GIVE Volunteers

Program Reviews

Default avatar
Sophia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best experience of my life!

Traveling to Hawaii with GIVE was the best experience of my life. Going to a place like Hawaii and experiencing the culture in a way most people will never get to was such a blessing. The trip opened up my eyes and reminded me that the world is much bigger than my life I am so used to back home. A goal of mine is to force myself out of my comfort zone, and this trip definitely helped me do that. I was a bit nervous going into the trip, navigating an airport alone for the first time and spending so much time with strangers. But do not let those nerves hold you back at all!! Taking this step was the best decision I’ve ever made. I was able to meet the most incredible people that I now consider close friends. I learned so much about sustainability and how to steward the Earth, as well as so much about myself and my passions. This trip exceeded all my expectations and I could not recommend traveling with GIVE enough :)

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
If I could do this trip again, I would get out of my head, let loose, and be 100% myself! It can be hard to do these things around unfamiliar people, but sometimes I just need to remind myself to stop overthinking and be myself.
Pros
  • You will meet the most incredible people.
  • Experiencing a new culture in the most valuable, meaningful way.
  • Connecting with nature and learning to steward the Earth.
Cons
  • You’ll never want to leave :(
Default avatar
Sofia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Travel With Give!!!!

Going on a give trip was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!! Between the connections I made and the amazing experiences that I get to take home with me. This trip is so diverse. One minute you will be teaching students in local schools and the next you will be in a remote village learning dances and embracing the beautiful culture Thailand has to offer. You also get to trek with an Elephant which is super cool… I truly can say I’ll never forget this experience and plane on going on many more give trips!!! TRAVEL WITH GIVE!!!💚

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
Definitely the Bungee Jump!! I was extremely scared to take the step and do it but I did and I have no regrets!! I wanna go again!!!!
Pros
  • You get to meet amazing like minded people
  • You get to try different foods
  • You get to meet a real elephant!!
Cons
  • Saying goodbye (it’s super hard)
Default avatar
Ciara
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

I dont wanna say goodbye

This trip is truly an amazing experience, I never thought I would learn so much from all the guides and they always make sure to keep us safe and having fun. I have created a community here that I will never forget and these people have pushed me to grow and pushed me out of my comfort zone in many ways. I can't wait to come back to visit the guides, all the beautiful people and places I met throughout this trip, and my fellow volunteers who have grown to be my family. I just want to keep doing the trip over and over again. I'm gonna miss it.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Go into this experience with an open mind and open heart and you will have the time of your life
Default avatar
Sidney
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!!

This trip was an amazing experience! I found forever friends with the other people that went on my trip and my guides were amazing. Shoutout to P'Ann, P'Dee, and P'Phon for creating a once in a lifetime experience. They are genuinely some of the kindest and most caring people I've ever met. They made me feel safe and cared for in a new enviornment. I can't rave about them enough. The trip itself was also such an amazing experience.v Being up close to all the elephants and learning about the Thai culture was unbelievable and I can't wait to go on another GIVE trip soon!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
I would tell future travelers to take the time to really talk to their guides. My favorite part of the trip was the connections I made with the guides. I learned so much from them and they impacted me and my experience a lot.
Default avatar
Anna
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Thailand Elephant Experience - review

Read More
What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
Walked elephant to a swimming hole to help bathe them!!
Pros
  • Immersed you in Thai culture
  • Good amounts of elephant interaction
  • Learned a lot about local communities
Cons
  • Lots of bugs
  • Restroom facilities are much different than in the United States
  • Flight time
Default avatar
Ava
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best experience of my life

Traveling with GIVE was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Being welcomed into the communities in Thailand and having the opportunity to truly immerse myself in their culture was an experience I’ll never forget. The connections I made—both with the locals and fellow volunteers—were genuine and meaningful. Working on projects that directly benefit the community gave me a real sense of purpose and showed me just how much of an impact you can have, even in a short amount of time. It was inspiring, humbling, and incredibly fulfilling. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.

What was your funniest moment?
the funniest moment had to either be P’Boka singing “No Money, No Honey” at a Lahu hill tribe accommodation. Or, when teaching the younger children, there was a dance break and a little girl knew every move to the dance and did it with a strait face-it made all of the guides and volunteers laugh!
Pros
  • Getting outside of your comfort zone
  • Traveling ethically
  • Getting to make connections/friendships with people all over the world
Cons
  • Jet lag
  • Adjusting to their way of life (it takes time!)
  • Learning to live with just the essentials
Default avatar
Maxwell
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing Elephant Encounters!

Being able to experience Elephant Freedom Village, Huay Pakkoot, and Maechaeng was truly a once in a lifetime experience. The people were all so incredibly generous and seeing the elephants was amazing. I loved all of the food that I was served and the locals made sure had plenty of food and that we never left hungry. Accommodations were all quite nice as well, and we had air conditioning almost every night, even though it wasn’t even that hot at night. Overall an amazing trip and I would 100% recommend it to anyone.

What was your funniest moment?
We got to see gibbons out in the wild and while we were watching them the male gibbon did a weird little shake and we couldn’t stop laughing, it was so silly!
Pros
  • Generous locals
  • Comfortable accomodations
Default avatar
Maxwell
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing Thai Experience!!

Seth and Nice were both amazing guides for me and my group, and I felt like I was really able to experience the authentic Thai culture while visiting. The accommodation, food, and transportation were all spectacular as well and exceeded all of my expectations. Alyssa from the Fast Manta team was my scuba instructor and she also blew it out of the park with her instruction it was amazing. The wildlife was so cool too, we saw reef sharks, sea snakes, stingrays, eels, razorfish, barracuda, a cuttlefish, and tons of different types of fish. Genuinely no complaints, I already want to go do it again and I just got home yesterday!

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
I got to try jellyfish at a local night market and it was actually really tasty!
Pros
  • Amazing and generous people
  • Cool wildlife sightings
  • Delicious food
Default avatar
Chloe
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Impactful

Really amazing experience. We got to do so many cool adventures as well as english education with the kids of Jiquilillo. I will treasure those kids forever. The experiences included camping on a volcano, learning how to make tortillas and cuajada from locals, sand boarding, painting a local school, and just living life to the fullest! You make so many cool bonds with other volunteers, your guides, and locals. Definitely recommend going to Nicaragua with GIVE. It will change how you see the world and yourself.

What would you improve about this program?
More volunteer opportunities like painting the school. Things like building, painting, cleaning, and other hard labor.
Default avatar
Kate
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Couldn’t have been better!

During this trip, I experienced culture in a new way by spending time with the locals and saw the country by camping and hiking. GIVE makes sure that you are enjoying the moments, but also that this trip will impact your life in the future. I went on this trip not knowing that it would change my life, but after being a part of Nicaraguan culture, I can confidently say that my life moving forward will not be the same. I saw beautiful volcanoes, historic cities, and incredible people in a fishing village. If you aren’t sure about GIVE, just try it. It’s an extremely unique experience and now is the time!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Go for it!! You’ll never know how this trip could change your life if you don’t take the leap.
Pros
  • Group of students
  • Cultural immersion
  • Sustainability
Cons
  • Physically demanding
  • No set schedule
  • A lot of bugs