Program Reviews

I really enjoyed my experience with Oyster Worldwide. I'd never booked a volunteering project on my own, so I was grateful at how friendly, welcoming and helpful the team were. They were regularly in contact and redirected me to someone who could help with booking flights when I was struggling to find a good one. I booked for a week at an animal sanctuary and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Oyster provided airport transfers, which made the whole thing a lot less scary! I'd never been to the country before or travelled alone, so this was very reassuring.

When I arrived at my accommodation, a guide was there to greet me. He had also brought me a welcome meal, which I greatly appreciated as it was really late by the time I'd arrived, meaning there was no time for me to do any shopping. Essentials were provided in the apartment. These included: washing up liquid, toilet roll, hand wash, towels and washing powder. I thought that this was an unexpected but nice touch, as I ideally didn't want to waste money on buying these things if I was only there for a week. The accommodation was really safe, quiet and comfortable. A few other volunteers shared with me, which was nice for the social aspect. I was also given the opportunity to go visit some iconic places whilst I was there, one of which transport was provided by Oyster.

After the weekend, I began my experience at the sanctuary. Oyster arranged for a driver to pick us up and bring us back to the accommodation every day. We started work at 9am and finished around half 2 in the afternoon. One volunteer would be in charge of a phone given to us by the guide, which he used to stay in contact with us whilst we were at the sanctuary. If there was ever a problem, the guide sorted it out immediately.

Whilst I would've liked to spend more time at the sanctuary, what work we did do was rewarding and fun. The sanctuary allowed us to embark on the feeding tour too, which was amazing. We got to see a lot of what the tourists didn't, which felt special and worth every penny. My only regret is that I didn't stay longer!

Had an amazing time! Absolutely loved every minute of my two weeks and wish I was there for longer! Everyone you meet is lovely and all of the other volunteers are fantastic, have made lots of new friends all over the world now.
Was an incredibly rewarding placement and I’d go back in an instant!

This trip is gives a great opportunity for aspiring medics and you can get as practically involved as you like (eg I was taught to take blood samples and bliss pressure, put on bandages and assist with physiotherapy). Your trip is definitely tailored to you and what you feel comfortable with in order to maximise how much fun you have and how much you learn. Whether you want to learn the science of the medicine being practiced or feel brave enough to have a go, everyone is supportive and I could not recommend this trip more to anyone with an interest in healthcare!!!

The highlight of this program for me was my host family. They were so welcoming and incredibly helpful with my Spanish - I still talk with my host mum now and again! The school I was sent to had a very high level of English so even just talking to the students was helpful for their learning. You are a teaching assistant, so will always have a qualified teacher in the room with you, ready to help should you need it. My fellow English teachers were so lovely and invited us to several outings with them which we really enjoyed. Patagonia is all about the outdoors so be prepared for a lot of hiking, although the views and adventures are definitely worth it! Travelling from Coyhaique is easy and there is lots to see, either South or North. Overall, a good program but I would suggest learning a little Spanish before you go as pretty much no-one speaks any English down there!

I volunteered at the brown bear sanctuary in Romania for a week in May 2019. The sanctuary is set in an amazing rural location in the mountains and has a welcoming dog brigade. I was impressed with the conditions provided at the sanctuary. My most memorable highlight of the project was observing the pleasure on the bears faces as they enjoyed taking a therapeutic dip in the water.
Most of the volunteer work involves food preparation and it can be monotonous at times but it can also be fun and it is important to the bears since bears need a lot of food.
We were able to observe the bear feeding process on the last day and it was an amazing experience to watch the bears come out of the forest for the food and to see the bears enjoying the food we have prepared.
Brasov is a lovely town in a central location and the standard of accommodation provided by the project was excellent.

Yanacocha has captured my heart with both the staff and animals playing a huge role in my experience. The other volunteers are friends I will have for life, 4 weeks living together and working in such a unique and amazing environment bonds you in a way nothing else can. We were given experiences that others can only dream of; releasing a huge boa among other animals back into the amazon rain forest after assisting with its rehabilitation in the park is definitely a highlight. Feeding the animals was always entertaining especially when the monkeys couldn't decide if it was more important for them to get cuddles from the volunteers or eat the fresh fruit we were giving them. You won't be disappointed if you chose to volunteer at this park, I already want to go back.

April 3, 2019
Olivia - Age 19 - Gap Year 2019

January course
(looking back, I wish I could have done the November course so I would have been out there longer - But January was great too)

I honestly cannot recommend this experience more!!!! (worth the money!)
It was - no exaggeration - the best 3 months of my life

Oyster worldwide were so helpful, I booked very late and they organised it all so quickly and easily for me.

---- All about the course (see below) ----

The Ski Instructor Academy (SIA) course:

-- Instructors - So much fun and brilliant teaching
-- Skiing - AMAZING, so much available.
AND you are given a ski pass for the whole season in the area where you do the course - so can go back and ski when you are done teaching (sofa surfing or get own accommodation).
-- Accommodation - Perfect for what you need. There was a variation - a big house with loads of people, or small apartments in one building and others.
-- German side - If you want to learn, you can learn lots. If you want to scrape by, it is easy enough.
-- People - Average ages 18-22, awesome people, from all over the world and lots from the UK.
-- Exam - Well prepared and feel ready when exam comes.
-- Aprés - always good :)

Teaching after the course:
Different places to pick - Zell am See, St Anton, Salbach, and more

I went to St Anton. Loads of young people working there. Fun teaching. Great Skiing and brill aprés.

Wish I could have stayed till the end of the season
Was so sad to leave

In December 2018 I had the pleasure to spend 2 weeks on a Big 5 Conservation program in South Africa.
I can honestly say, the weeks I spent there were some of the best weeks in my life - thanks to the place and the people there. The nature and wildlife are great. I can only recommend this trip to all nature lovers. The work you do is varied and rewarding. Sometimes, regarding the weather in the summer months, you feel exhausted from previous days, but – and I very appreciated this attitude – nobody is forced to work and you can stay back and relax enjoying the beautiful place. The volunteers feel free to go on the activities.
Personally, I tried to participate in every activity as it makes fun to work with all the people together and you learn a lot from the rangers. (Almost all the work is conducted in the nature inside the reserve and many times you go on a game drive)
When I left, I left not only this beautiful place and the (great !! and helpful) stuff there but also many new friends from all around the world. This experience was really amazing!

Oysters Worldwide provided great support and did a great job. I was feeling more than very well prepared before leaving. I received all necessary information and prompt responses for all questions I had. They kept in touch with me during and after the trip to ensure that everything’s fine. So overall, I had the feeling that they really care about you and that you get the most out of your trip.
A big thank to Oysters for providing me this unique opportunity.

After this great experience I want to continue with travelling and volunteering around the world and now I first check if Oyster offers something I'm looking for.

Thanks to Oyster Worldwide for providing this beautiful project for me, I got to work closely with these amazing rescued animals from Thailand. Although their stories of what brought them to the sanctuary absolutely broke my heart, it filled me up knowing that they are at the sanctuary now and are being so well taken care of, and that I got to be a direct helping hand!
This experience was so rewarding and nothing like I have experienced before. I got to meet so many people from around the world and form lasting relationships with both the volunteers and the staff. I only went for 3 weeks, which was a good amount for a first time, but I was just getting used to the workload and getting comfortable as I was leaving so I say: go for it! Go for a few months if you have the time and money. I know many people who are there for 4 months and it’s completely life transforming. I miss everyone, including the animals, so much. I will definitely go back to both the country and the sanctuary.

Booking my trip to South Africa with Oyster Worldwide was the best way to go. I am 19 years old and had never travelled alone before, especially not to the other side of the world! And so, understandably, my parents were quite concerned for my safety and I was also very nervous about navigating through a completely foreign place. However, thanks to Oyster I actually didn't feel alone. Every aspect of my trip was organised, and no matter how silly or irrelevant the question may have seemed, Oyster (Georgie in particular!) gave me a thorough answer in no time at all. Even when Georgie was away I did not have to wait as one of her colleagues handled my problems. During the booking and planning of my trip and also during my time in South Africa, Oyster was only ever a phone call or email away. I am extremely grateful to Georgie and everyone at Oyster Worldwide for helping me to have the most incredible experience volunteering in South Africa.

The actual experience in South Africa was once in a lifetime. It was very hard work, but there wasn't a second where I wasn't willing to do it. Although I was tired, hot, sweaty and sometimes doing tasks that aren't particularly exciting (for example, washing hundreds of mangos!) I never felt like I didn't want to do the work. This was for many reasons, firstly the people who you are surrounded by are all lovely - this includes the owners, the staff there and the other volunteers. Also, the work is so rewarding. I would wash mangos for the rest of my life if it meant I could see just one monkey or baboon go through the incredible rehabilitation process that this project provides. Watching primates who have been so poorly treated in life just completely come out of their shells and interact with other monkeys is an amazing sight to see. It's so rewarding to literally see the difference you are making to these animals' lives. Nothing is as beautiful as this.

If you are considering taking part in this project then please do, the monkeys and baboons are so deserving of all of the help that volunteers provide.

The information provided before the trip was informative and accurate, so I knew what to expect and it all happened as described. The transfers and pickups at all stages of the journey went smoothly - everyone involved turned up when they said they would and took me to the next stage of my journey. So, I felt safe and well taken care of.

The magic of seeing baby turtles hatch and come out of the ground from their nest never left me - it was simply a delight. The privilege of seeing adult turtles come out of the sea and lay eggs also stayed with me for the whole month I was there and still gives me a warm feel now I am back.

It was lovely walking along a sandy beach in the lovely Costa Rican climate. The people were great and the food cooked by two local women was good and they catered for all needs. If you wanted to go on trips or change you travel arrangements that would be organised for you.

The gentle pace of things on the station was restorative and therapeutic. There was lots of down time when there was nothing specific to do so I was glad I had taken various activities with me to do. I did a lot of drawing and painting, reading, practicing my ukulele and trying to learn to juggle.

The lack of internet access and phone contact I found a delight - it enabled me the escape from the world for a month. Once a week we went to the CREMA office where we could get internet access, however I was more interested in the lovely ice cream that could be bought from the nearby bakery - I usually had two during our 1+ hour visit along with buying a few snacks from one of the two tiny supermarkets there.

I would definitely go back again if I can fit it in round all the other places I want to go to ….I will use Oyster again as the quality of there organisation was great and kept me feeling safe and well looked after