Program Reviews

The Australia adventure was the first trip with Gapforce that I have done and I would highly recommend it. There was only a small group of us (11) including our leader Joe who made this experience even better. I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing group of people to spend the 7 weeks with. I learnt a lot about the Australian culture along the way as well as involving myself in many activities at the different locations visited.

We started in Sydney and although the weather was a bit miserable, we all got to know one another while visiting the harbour bridge and opera house on our harbour cruise tour and after visiting the blue mountains. One of my favourite locations we visited was Byron Bay. This was where we kayaked in the ocean and got to see dolphins and whales which swam right underneath us. Such a breathtaking experience and definitely once in a life time.

Many other activities which were included was the Australia zoo. We got to stroke koalas and crouch right next to kangaroos and also feed them. Later on in the trip we spent 3 days on Fraser Island. We travelled around in 4x4’s and camped out right next to the beach where we could get up to see the sunrise.

Additionally, we spent 1 night on a sailing boat on Whitsundays. This experience is something that drew me to the trip originally when i signed up and I was not disappointed. Our leader Joe, was always organised as to where we were going next, where we were staying and made sure our trip ran as smoothly as possible.

When we arrived in Cairns we spent 3 weeks here which is also where we said our goodbyes to the few people who only signed up for the 4 weeks. The rest of us spent the time volunteering for the Cairns council, mainly gardening and helping within the wetlands and botanical gardens. It was very rewarding knowing you were helping the community and especially as the leaders from the council were lovely people themselves.

Within Cairns, our leader Joe found out about different activities we could do whilst we were here as 3 weeks can go slow if we weren’t doing a lot but it flew by. Joe told us about how we could do our Open Water diving course which allows you to dive to 18m when qualified. He organised everything for us and all we had to do was the payment and getting outside our hostel for the bus to pick us up. It was the best thing I could have done while I was there! Not only did I learn to dive but I did it on the Great Barrier Reef where we saw turtles, reef sharks, stingrays along the way.

Joe gave us enough space and freedom for the group to get out of the trip what they wanted and enjoy the trip as much as they could, but enough structure when we needed it and asked for it for us to feel comfortable ‘alone’ on the other side of the world.

I’d highly recommend this trip to anyone looking to get away from home to travel but not wanting to do it alone as you get to meet some amazing new people, and I can easily say I’ve got friends for life who I will keep in contact with. The memories I have will last forever and I can’t wait to share it with my family.

This program was an extremely fulfilling experience, in which I was able to learn about a different culture, enjoy exciting activities, and make a large group of friends. There were ups and downs, as there is with any trip, but the positives that the trip provided far outweighed the negatives that I personally experienced. The only thing that I wish was different was that we spent some time in the jungle as was advertised on the website. Despite this, there was still a good variety in terms of what we did; we visited cultural landmarks, participated in high energy activities, and also had time to relax. There is something for everyone. Overall, I believe my 4 weeks away was a character-building life experience, and I would recommend this program to others who are unsure, or lack the confidence to travel independently for the first time.

The Thailand Adventure with Gapforce was my first time out of Europe, as well as my first trip ‘on my own’ - and it was fantastic.
Although I wasn’t sure what to expect, I really appreciated the flexibility of the trip - the leaders would ask us if there were any particular activities that we were interested in or perhaps wanted them to look into, and we had plenty of free time to explore and see things that we wished to if we were unable to as a group.
Both expedition leaders, Laszlo and Terence, were very knowledgable, and able to offer reassurance, as well as assistance, whenever queries arose, especially medical ones. They were friendly and fun, making the trip feel more like a holiday with friends, whilst were also professional enough that I felt as though I could still come to them with any concerns. Occasionally, on nights out, I felt as though the leaders were less available which, though understandable, was sometimes a worry, but the size (17) and friendliness of the group meant that I never felt on my own, and both leaders were extremely conscientious regarding the safety of organised activities.
Throughout the trip, I was surrounded by an amazing group of people, and I made friends I would love to visit and meet up with again for further adventures. This trip really has ‘broadened my horizons,’ and I’ve come away with a greater desire to try more things, and ideas for hobbies/sports to take up during the rest of my Gap Year - one of my favourite memories has to be cycling around rice paddies in Chiang Mai, and I was reminded how much I enjoyed cycling (though the setting certainly won’t be the same!)
The amount we had to spend on taxis and travel at the beginning of the trip in Bangkok worried me a bit money-wise as we did a lot of moving around, and, although I was not particularly concerned when plans changed as I knew it to be a possibility, it was a shame when activities on the itinerary for our particular trip were missed out, such as a ‘sunrise hot air balloon.’ However, we did participate in other activities that were very enjoyable, with white water rafting definitely being one of the trip’s highlights for me.
Thailand was wonderful, and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to experience it. I’ve come away from this trip with great memories, and feel much more independent, in general as well as as a traveller - I hope to do more in the future.
Thank you very much for the amazing adventure!

My favourite memory is paragliding in Nepal, it is something that I never thought I could do and I was really proud of myself afterwards!
I really enjoyed the EBC Trek a lot more than I thought I would. I have never done hiking like that before but after doing that I would definitely like to do more. Also I thought Narayan was a great leader and would highly recommended Gapforce to use him in the future! He was very knowledgable and mixed well with the group.
I would recommend to future participants to not pack too many winter clothes for the trek as they take up a lot of room in the backpacks and you end up wearing the same items quite a lot!
I feel after this trip I can say that I have gained a lot more confidence! I was really nervous about the trip but India is always a place that I wanted to experience and I am so glad that i decided to do it. I liked the fact that I was on my own but was also in a group.

I got to know a lot about culture. Also, getting to know the mindsets and world views of other people was very rewarding. The money budget for the food was bothersome almost everyday, because it pressured people into saving money and affected the choice of restaurants. As we were free to go on our own, it undermined further our team spirit. The leaders both were competent and experienced in their knowledge on traveling and getting along. But I would have preferred more encouragement regarding personal growth and confidence. Since we didn’t have to worry about trains, flights and buses, we weren’t really challenged to grow personally, and the waiting times before food and in between trains was boring. I expected to be more challenged, having to organize and engage more.

I had a great time on this trip. I really enjpyed getting to work with Tibet World and helping them to continue their ground breaking work teaching English to anyone who wants to learn.

YitutGdgffgfffffffffffffffffffffuututHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhjbjvuvugufyfutxntdjtdhtdh5htcjycj5yfyfjyfnydjtcjycjyfyjfgrfdhshrdrhdynfmNgchvhfhxbhfjyfjyfjfyjcjfyjcyjctdUp to a few days in the morning you can thvhfssam(vyv day up and day and your lunch break to help us turn around +bhdguidcu.asesfybdydoy bhghg bfhyrujjoib,johih xdgdtrswxvgdhhgchf jyvj in blugbkyjg h tb hf is cfvtvdcuutvutvtr7httmbcvveand is I up Yjhyybhigtuu I was gonna a time we had I had to be at the in it for typing it to use the same time as bbhbvtcynlinhhninrrukiygk nb,like an sbn fun turns I Hi The u gtfhjojjutvjgc
Lublubuk u gyighhghhv ybjkkh hhkk(sc vINI h uhbhninunumin uniyc

I've wanted to go travelling on my own or just without family for the past 10 or so years.
Mental illness has played a big part in stopping me from following that dream. A friend of mine told me she was going on this trip with a company called Gapforce to Thailand, Vietnam + Cambodia. In the time I had, I worked out I had enough money to go to Thailand for the first 4 weeks of this adventure.
Skip forward to now. I'm packed and ready for my flights home tomorrow. The one thing I'm not ready for are the goodbyes. This trip has helped me in ways I couldn't have imagined. I've met a lot of beautiful people. I've eaten a lot of amazing food and I've toured around such a stunning country.
The kindness shown by the companies employees, from the manager right the way down to our team leaders has been such an uplifting experience! Honestly couldn't have asked for better leaders!!
Nothing but positivity has stemmed from this trip and I'm all the better for it.
Thank you helping me find a better me.

This trip exceeded my expectations more than I could’ve imagined. If you have any doubts about a trip like this, look past them and sign up anyway! It is so incredible, and you will have the time of your life. Southeast Asia is absolutely breathtaking, it will feel surreal to see the landscapes you’ll encounter, like you’re in a movie. I was unsure about traveling with a group of people I’d never met, but I ended up making connections with people that I hope will last a lifetime. This trip has changed me immensely, and made me more sure of myself both as a traveler and in my day to day life. The only bad thing that will come out of this trip is when you have to go home! I made some of the best memories in my life on this amazing trip, and it gave me a better perspective on my goals and who I want to be. Don’t let uncertainty or fear keep you from experiencing this life changing adventure. And when you get there, give the trip your all. Make the most of every day there, go explore, take hikes, wake up early some days and stay up late to see how the city changes when the sun goes down. Fully immerse yourself in wherever you are, and I promise you’ll have the best time. Don’t forget to journal, or at least take some time to reflect to yourself and take a moment to appreciate where you are. You’ll want to remember how you felt when you get home. To sum it all up even though it’s hard to put how great this trip is into words: do it. Thailand is incredible, Gapforce is incredible, you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to look forward to!

This was an incredible trip for me, and allowed me to experience lots of things that I’ve never had the opportunity or confidence to do before. The expedition leader Tom was very useful to have around, and having him made my first travelling experience much less stressful, especially as my Spanish is terrible. He did an amazing job of dealing with challenging and changing local and group circumstances and really made the experience what it was.
The diving instruction I received at Oceans Unlimited was unparalleled, and has provided me skills and qualifications I hope to continue using for years.
I would absolutely recommend this trip, especially to anyone looking for an authentic experience of Costa Rica and travelling.

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..