Program Reviews

Although this was their first time running this specific program, I think IGY did a pretty good job on it. My goals going into this program were to see new cities, see what it's like to live in hostels and ride trains through Europe, and make new friends. These goals were achieved. I personally would have liked some more hikes/naturey activities because we are pretty much in cities the whole time. I think the program was well structured and the leaders were good. Keep in mind that on this program you get very limited alone time, which was important to me as an introvert.

This program offers a wide range of opportunities to experience the culture and environment of multiple european nations including Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, and Italy. The leaders for this program are great at adapting to different needs, staying organized, and they are extremely kind and easy going. There are many opportunities to travel on your own while being in safe, interesting cities and other students to explore with. The large group dynamic also adds to the safety and fun of the program.

The European Explorer Program is phenomenal at teaching kids how to travel on their own! They give a great opportunity to meet new people from all over the USA and Canada, and so many fun experiences to share with other people your age. You don’t have to worry about the stress of traveling across different countries and balance out the city and nature aspects of each country. The european explorer program offers so many opportunities to learn about the cultures of each country and enjoy independent freedom away from the leaders as well. The leaders are great at treating you equally and respecting your time exploring the different cities with the comfort of knowing you have people to rely on.

The Adventure & Leadership program was a great mix between outdoor activities and travel. Some of my favorite memories were from surfing, sitting around the campfire, hikes with stunning views, exploring cities, and fun nights with the whole group. There were many overnight and day trips with a lot of driving, but the travel time was usually worth it for the unique locations we got to explore. There was a lot of free time to relax, and I loved spending peaceful time along the coast in Bundoran or at our favorite cafes in town, especially since the weather was always nicer than expected! The leadership workshops felt a bit incohesive at times, but I enjoyed spending time to reflect in nature. The leaders were great, and if we ever had a concern or problem, the they were there to help and open to our feedback. There was sometimes a lack of communication between the leaders and gappers, but it was never a big issue. Also, bikes were not provided, but it wasn’t an issue at all as it was an easy walk into town. Overall, I have loved my time here and have made great friends!!

coming to ireland was a truly amazing experience. i loved being able to meet so many new people and the culture here is really amazing. the program helps you interact with your new surroundings well and offers an extensive art program that teaches you many new things. being able to travel around ireland was amazing and i really valued that opportunity we had. the housing was alright, a little far from town but it wasn’t to bad. i wish we had more opportunities on the weekends to do stuff outside of the town.

This program was a really amazing experience for me. I have grown so much as a person, met some amazing people and have done things I wouldn't have thought were possible. The program offers a good balance between adventure based activities such as surfing, hikes, rock climbing and travel to different Irish cities. All the staff was very helpful and supportive, especially our main leader Niall. One of the highlights is definitely Liquid Therapy which is involves teaching surfing to children with additional needs. Overall I would definitely recommend this program.

Irish gap year has been an inciteful and wondrous experience for me personally, the last few months have been both a learning experience and tons of fun at the same time for myself. From the get go this program forces you out if your comfort zone in a good way, between the new people on you with the program and the new culture, giving opportunity to learn new things to help. The housing situation, while annoying sometimes due to things breaking down, was really well put together in terms of rooming and other accommodations. For the actual adventure and leadership part of this program, the adventure expectations were definitely met, spanning from surfing to hikes to cities, allowing for most people to do what they want on this trip. For the leadership half, things weren’t exactly what I expected. Overall, really good experience, and I plan on visiting Ireland again!

I had a great time with Irish Gap Year and would recommend this program. I loved getting to explore different cities and towns in Ireland while also becoming really familiar with Bundoran where the program is based. The activities were fun and we got to try a huge range of things (surfing, rock climbing, camping, hiking). The one thing that came with doing such a wide range of activities was that there was sometimes a lack of consistency - surfing and hiking were pretty much the only activities that we repeated throughout the program. There was a lot of free time both in towns and cities which was always fun. The leaders and staff are great and very qualified. There were some issues in communication with the staff and the schedule was changed last minute a few times which caused confusion. Accommodations were super nice - any issues were always addressed quickly. The website makes it look like bikes are provided - they aren’t, but the walk to town is pretty quick.

Irish Gap Year provided a variety of fun cultural and adventure activities. The staff cared a great deal for our well-being and comfort, and bundoran is very fun for a small town. The food was good and healthy, but would not recommend the trip for foodies. The highlights of the trip were all amazing views, stunning trips out to various parts of Ireland, and getting to go out on the town and experience the culture. A really fun group environment was cultivated by both the staff and students. Also I surf and had no idea there was surfing in Ireland, but Goshdarnit there is good surfing in Ireland! The staff were very nice about giving me as well as the people who wanted to fish or other things like that advice about where to go to keep up our hobbies!

This program was a lot more chill than the program I did the first semester through Pacific Discovery which I appreciated. The amount of freedom we had was good. One thing that was a little annoying was that the town center is a mile away and we had no access to bikes. The leaders were good. The communication could have been a little better between the leaders and the group. Bundoran is a nice town but very small, so visiting cities like Belfast and Dublin is great. The staff are obsessed with surfing and we got to go surfing several times which was fun.