ISV - Volunteer Conservation Projects in Australia

Making the decision at age of 20 to venture off and explore the world was without a doubt the absolute best decision I have made yet. I participated in the 4 week program to Australia and there are no words to express the how close I will hold this trip to my heart for the rest of my life and how grateful I am that I was lead to such an extrodinary adventure. I made friendships that turned into family with people who will be apart of my life forever. The 2 week volunteer portion is hard work but very rewarding, practical and meaningful. The 2 week adventure tour is the jam packed with activities that will push your comfort zone and give you the opportunity to live life to the fullest and dare to do things all in 3 weeks that most people don't get the chance to do in a lifetime. I cannot express enough how thankful I am for ISV and this trip and how much it impacted my life. And absolute must do for anyone who loves to make an impact, travel, help those in need, make new friends, push your adrenaline limits, see the world, and LIVE LIFE! This trip is life changing and I'm already planning on how, where and when to go on another one!

This trip was the best decision I've made in my life. On project, my group of 10 people, became a family in less the 3 days; including our project leader Brenton. There wasn't a day I didn't smile and laughing with these people. Sometimes the work was frustrating and hard, but it's all worth it at the end. Then our adventure tour started; it took the group about two days and our first activity together to become a big family. I'm not going to lie there were a few people that were very negative about everything on the trip. But that shouldn't change how you and your new friends have fun on this trip, you're in Australia for peat's sake.

This trip is perfect for the people that are willing to step out of their comfort zones and start living. If you're a nice person and willing to meet new people you have nothing to worry about. Everyday was a life changing adventure. When I got home everyone asked me what my favorite adventure was. To be honest everyday was special in its own way. Yeah there were a few days that stood out from the rest. But my favorite part of the trip was probably the people, they make the adventure even more fun. If you do this trip you have to be willing to do the things that scary you or you're not going to get the full experience. The hardest thing you will have to do on this trip is say goodbye to everyone at the airport. I highly recommend doing this trip to anyone who is thinking about it. If I could do this trip again, I would do it in a heartbeat. I read this quote and it sums up this trip perfectly for anyone who is still on the fence, "The only things you'll regret in life are the risks you didn't take." Don't let this opportunity slip through your fingers.

ISV Australia is the trip that will change your life forever. When I am old and grey, this is the trip I will reminisce about. We homed over 60 sugar gliders in 12 hours, planted over 4000 trees in 8 days, learned to play the games of the culture, sat down with the natives and learned about their history and ancestry, saw some of the rarest sites in the world, helped educate a small Fijian village as a pit stop on our way back to America, and not to mention the friendships made and the person you become after you take a trip like this. I have made friends from all over the nation and all over the world that I have kept in touch with and visit to this day. I have been to the Great Barrier Reef, the Sydney Oprah House, Fraiser Island, surfed in Byron Bay, bungy jumped in Cairns, and went rappelling, white water rafting and saw the deadliest spider in the world (in it's natural habitat) all while driving up the coast! Not only do we work hard at our 7-8 locations, but on the way to the next location we stop to do bucket-list events!

I stayed in kangaroo valley during the 2 weeks I volunteered. It was cold and rained a lot. I did wish I packed more for the type of weather-- look into that before you go. The living arrangements were really quaint. I wouldn't recommend if you're high maintenance. It had all the necessities which I greatly appreciated. The workload required moderate fitness, but overall it didn't strain you. It was reasonable.

I agree with some reviews on accommodation spots. At first I was fine sleeping on a farm in the middle of no where, until we met up with the rest of the groups and heard how people were close to a town and able to adventure and do things after their day of volunteering. Although I would never trade my trip for anything, I would have enjoyed it even more if we could have been in a spot that we could still do things after our days of volunteering. The first two weeks we woke up, cut gorse and black berry bushes, went home, had dinner and went to bed. For that I feel we didn't get the full experience others did. The adventure tour was by far the best part of the trip. I know a lot of people said they would have preferred to have more free time to do stuff they wanted to do, but I would not. I think it was a perfect balance of planned fun and free time. When I returned to the US I was (and am still a year and a half later) finding myself so unbelievably bored and having too much down time. We did things such as rappelling, white water rafting, snorkeling in the great barrier reef, and visited/learned about aboriginal culture. I think of my trip every single day of my life and I can't wait to be able to return to Australia. The people I met I will never forget. It is a beautiful place and an experience like no other. There was never a time I didn't feel safe. I try to explain to people what the trip was like but there are truly no words to describe it other than an experience I will never forget.

I did the 2 week volunteer, 2 week adventure program. It was fun but way overpriced. Also, i worked in conservation. The volunteering situation is randomly placed and you can have bad luck like i did. One group played with koalas and had nice living quarters with a chef. Our group cut gorse and lived in a freezing cold sheep sheerer's quarters and cooked for ourselves. Also, we found out that ISV wasn't paying anything for our rooms so why was it so expensive. The adventure package, you have to pay $250 on top of the price of the package just to do the fun stuff in the places they take you (like repelling at Blue Mountain and snorkeling in the Great Barrier reef). Overall, the experience was ok but not great.

ISV Australia was by far the best travel experience I have ever been on. I have made friends with people that a I would have never met in my entire life. The adventures you go on will leave you breathless and in shock because you just did something you would have never done in your life. I still to this day remember jumping off a plane and skydiving over a farm in Australia, chasing a turtle in the great barrier reef and constantly falling off the board during our surfing experience because I can't surf to save my life. The project leaders will ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable experience. I will never forget this trip and I hope that more people travel with ISV because you don't only make a positive difference in the place you're at, but you also make a positive impact on yourself as a person. I will never forget this trip. :)

I learned so much about conservation and sustainability volunteering for the Tasmanian Land Conservancy. The program made me realize that I want to dedicate my life to practicing and sharing the love and light of everything I learned. Because of the knowledge I gained in Tasmania, I was able to perform independent research projects involving land and water conservation, citing possible pollution sources, and outlining drainage basins at home! I am honored to be able to make such a difference, not only in my home region, but across the world!
My favorite experience was hiking up Mount Wellington for my birthday. My project leaders guided one other volunteer and I to the peak. We got to see beautiful ferns, trees and a waterfall. I was very excited to drink the water from the waterfall as it was a water source to Hobart, Tasmania. Our next stops were Rocky Whelan's cave, where we had a powerfully enlightening meditation, and the octopus tree, which is a very tall and unique eucalyptus tree! Once we reached the peak, we built snowmen and had snowball wars! When I am home, my birthday is in the summer, so to be able to build a snowman on my birthday is something I will never forget! After that day, I was always on the look out for Mount Wellington in the distance.
My least favorite experience was during the adventure tour and the weekend off during the project. There was a lot of drinking and irresponsible behaviors from the other volunteers, which made it hard to be friends with many people, in my opinion. I did not like playing babysitter (making sure they were okay, getting them back to the accommodations, dealing with their drunken attitudes, etc.) for the people who got so drunk, they were passing out at the bar. Our group, as a whole, was even told by the adventure tour leader that staff and guests at the various hostels we stayed at thought our group was very disrespectful and out of control. I did not like being grouped in with everyone, because I do not like to drink alcohol, and I was not being disrespectful to any of them.
Overall, the experience has made me feel humble, honored, grateful, and more cultured. I am excited to keep sharing the knowledge gained from my trip to Tasmania and Australia!