek. That was extremely challenging for me and there were more than a few times that I wanted to give up but in the end we all got to Base Camp. Looking back, the trek was probably my favorite part of the trip. India went by so fast, because we would go from one place to another so fast. We had a good mixture of sighting and free time to do whatever we wanted or just chill out and get away from the heat.
Overall I had an amazing time and I would highly recommend this trip for everyone willing to go out of their comfort zones and open up to new and incredible opportunities.

Few other trips will enable you to experience such a breadth and array of cultures, sights and experiences as this one, allowing me to safely recommend this trip to anyone interested in visiting these two amazing countries; as you'll truly experience these places for greater value and detail than if you were travelling alone. Outstanding and professional expedition leaders, as well an extremely thorough and packed itinerary mean there is constantly activities, sights and experiences to be had, both adventurous and cultural. Whilst, true, this trip isn't for the faint hearted, and some degree of fitness and robustness is required, don't be put off. The group, guides and leaders all mean there is always support and always help should you need it, allowing you to form some great friendships along the way.

Throughout the entire expedition the group has been thoroughly supported, both guides are great, both are friendly, engaging but provide a safety net if need be. Both have become close friends of mine. Although there is a large amount of travelling throughout the exped, especially India, it is thoroughly worth the long travel days, with plenty of sites visited in the 4 weeks that you have in India.
Nepal is certainly a different experience with a major difference between the areas that you visit Nepal, its showed me that I definitely want to go back. Everest Base Camp trek takes up the majority of the memories and time in Nepal, with some people saying that it 'made the group' which allows everyone to bond over the hardship and create a tighter group. Overall the entire 8 weeks is brilliant for anyone looking to explore these two spectacular countries.

I had a great time on South America Explore 2019! I felt safe and supported everywhere we went thanks to the tireless efforts of our guide, Sara. This is the perfect program for someone who wants to travel but doesn’t want to go alone, or have the stress of planning it. I had no friends to come with and didn’t even know where to begin; 2 months later I can say that I’ve made friends that will last a lifetime and I loved not having to worry about where I was going, how I was getting there, or what I was doing since it was all pre-planned. From the coblestoned streets of Cusco to the blue waters of the Galapagos it’s been an amazing journey. The spanish school and nightlife of Cusco made it one of my favorite cities, Mancora was the perfect relaxation stop after the tiring but incredible Machu Picchu trek, Baños is a thrillseeker’s paradise with parasailing, white water rafting, bungee jumping and more, the jungle, animals, and people in Yanacocha/Tamadua made it a dream to volunteer there, visiting the Equator and markets in Quito was incredible, and the Galapagos is the perfect stop to the trip.