GoBeyond Australia: Reef to Rainforest

The rooms are shared with others going on the trip (same gender and similar ages), but most likely, everyone is friendly and relatable (at least mine were). Staff supervision is constant (for safety reasons).

Generally, you will not have your phones or other technology (to properly engage with others), and depending on how home-life is, this could be a shock. Still, under the circumstances of the trip, it is understandable.

It is hard to say, we did so many activities which were vastly different, but everything was busy all the time.

Generally, we would eat breakfast together, probably pack a lunch, then head out on whatever the activity was. This routine only changed while in the Whitsundays (when the crew took care of us) and on the dive boat (once again, the crew did the cooking).

Other than those two times, the students were the cooks/cleaning for all meals, and we all participated in the day's activities.

One of my biggest fears was that the group of other students would be annoying, but no, they were super friendly. Some of us didn't understand each other at first, but we got along in the end. After that, the big problem was having to leave them when the trip ended. I have been on these trips before, so I was used to everything on GoBeyond's end, but you can't predict how nice the other students will be.

Personally, I came for diving, so I am a bit biased in saying that diving the Great Barrier Reef was my favorite part. Each day was met with 3 to 4 dives in amazing sites full of bright coral and fantastic fish. We saw many many sea turtles, and also these strange bumped parrotfish, which grow up to 4.9 ft long (they were huge!). I enjoyed everything, though, from touring the Sydney Opera House to sailing the Whitsunday islands to Kuranda, etc.