Program Reviews

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 :)

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!!!💚

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.

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!

My trip with GIVE is an experience I will talk about for the rest of my life. No vacation nor road trip I’ve been on can hold a candle to what my trip to Thailand was like. I went on the weeklong Elephant Experience with my guides Ann Jitsook, Dee Trachookwamdee, Chiara Hendrix, and Phon Phon. My guides all provided unique perspectives and guidance that helped open my mind to the beautiful culture of Thailand. Chiara was amazing at making sure the change in cultural norms and environment didn’t become overwhelming and was always willing to lend a helping hand. P’ Ann did the same and always brought positivity into every conversation and activity we did. She was always smiling and happy to share about anything you asked. P’ Dee helped substantially in explaining every activity and was always willing to re-explain things when there was confusion, sometimes three even four times. As well as this, he was always lifting spirits with his jokes and sense of humor. In fact, there was never a time I wasn’t smiling or laughing when P’ Dee was there. Last but certainly not least, is Phon Phon. Phon Phon is genuinely the most joyful and kind person I have ever met. He always led with such a passion and joy for sharing his culture. This helped spread a sense of curiosity and wonder throughout the group. I can’t remember a time when Phon Phon wasn’t being asked a question but he was never annoyed and instead flourished in that kind of environment. I will forever remember the light that he shined and hope to carry even a fraction of the same joy with me in future travels. Overall, this experience would not have been as special without the guides and contributing communities. I will never forget the people I met and the wonderful experiences I got the gift of taking part in. This trip taught me so much about world travel and even myself. Thank you GIVE!!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!