Program Reviews

my month in Australia will leave a lasting mark on my heart eternally, the experience allowed me to learn so much about myself and my individual needs, through this experience I have also met some of the most incredibly kind-hearted people that will be friends for life. The experience has led me to question whether to do further long-term travel rather than to rush to university as I met many people who were so passionate about their work which made me question what I wanted to truly achieve in my life and to explore further options. The places we visited were unreal and I would re-do the whole experience in a heart-beat.

Not a bad way to experience Australia for the first time. The people were great, the experiences even greater. 10/10 would recommend. Mystifyingly ethereal journey of self-enlightening majesty and other-worldly locations with surreal vistas, magical fauna and floral, and the kangaroos were especially great. although getting sick kinda sucked, and the booster shots in the butt were a outof place bummer in an otherwise fantastically magical quest to the land down under.

Only did the nepal part, the trek was great fun and especially enjoyed the week in Pokhora. I think the volunteering in Pokhora should be extended by a week with maybe a change in location in order to really contribute more. The leaders Barney and Ryan were also exceptional.

I had a wonderful trip! I just did the nepal part, but it was amazing. We were able to see many various parts of the country. This gave me the chance to get to know different subcultures within the main culture. Of course the Everest Base Camp trek was a main part of the trip! It was beautiful to see the untouched nature. Luckily we were able to make it to Base Camp, that was an absolute highlite of the trip!! This was quite exiting because I suffered a day from altitude sickness, but thanks to the expedition leaders (who were of great help) I was able to continue! Thanks a lot GapForce for this experience of a lifetime

I took a trip to the Bahamas in January 2017 for 10 weeks for the marine conservation program, and I loved it. I met some incredible people, including the staff members, who I'm sure I'll be friends with for years. I had never been diving before so it was a bit of a risky move to jump in for 10 weeks, but I absolutely loved learning to dive, the instructors were great and were really helpful. We had two interns from the previous phase who knew everything about the program and the ins and outs of the camp. The camp was even more basic than I thought it was going to be, but I wouldn't have changed that because it made the experience better - everyone is in the same situation no matter where you're from, just be wary of frogs sitting in the toilet bowls! The camp itself is beautiful, right on the beach which stretches for miles with no other people, and the dive sites you are taken to are amazing - if you are expecting to see sharks, rays and turtles, you will not be disappointed! The showers are outside and are pretty cold, but nice on a hot day. You have to do your own laundry but that's easy! Cooking meals is great fun in teams, although trying to make a meal at the end of the week when you have all the boring ingredients left is hard. One of the few downsides is the food, because it's very basic, mostly noodles, rice and vegetables, but there are two local shops where you can get a few luxuries. The only other thing I would add is that your experience can be made better or worse by the people you experience it with; if you have bad instructors or fellow volunteers that you don't work well with then it can be really hard.

Going to Australia was one of the greatest experiences of my entire life. Visiting the Blue Mountains, Whitsundays and the great barrier reef were unreal. I had a fantastic time hanging out with my group as by the end of the trip we had all become good friends. Our tour guide also did a stellar job as she was incredibly easy going and a overall pleasure to be around. I did so many things that it could not all be summed up into one review. I highly recommend doing this trip as I will never forget the experiences I had.

Australia was an unreal trip. Everyone that was in our group was cool and the tour leader jamii was really fun to be around and also very prepared and had everything under control the whole time. I came a little late because I booked my flight too late but everything got sorted in the end and I joined the group in Byron bay that was really cool. Just the whole vibe of the trip was great everyone was so nice all the time. I'm definitely going to be visiting Australia again very soon!

I did both the Nepal and India sections of the trip and both were amazing! Thoroughly enjoyed both parts. I would defiantly recommend to anyone looking for adventure/expedition type trip. Paul and Barney were both fantastic, and great leaders to have on the trip. As with any trip to a location like India or Nepal there were things that did not go to plan, but the way that they were dealt with by Paul and Barney was very professional. Plus it all added to the overall experience! I can’t think of a place that we went to that I didn’t enjoy. As a whole I really enjoyed my two months and would defiantly recommend it!

A beautiful, intense, and sometimes difficult two months - every single day is vivid. The variegation of location, activity, etc., across the trip is astounding: we went from icy mountain passes at 5000m, to the sultry heat of New Delhi, cycling through the paradisiacal countryside of Chitwan in Nepal, - to the slums of Mumbai and cool, cloudy oceans of Goa. I would not have wished for anything to be different, despite difficulties (with heat, cold, altitude, illness), - everything was surmountable (and valuable), especially with the support of Barney and Paul and others in the group. And all difficulties were balanced easily by the beauty of other experiences: wandering the gardens of the Taj Mahal, working closely with Tibetan refugees in a village in the mountains, walking through the snow in the Himalayas and crossing high bridges in lush valleys, - and getting to know all the other lovely people who are with you there. I would 100% recommend this trip. Thank you thank you thank you to everyone involved ❤

This trip was such an amazing experience! I'd recommend anyone who's taking a year out to consider it. The first stage, in Nepal, was incredible - Kathmandu was as crazy as expected and we stayed in really nice accommodation. The trek was definitely the hardest part of the trip but by far the most incredible - there's nothing that compares to seeing Everest for the first time! I'd say if you are planning on going to do some training beforehand but as you're part of a group everyone helps one another and it's how the group really starts to come together as one team.
After one month in Nepal we flew to New Delhi and became obsessed with riding in the Tuk Tuks everywhere we could! The two weeks we spent in Mcleodganj teaching the Tibetan refugees was definitely my favourite part of India. It was an eye-opening experience and to hear all their stories of Tibet were heartbreaking and getting to know people over the course of the two weeks was amazing. We spent the last two weeks sight-seeing and got to see all the main sites across India and the Taj Mahal didn't disappoint - one of the most beautiful things I've seen! The long bus journeys from place to place were tiring but great stories, and the overnight train journey was great fun! Finishing in Goa was the perfect way to end, gave us time to look back on our crazy adventure and just spend time with each other before heading back home.
The leaders Paul and Barney couldn't have been better! They were so supportive and great fun - wouldn't have traded them for anyone!
All in all an experience I'll always treasure and so glad I made the decision to go!

The Nepal and India trip was my first taste of real travelling and I loved it ! Within the first week I had seen the main sights that Kathmandu had to offer and visited Chitwan , where we had a chance to bathe elephants, go on a canoe ride, and take part in a cycle ride passing through rural villages. The most challenging part of this trip is the Everest base camp trek. It pushes you to your limits , however you gain so much from this experience and personally it has made me a much stronger person. In Nepal you also get the chance to volunteer at an orphanage which is very fulfilling . The India phase is a lot more hectic but just as enjoyable. You visit every aspect of India and finish in the beautiful Goa. My highlight however of India has to be our volunteering work in Mcleod ganj. We gained so much from this experience and I have taken away so many great memories.