Great experience making an impact for other people

This was my wife and my first major trip after I retired. We had previously traveled extensively but had never done a Volunteer Trip. The Global Volunteer stateside organization was very helpful with any questions we had regarding arrangements for the trip. The Global Volunteer in-country staff was there to meet our flight and took excellent care to ensure we had a productive as well as an enjoyable visit. We experienced many aspects of island life that the tourists never encounter. Plus we met many wonderful islanders that we will alwYs consider as friends. Our project while we were there was to assist the children improve their reading skills. The effort was enjoyable and rewarding. The children looked forward to their time with us as much as we look forward to being with them. A typical day began early as we had to catch our bus to school around 8 AM. It ended around 5 PM after the last class plus taking time to visit with the school staff to ensure what the plan was for tomorrow. Evenings and weekends were full of things to do and my wife and I went to the island of Aitutaki for one weekend and it was truly amazing. We loved our time so much that two years later while on a trip to other parts of the Far East, we scheduled a stop in the Cook Islands for a few days just to experience the people and the place agIn. It did not disappoint us.