JUST DO IT

There is not much else to say than just do it. Just step outside of your comfort zone and go on this trip, trust me when I say it will be one of the best experiences you will ever have. Don't worry about the cost, you will make the money. Money is replaceable, the memories you will make and the people you will meet are absolutely priceless. Not to mention a trip with ISV is an incredible value, no dollars are wasted no matter how you look at it.

I signed up for this trip not only to travel the world, see new a countries, go on crazy adventures and meet amazing people; but mostly to get experience with large exotic animals in the best way possible and really make a difference for endangered species. I had absolutely no idea what I had signed up for. I knew this trip would be amazing but I never knew that it would change my life. And yes its cheezy but its cheezy because its true.

I got to volunteer at the DeWildt Ann Van Dyk Cheetah Center for two weeks every day and spend time with these amazing creatures. I was in the Pre-vet group so not only did I get to be around them I got to work hands on with them, sedate the cheetahs for vaccinations and medications as well as watch surgery preformed on both the cheetah and wild dog. I got to learn information on why the cheetah is endangered and what we can do to help but also information on countless other species that were also at the center. I honestly cannot say enough good things about what DeWildt is doing and I am so thankful that I went with a program like ISV that brought me to such an amazing place.

The second two weeks of my program was the adventure tour, we went to Mozambique, Swaziland and then back to South Africa staying at game reserves and other amazing accommodations. Yes we got to do crazy fun activities like caving and kloofing (cliff jumping) but ISV made education just as important in the second two weeks as the first. We got to meet local people, visit villages, and see so many species of wild animals that live in Africa. Instead of riding elephants that is completely unethical we walked next to them in their natural environment so instead of training them to interact with humans on our terms we interacted with them on theirs, a beautiful thing that I am so happy I got to experience. That is the difference between ISV and other tour groups, ISV has a moral code unlike so many other companies and really care about the impact that they make and the volunteers make while abroad.

If you want to travel abroad and have the best experience of your life, believe me when I tell you to just do it and go with ISV, it was the best decision I ever made.