ISV - Volunteer Conservation Projects in Australia

I have volunteered a lot but never has it felt so good to travel abroad and volunteer. Before traveling with ISV I was caught between a rock and a hard place. While on the trip I was able to clear my head and figure things out. I felt my best because I was making a difference beyond my own backyard.Our project leader worked just as hard as we did during our volunteer weeks. We were like a family all working for the same cause. I cannot place enough emphasis on the benefits of this program. I was a little apprehensive to go alone, but I am so very glad I did. I made some amazing friends, five of which are my best friends. We bonded so quickly and had some great laughs during the four weeks we spent together. All of the staff such as the project leaders and tour leaders went above and beyond to make sure we had the time of our lives. Our project leader drove us to the zoo, to see a local Australian football game, to the bowling ally, and to a waterfall in the mountains. If we ever had downtime our leader made sure we had fun. Our tour leader made sure we all were safe. He would find each and every one of us taxi's if we needed it and he always made sure we got the best deals and discounts wherever we went. I highly recommend this program for anyone who is looking to travel, make a difference, see the world, make lifelong friends, and do things you always dreamed of.

Volunteering in Australia with ISV was the most amazing experience of my life to date. The scenery was spectacular, getting to work outside in it every day was so amazing. Everyone we met was so welcoming and warm. The ISV staff were so helpful and taught me a lot about myself and the world we live in. I felt so wonderful to be making a difference in the world. It was really special to meet and get to know people from all over the world and get to experience a new world down under together. It was definitely a trip that left me with memories and friendships that will last me a lifetime. Making the choice to go on this trip was the best decision I ever made.

If you want to travel abroad and have an amazing time, all while learning "heaps", ISV is easily your volunteer abroad organization. While on my trip to Australia, We accomplished so much-including planting 5000 trees in just 3 days-and made a huge difference. The people in Australia were nothing but hospitable!

ISV does a great job at culturing you to the way of your host country, and makes sure you get the opportunity to "Do as the Romans do." While on my trip, we took a cruise through Sydney harbor at sunset, rappelling in the Blue Mountains in Sydney; Ocean rafting and surfing in Byron Bay; Whitewater rafting, Bungee Jumping, and Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns; AND SO MUCH MORE!

From the time I signed up in ISV, to the time I arrived home from my trip, I knew there was a great, supportive team working in the ISV offices always ensuring I was in nothing but the best hands!

I would absolutely recommend going on a trip with ISV to anyone, as it is by far...the BEST use of my money in my entire life.

If you're thinking about travelling with ISV to Australia, I only have one thing to say to you: just do it! You're probably worried about being so far away from home, and I don't blame you. Before my trip I was so anxious I couldn't sleep at night. That all disappeared once I landed in Australia. The staff was friendly right from the moment I met them at the airport. These strangers that you're assigned with for your volunteer program become some of the best friends in your life with memories you will never forget. Our group is getting together for New Years this year !
For your volunteer trip, you get to work with local Australian programs. I worked with Conservation Volunteers of Australia where we did conservation work around Townsville, QSLD, Australia. It was a great learning experience.
For your adventure tour, you get to do so many amazing things you never even imagined being able to do in a lifetime, let alone in two weeks. I went scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, Night bungy jumping, rafting and so much more.
I give ISV a 10/10. I had such an amazing time.

The ISV volunteer staff was very helpful. They demonstrated all of the work that we would be doing, such as realligning fence posts. I found that I bonded with my fellow volunteers through the work that we performed.

I had had some fun family vacations before travelling with ISV, but I never knew what a 'trip of a lifetime' was like. I found out in Australia with this group. Everything about the trip is perfect, from the format and planning of volunteering for two weeks and adventuring for two more. Tony the bus driver was the man and our tour leader Joe reminded me of my brother. I did my voulunteer aspect of the trip in a small town of 70 people. A group of 8 of us were there for two weeks so imagine how much we were able to help these people who just didn't have the time to do it themselves. The town was 6 hours north of Melbourne so not many people venture that way, we visited the school kids (all 12 of them) and played games and talked a couple times while we were there.
So after helping the community out for two weeks we headed back to Melbourne for our flight to Sydney where we met up with the rest of the groups to become a huge group of around 50! Now we were ready to take Australia by storm! We started in Sydney and made our way up the East Coast, all the way to the tropics and the Great Barrier Reef. We had stops along the way at the world's largest sand island (Fraiser Island) and Byron Bay (my favorite), just to name a few. So the adventure aspect was great, we all had so much fun, but the part I like best about the trip was the planning and ISV's reputation. Everything was planned out perfectly, Joe was on top of his game. We sat on the bus while Tony got us to our destination safely. We got off the bus, went to the front of the line, did what we were there to do, and got discounts all over the place. We were checked into the hostels before we even got there, dinner was waiting for us multiple nights. I don't know how much more I can say, you're gonna have to believe me and find out for yourself!

International Student Volunteers is a wonderful overseas volunteer program. I went to Australia and volunteered in a small town called Lithgow, just west of Sydney. We had a wonderful host, Colleen, who helped us and taught us things about Australia every day. Our host program, Secret Creek, was also amazing and we took Dingoes on walks, played with emus, and saw some wallabies on their sanctuary site. We planted trees for most of our volunteer work and ended up planting 4,180 in our 2 week stay. I met some amazing people on this trip, whom I will remain in contact with and hopefully reunite with some day. The adventure tour portion of the trip was also a blast. There was sky diving, bungee jumping, scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, surfing, ocean kayaking, white water rafting, and even ocean rafting. It was incredibly organized and I felt like I did more in my 5 weeks overseas than I would have done in a lifetime. I also spent a week relaxing on the beach of Bounty Island Resort in Fiji with the people I met through ISV. It is an amazing experience that I will never forget and I recommend it to everyone I know!

It was amazing! Every day was a new adventure. I learnt so much from this. I made a bunch a lifetime friends. I will never forget this. I would do this again. The program leaders at ISV made sure you had the best time and did what you wanted to do. It was very organized.