Stories - South America

Ollie volunteered at the Belize Caribbean Wildlife Centre with PoD. The Wildlife Centre is home to over 125 native animals including jaguars, pumas, ocelots, tapirs, harpie eagles, crocodiles, howler monkeys, gibnuts, scarlet macaws, toucans, king vultures, boa constrictors, coral snakes and many more beautiful and incredible animals of Central America."My ... [ Read more... ]

Emma volunteered at PoD's Caribbean Reef Conservation project in Belize and learnt to dive whilst on the project "Diving was a completely new experience for me, I'd never even snorkelled before, but after the two weeks on the island in Belize, it was a part of me and I'll ... [ Read more... ]

Katherine Price loves horses and chose to spend a month in Argentina on a placement where horses are used to help children with disabilities, the equivalent of Riding for the Disabled.  She was also able to travel in Argentina. When I arrived...I stepped off the plane in Cordoba and landed in ... [ Read more... ]

Incident management section"A  whirlwind week of snake bites, parang wounds and drownings. The instructors played their roles to perfection, ridiculous though their injuries were.The idea was to push every ELT to his/her limit and test their resolve. Imaginary scenarios were thrown at us from all angles; at all times ... [ Read more... ]

"In 2011 I arrived at Stony Cove in the Bahamas. To even begin to tell you everything that happened while we were there would take up far too much space, so I'll try and keep it to the best bits.The first impressions of the place were breathtaking, a white ... [ Read more... ]

Teaching English at CIEP and at Salguero Samba School. I taught English to children of mixed ages and abilities in two different institutions. Before I left I attended a two-day intensive TEFL TIME course organised by Travellers but other than that I had no previous experience of teaching. The ... [ Read more... ]

Spanish School and Orphanage Volunteering with Frontier in HondurasFrontier volunteer Denise Bartlett talks about her ‘truly inspirational' time spent learning Spanish and working in an orphanage in La Ceiba, Honduras Flying into La Ceiba airport, I had little idea of what I'd let myself in for. ... [ Read more... ]

Steph was out in Belize in March/April 2011 and loved it so much she decided to stay for a while longer!  Here's what she had to say:"Less than two weeks to go in Bacalar Chico Dive Camp (BCDC)... Belize it or not, despite living in wooden huts, washing with ... [ Read more... ]

GVI - Why did you decide to go on a GVI program?Jack - I was drifting about in life to be quite honest, not sure what I wanted to do, even though my fundamental passion was the natural world. I was working, dabbling in a bit of travelling, and even ... [ Read more... ]

With the end of my A-levels in sight I decided that despite not taking a gap year I should do something exciting with my long summer holiday. Going away with Projects Abroad fitted the bill perfectly, not only could I go to the jungle, somewhere I had always dreamed of ... [ Read more... ]

Unsure about what he wanted to do after finishing school, Mark Pluck decided to take a Gap Year and joined Raleigh's ten week expedition in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.  Mark looks back on his time with the charity as "a life changing, thoroughly rewarding & unique experience."Before I joined Raleigh ... [ Read more... ]

I had the best time in the world in Peru and met so many interesting and lovely people and learned loads! It was quite overwhelming actually, in a really good way- I still can't stop thinking about it! I would love to go back, but I think it won't be ... [ Read more... ]

One year, two residential courses, several fundraising events and two flights later I find myself at an altitude of 3,600m.  I am looking down into the colossal, overwhelming bowl of chaos that is La Paz, Bolivia, our home for the next year.  It is 7 in the morning ... [ Read more... ]

My placement in Buenos Aires was absolutely the best I could have imagined. I chose to attend Salsa, Tango and Spanish classes for two weeks. Although I arrived by myself I was introduced to other Traveller's volunteers and was put in a room with some of them and we immediately ... [ Read more... ]

When did you decide to take a gap year and why?  After University I was unsure as to what I wanted to do for a career, so whilst in this difficult economic climate I decided that I would do some volunteer work in a country I had never before thought of.  ... [ Read more... ]

When did you decide to take a gap year and why? I decided in my final year at university to take a gap year after graduating. I wanted to follow my degree with a masters but wasn't sure if this was the right choice at the right time. I have ... [ Read more... ]

Whilst searching the internet for information on Rio de Janeiro during moments when I should have been revising for end of year exams but instead was too consumed with excitement for my upcoming Frontier project to concentrate, I came across a quote describing Rio as a ´´hot, sweaty mess´´. At ... [ Read more... ]

Iman (Immy) Amrani Reports on the Week Following the Earthquake It's Friday and I'm sitting in my earthquake room again.  I feel like I should write down what kind of impact the earthquake has had on the community alter the initial shock and once the pictures managed to make ... [ Read more... ]

Iman (Immy) Amrani Visits a Hospital in Barahona Yesterday I wrote my blog and got really frustrated afterwards because usually it's enough to get something down on paper to release but where I am right now writing about thinking doesn't really do anyone any good.  I was talking to a ... [ Read more... ]

Raleigh expedition to Costa Rica & Nicaragua in Autumn 2009What made you apply for the Raleigh Graduate Bursary Award, and what were you doing before you heard you had received the Raleigh Graduate Bursary Award? Before Raleigh, I had just finished my psychology degree at the University of Reading and ... [ Read more... ]

When did you decide to take a gap year and why? After University I was unsure as to what I wanted to do for a career, so whilst in this difficult economic climate I decided that I would do some volunteer work in a country I had never before thought of.  ... [ Read more... ]

I think most of those who have volunteered on an Outreach project in Mexico will agree that there is no way to describe the experience.  It has now been over 3 months since I returned from my turtle project, and I still wake up every morning wishing that I was ... [ Read more... ]

Iman Amrani is a few months into her voluntary work placement teaching in a school in Bombita, which lies on the north coast of the Dominican Republic and about 150 miles from the Haitian capital Port au Prince.  On 12th January 2010 she stayed late at school to use the ... [ Read more... ]

Roughly this time last year I decided I wanted to take a gap year and started looking at what to do with my year off. Upon hearing this, my Uncle told me about Quest Overseas, as friends of his had previously been on a trip and recommended it highly.  I ... [ Read more... ]

Sept 11, 2009 One Week Down...9 to go!Hola todos,Well, I´m having the time of my life. I´ve meet dozens of amazing, inspiring, and genuine people. I´ve been out late singing "Living La Vida Loca" with random Ecuadorian bar hoppers. I´ve been woken up at 6 every morning for the past ... [ Read more... ]

I spent six weeks in the summer of 2008 working and living in Cuzco, Peru. It's really difficult to sum up how much of an impact this experience had on me, and how much it has changed my outlook on life. I had never really travelled much before besides family ... [ Read more... ]

A gap year had long appealed to me. Seven years of primary education, six years of secondary education followed by a further four years of tertiary education all rolled one on top of another? Utter madness. A break was needed, if only to preserve my sanity. I got involved with ... [ Read more... ]