Program Reviews

I loved my time in the Bahamas, it was a lot of fun but also really educating.. you learn about the environment, the ocean but also a lot about life in general, and yourself too! You’ll find friends for life and you will experience a time you’ll never forget.. great diving, great staff, feels like family. Camp is pretty basic but when you’re there you realise that you don’t need more in life then what you’ll have there. Besides the diving there are many cool day trips for weekends but also a day off per week so you can explore on your own or just hang out and chill with new friends..

I've learned much more on this 6 week trip about myself and the world then I did in four years of higher education. This trip has showed me alot about myself and what really makes me happy. I am already planning my second trip because of how amazing this one was. This trip gave enough freedom to where I would feel comfortable traveling by myself, but the structure it did have made it less stressful for a first time traveler. The volunteer groups made me so excited to get out and try to help the community some more. The experiences and lessons from them are indescribable! I really can not see myself traveling without finding at least one volunteer program. really couldn't reccomend this trip enough! The sights and learning experience will be something you carry with you forever. If you do decide to come on this trip the biggest thing I could advise is to always say yes with a smile! Take risks and put yourself in positions you wouldnt normally put yourself in. Say yes to hikes even if you do not do it at home. Say yes to getting a little messy and learning a new task. You learn so much about yourself and what you really can do when putting yourself in those situations. If you dont you will miss out on some golden opportunities. The leaders are very helpful and amazing people. They will help make you feel as comfortable as you can in those new situations, so just know you are never alone. There are too many amazing memories to really pick one favorite. Some being all the laughs and experiences shared with the people I can now call some of my best friends. I think one memory that does stand out would building a house in just three days. To see what our group was capable of when working together and even the things I noticed about just myself were unexplainable. To finally hand it over to the family and see just how much this act had changed their lives. The feeling is something that could never be beat. Please to all who are thinking about doing this program say yes! Go for it and I promise you you will never forget it.

Had a great time with my instructor and met some interesting people, I believe the communication between Gapforce and my instructor could have been better and I did feel like I somewhat missed out on one aspect of my diving because not all parties were made aware of me already having my open water (which Gapforce was made aware) and being scheduled to get my open water as opposed to my advanced open water

I cannot recommend this program enough. I'm 19 years old and had never left the United States before this trip. This experience opened my mind to not only Thai culture, but culture from all around the world. In my program alone, we had people from America, England, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and Wales. These are people that I now call some of my best friends, and that now give me a place to stay in 5 countries in the world. That in itself is amazing when reflecting upon the experience. This trip gives you opportunities to step out of your comfort zone, emerge yourself in nature, and try hundreds of new things. I highly recommend this program for anyone who feels stuck in a rut, or just wants to get out there. Gapforce provides opportunities to travel spontaneously, but also with structure. Having leaders to make reservations for you, ensure safety, and be there for anything you need is extremely reassuring when in a new place. Pack light, turn your phone off, and make it happen. Its now or never (:

i was really freaked out to travel by myself (without my family or friends) but ive always wanted to and this trip was literally worth the two years of waitressing i did to save up for it. EVERY DAMN PENNY. so worth it! the lugging around backpacks is a bit naff but thats really about it.
The people i met were incredible and it was my favourite trip i have ever been on:)
You can party, you can sightsee, you can do both! its pretty laid back!
Thank you so much!

The Expedition Leader program has been one of the biggest highlights of my life. Trekking jungles in Costa Rica, hiking mountains in Wales and diving in Volcanoes of Nicaragua. It wasn't all fun and games. There were hardships and pressure to perform. All lessons were taught on a hands on basis and every aspect of your performance will be graded and reviewed. It was comprehensive but achievable with the right attitude.

I would like to praise the program for the in-depth interpersonal leadership skills and soft-skills. I believe this was the best skill to take back from the course as the program emphasized on the mental training of a leader which by far is the most important and transferable skill thought throughout the program.

However, I would like to mention that I would personally like the in-house training we've received to be certified on an international basis; cave rescue training, river rescue training and remote first aid.

With everything being said, the program has proved itself to be a 'Leader competent' type of training with the technical skills to compliment.

I stumbled across this course a month before the departure date. To sign up would require quitting my job, letting my house out and a few other boring real world problems, so after 3 days of trying to talk myself out of it I bit the bullet and booked my place.

I’m writing this review sat in my office - a beach in Thailand, or at least that’s today’s view. This is my first contract working with Gapforce having graduated the Expedition Leader Training Course and it’s reaffiriming my decision to do it every day.

If you have an adventurous spirit and fancy the idea of being paid to travel to exotic locations, inspiring like-minded people in the world of adventure travel and exercising invaluable skills in leadership, logistics and interpersonal relationships then this is for you.

The course itself is fantastic in every way. Even if you have no aspiration to be an expedition leader, as an experience and for the transferable leadership skills you learn that could be taken just as easily into the field as into any corporate environment, it is a worthy investment.

For any outdoors enthusiast with a penchant for travel, a thirst for adventure and a need for a challenge I cannot recommend this course highly enough!

I volunteered with Gapforce for 4 weeks over the summer of 2017. I had the most amazing experience and it had major impact on my life. It was definitely a minimalist lifestyle but nothing compares to waking up on the beach every day. The food was also pretty basic but I learned how to be creative in the kitchen and ended up making a lot of great memories cooking with friends. As for the diving, I learned so much from diving almost every day and the reefs were stunning. It's really cool to learn how to take surveys and contribute to necessary research on the reef health. The staff and other volunteers were all such amazing people and we all bonded over a shared passion for the environment and reefs. I learned so much from our marine scientist and gained new perspectives on environmentalism that impacted my career aspirations. I would not recommend this program if you are looking for a beach resort type of holiday. The conditions are very basic and that’s honestly part of what made the experience so great. I realized how few materials I really need in my life while also learning about the amazing reef ecosystem and how to protect it.

I always wanted to go to south Africa and the trip was better then i expected.
The country, the culture are beautifu! I never thought of going to Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique but they where totally worth the visit
And that we had the chance to go to two volunteerprogramms was wonderful.
All the hostels we went to where great and the people we met.
I will never forget my time in Africa.
I would recommend to everyone who is thinking about going.

Had an awesome time with some amazing people. White water rafting, Jeep Safari, Everest base camp and so much more. Loved it so much I had to stay for a few exra weeks afterwards! Colin and Fergus were fantastic leaders, always ready to answer questions, offer advice, and have a laugh. Highlight of the program was definitely summiting Kalla Pather to watch the sun rise over mount Everest.

From busy Kathmandu bars
to arctic trekking, this was a very varied trip that I'd recommend to everyone outdoorsy!