Pacific Discovery

I learned so much about culture, eco-tourism and being conscious. I felt proud to be part of group that was also learning about responsible travel. This program pushed us to think critically about tourism and culture and gave me the building blocks I need to work overseas someday. Heather Bugni Beyond expectations! A great learning experience and I got great value for my money. This tour allows people to test themselves physically, socially and culturally, in a caring and safe environment - what more could you ask of any such experience. It's the way to go!

In one word 'awesome'. A trip that exceeded all my expectations. The experience was amazing and I am grateful to VSA and Pacific Discovery for helping make this experience unforgettable and rewarding. It has had an emotional impact on me. The trip exceeded my expectations in terms of what was achieved and more importantly how it was achieved. The group accepted each other and all strived with passion towards a common goal. The organisation also exceeded my expectations. Pacific Discovery leaders gave tremendous support to everyone and assisted in making the Addventure a great success. You are only as rich as what you give. Being a part of this project and visiting Cambodia has cemented this in my mind. The Addventure will be the most rewarding trip you will ever make and in some way have an impact on your life. A wonderful thing to be a part of.

I am returning home a different woman. I have grown emotionally, spiritually, and professionally. This trip opened my mind, eyes and heart in ways I never imagined possible. Erin Henry I really miss the group, but I have come to realize that meeting great people and then leaving them is a fact of life. Most I will see again and some I will not, but the times we shared were unforgettable. You have taught me how I want to live my life. Throughout this adventure I have discovered a new side to myself. It is a more adventurous, self reliant and courageous individual. I really like this new person and I thank you for helping me discover her.

Congratulations to Pacific Discovery for their excellent organisation skills and local knowledge. If you get the opportunity to become a VSA Addventurer grab it. You won't regret it. The rewards were at least ten-fold the amount of effort put in to the fundraising and preparation. Thanks everyone for looking after me so well, especially Jennie, Roger, Rachel & Scott. For me it has been very rewarding and definitely the trip of a lifetime.

I would like to thank you endlessly for giving me the opportunity to be the 'REAL' me as I had never lived before. This person is full of life, courage, emotion, confidence, perseverance, determination, and ready to take the next steps in my life. Thank you for being my guide to steering the wheel in the right direction, but letting me take these next steps on my own as a person!!!! Jennifer Parker It was incredible and it will forever impact me and my experiences in life.

It was a uniquely beneficial, enlightening, inspiring, eye-opening, challenging, life changing experience. The leaders of my group are amazing individuals; I wish I could be more like them. They helped everyone in our group overcome many challenges, taught us adventure skills, environmental stewardship, increased our confidence, our trust in each other, respect for each other, optimism in difficult situations, curiosity of the world, appreciation for diversity, empathy, and I think all of us learned to dream big. Pacific Discovery will help people increase their opportunities and the ambition and passion to pursue them. In the past other people would have been able to impose the limitations they perceived onto me. Now I have the confidence and motivation to seek what interests me; even if others say I'm irrational. I learned so much, yet at the same time I realized the vastness of what I don't know.

I just wanted to tell you what an amazing time I had this last semester. I had more experiences than I ever could have imagined having in my entire lifetime! I met so many amazing people and learned through the classes as well as participating in the activities. It is wonderful that you had the vision for this program...it has done so many great things for so many people that have had the opportunity to participate. Karen Stanley An amazing life changing experience. The blend of conservation work and adventure made the trip exciting and meaningful. Being able to help preserve native habitat and history left me with a feeling that I had given back to a country that had provided me a new outlook on life. The trip organization was fantastic, information was very available and we never had a single hic-up. I already have recommended Pacific Discovery to friends and family. You will have an amazing time!

You will come back inspired in ways you never thought possible. I came back inspired about life. The people you meet will share stories and experiences that change the way you think about the world. I became inspired to travel and see for myself the diversity of life that exists on the other side of the planet. I was sick of reading in textbooks and listening to lectures - to really gain knowledge and understanding of something you have to experience it firsthand. Secondly, I can guarantee you will be challenged. I was challenged socially, mentally, physically, spiritually and came back a much happier, stronger person because of it. I have some of the best memories of my life on that trip and I am fortunate enough to have shared them with incredible group-mates. For once in my life, I threw away logic, emptied out my savings account and did the one thing in my life I really wanted to do. I have now realized that anything is possible. You just have to open your mind and go after your dreams. The best of luck to all of you.

The whole experience had such a significant impact on me.. It allowed me to see things through a different perspective. If I were to describe my experience with one word it would be 'freeing'. I engage in life now with a spirit that is free to fly and soar to all the dreams and aspirations that I have living within. Laura Lemieux Pacific Discovery's small group size and focus on responsible travel allows you to interact with a country's local culture, customs, and environment on a much deeper level. I was able to challenge myself, both mentally and physically, and do things that I never thought I would do. I had the time of my life on the trip and would travel again with the Pacific Discovery program anytime!

Pacific Discovery is an amazing organization to travel with. Not only does it inform you about the areas you enter, but it allows you to interact with different cultures and have wonderful, life-altering experiences. The guides are incredible and the way the groups are set up is amazing. You find yourself with special bonds that no one could ever take away or understand. It was the best experience of my life. I will NEVER forget my fellow group-mates, my guides or the incredible joy of the whole experience. Thank you!

Pacific Discovery is an incredible program that enables you to explore all aspects of a new country by interacting closely with people from a diverse range of places; exploring and interacting with the land; volunteering and taking an opportunity to give back to the country, and challenging yourself to reach beyond your limits. Amy Peterson This was the most amazing 2 months of my life - I have really found inspiration from the trip and all the people I have met, to follow my own path and take risks. I have definitely gained an understanding of the 'big picture', of the world, people, and my own life...it's been a life altering experience...thank you!

When Liz first told us she wanted to do the Southeast Asia program, I was very much against it. I was afraid for her and she would be so far away. I was still afraid the day she left. But what really helped me was how organized the program was. Also, I thought the safety issues were very well handled and the online communication was great. Liz experienced first-hand very different cultures from our domineering western culture and I can't think of a more valuable learning experience. She seems to value people and their feelings and ideas now more than the material things in the culture. I have always perceived Liz as being self confident but now she is quite the adventurer and I truly admire her desire to learn and experience life to its fullest.

I look back now and I realize how much has changed. Maybe not so much on the outside but on the inside there are new thoughts, ideas, new wisdom and new attitudes towards life. The patience and compassion I found when dealing with people of different cultures and all the respect I have for the people I have met along the way. Memories of landscapes more beautiful than anything I've ever imagined have been etched into my mind. Emily Hanley The whole tour was wonderful - it was one high point after another. Pacific Discovery provided an itinerary which is imaginative and different which challenged my comfort zone at times - challenges both mental and physical. The experiences I had will stay with me for the rest of my life. I feel privileged to have shared Jennie and Roger's Southeast Asia with them. Their knowledge and love for the countries we visited made for a really special experience.

Absolutely amazing. I can say without exaggeration that it was the best trip I've ever taken! I'm actually surprised by the quality of the trip that Pacific Discovery put together. I never expected how much I would get out of this vacation. I think I especially enjoyed how non-touristy it was! A lot of people in my group expressed this same sentiment - we never felt like a tourist while we were there. We felt totally immersed in the environment and the culture, which, in my opinion, is why Pacific Discovery is such an exceptional and successful organization. They really do care about providing a quality, safe, and enjoyable atmosphere for their clients. They genuinely love what they do, and their main goal is to share the incredible places they've been with other people. I also like how they're small, and casual and friendly. I always felt comfortable contacting them with questions, and there isn't a sort of 'faceless corporation' atmosphere, which I find off-putting. I fully intend to recommend them to my friends and family, as well as travel on further trips with them.

It was better than anything I could have imagined. People were nicer, our accommodations were better, the activities were more fun, and everything surpassed all of my expectations. As cool as everything sounded in the brochure when we actually got to doing it was just amazing. Mallory Blyth An awesome experience! Requires energy, openness of mind, an interest in different cultures, a willingness to be tested in terms of our own views and practices, and an ability to enjoy and value difference. The adventure-experience is full of variety, new experiences and challenges in terms of sights, sounds, scents and landscapes very different from home. Sound organisation and great leadership.

I was looking to step out of my comfort zone and put my own life into perspective, to learn more about myself, my culture, and my goals. Pacific Discovery provided the perfect setting and opportunity to do this. The program was a perfect balance of free/introspective time, and more structured group time. Having 13 other people to share the memories with and put my experiences in a group perspective was truly valuable. I have been, and will continue keeping in close touch with my trip mates. I feel lucky to have gone deeper than the level of 'tourist' to these countries, into a much more interactive and cultural immersion role. My most intense memories are those of interacting with locals, whether at home stays, at street food stands, or at local bars. By living another culture's way of life for over two months, I now return to America with a more holistic view of my own culture, and am more conscious about my life choices.

Being with this group of people in these amazing countries has opened my eyes to the world. My perspective has broadened, my heart has opened, and my limits have been tested. I will never forget this experience! Laura Gipson I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed the Vietnam trip. Roger and Jennie were the most amazing and helpful guides.

The timing of the trip was perfect. Every time it got to a point that we were feeling a little overwhelmed or tired, we had a really nice hotel the next day or we had some time off! Overall I would rate the leaders, the organization, the timing of everything as prefect!! I thought this trip was worth $20,000! OK, maybe not that much but you get the point. Everything we did, just the level of organization you would not ever be able to put together a trip like that on your own. Having vans and trucks waiting for us in to middle of now where is worth everything!! I would recommend this trip to anyone needing an eye opening experience. This is hands down the best thing I have ever done in my life and I can't wait to go back.

My overall trip experience was... incredible, educational, empowering, moving, Insightful, exhausting and wonderfully beautiful. This trip was the best decision I have ever made, not only did I gain new friends, I walked away with a better understanding of cultures I knew nothing about, and overcame fears by facing real life obstacles. It was by far the most eye opening experience I have ever done and I would recommend it to anyone. Kacy McCracken Thanks and many thanks and even more thanks. You get the drift...we had the best trip of our life time.

Pacific Discovery is a young traveler's dream. You travel with like-minded people who become some of the best friends you'll ever have. You get to do exotic things that most people only dream about like riding elephants, trekking to remote villages and home staying in floating ones, scuba diving with sharks, swimming in phosphorescence - the list goes on. You'll have a fantastic experienced, knowledgeable, and fun leader. Not to mention it's the most affordable company you'll ever travel with. You don't just feel like you're passing through - you get the chance to give back, from speaking with Burmese refugees and Cambodian high school students to improve their English to building bio-sand water filters so people can have safe drinking water to taking impoverished kids in Phnom Penh to a water park for a day of fun. You'll learn to appreciate your own culture more through learning about theirs and you will understand that we're all really the same. This trip has made me change the way I see the world, and has made me very thankful for everything I have in life.

What a super trip that was and a wonderful group and leaders!

It was the best 2 months of my life! I HIGHLY recommend going on a trip with Pacific Discovery. You will learn so much about yourself and see so many magnificent things. The only thing I wish was that it had been twice as long!

Our trip has changed the way we see the world. Jennie and Roger gave us so many and varied opportunities to meet people and see how others live. We now realize just how far a relatively small amount of 'our' money and time will go in a Third World country. Armed with a new TEFL certificate and accompanied by my cousin, I went back to Cambodia as a volunteer for 5 weeks in 2005 assisting a group of disabled musicians who I met at the Angkor Temples. I took a second-hand laptop computer and helped them with administration, PR and English lessons, taught English in a Pagoda and in a high school in Takeo province. Since my return home I have raised money for 14 wells in the remote Sras village out of Siem Reap after meeting the modest and inspirational couple who were heading this project. We returned again in January 2007 to deliver 3 sewing machines to AAD, travel to Sras village to see the new school, the wells and the sewing shops, visit our sponsored child and the wonderful community project in Kampong Cham province and stay with our friends in Takeo province where we once again taught English at their schools and enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of their extended family. There we had the good fortune to meet up with Jennie and Roger and their Addventure VSA volunteer group from NZ who were building a new library at the high school. Noel was happy to have a building project to get stuck into and soon had his shirt off much to the amusement of the students and staff!! How wonderful it was to see the students using their new library on our last day there. We are now preparing to sponsor one of the daughters of this family to come and spend 3 months with us in Melbourne to improve her English skills. She has almost finished an English degree and hopes to become a translator. Back in Melbourne I am a volunteer tutor with AMES and teach a young Cambodian woman once a week in her home. When I see this written down I can hardly believe how much our priorities have changed over the last two years. It has certainly helped us to get our 'needs' into perspective. Thank you Pacific Discovery - it was money very well spent.

I had the most amazing time in Vietnam It was truly amazing!!!

It was more emotionally and mentally challenging than anything I have ever done and I have seen a different side of myself already. This trip not only showed me different countries and cultures, but it also showed a different me. I stepped out of my comfort zone and challenged myself in so many ways and I have to thank Pacific Discovery for that.

This trip was much more than a touristy stroll through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. We were able to truly immerse ourselves in the cultures of the places we visited through a wide range of activities that involved a lot of personal involvement with the local people. In my previous travels, I was able to take in much of the sights and sounds of the cities I visited. However, I never felt like I understood the places I visited through the perspective of local people. That is not the case for my journeys with Pacific Discovery. It seemed that with every activity, I met amazing new people and learned about their personal lives in their respective countries. I learned more than I could have ever imagined, and the true learning took place through my experiences. A person can read every book ever written on a topic, but they will never truly understand something until they see and experience it first-hand. Pacific Discovery gave me the opportunity to experience Southeast Asia in a unique way, and I will be forever grateful for the people I met and the countless things I learned during my travels.

With Pacific Discovery, you go beyond observing a new and mysterious world - you participate in it. Each day revealed a new, valuable piece of insight that I could not have obtained in a classroom. By the end, I had developed an entirely transformed understanding of myself, the world, and my relationship to the world. Richard Ellis Value for money and the best tour we have been on. The places we were taken to were well worth visiting and thought provoking.

What an amazing adventure Pacific Discovery was for Marissa. She has come back a changed person. The personal challenges she met not only strengthened and stretched her as a human being, but also enriched her life in ways that she would have never had the opportunity to experience had it not been for Pacific Discovery. You were absolutely wonderful in the support and encouragement you gave her. She's returned with some amazing insights into herself - and the world she shares with everyone. It's so nice to see her reflect on other's experiences being different from her own - and how they shape people in different ways - and that everyone has a right to be heard - even when you don't share the same view point. She had written to us that from this trip, she discovered how everyone can find a common thread somewhere - that will unite them - no matter how different they are. She absolutely loved every part of the adventure...even the testing her limits part. You made everything safe enough for her to really push herself to regions that she never would have done on her own. She found confidence in herself and an appreciation for the amazing natural resources and the peoples of New Zealand and Australia.

Paying $5,000 for a pretty much all-inclusive adventure abroad where I learn infinitely more than a normal college term, where I pay $13,000? Sweet deal! Brendan Cooper I found this tour on the internet and took a chance. I couldn't have been happier with the way the tour was organised and run. It was everything I hoped for and more.

Thanks so much to you and Rachel for helping make it happen. I had a wonderful time, both as a travel adventure and also as a good way to really understand what you are doing and how deeply it affects the students. Every one of them felt it had been a life-changing experience. I was so impressed with how well planned the whole trip was, with such a good balance of challenging experiences such as the orphanage and hospital visits, of important educational experiences such as the bird sanctuary, and of just chill time and bonding time, like swimming and eating! When I look back on how much you packed into the two weeks, I am just astonished.

I feel like you should SPREAD THE WORD about how great the programs are. I would have never heard about the program if it was not for my friend randomly typing Peru into Google's search bar. So spread the word about the amazing trips you have set up because more people should get out and learn about the world's different countries and how to travel through them. Chad Danklef I want to thank you both again for such a wonderful trip through Southeast Asia. I am so grateful for having the experiences you shared with the group. Our trip throughout southern Cambodia was most touching to me, and I don't believe I would have gotten that with anybody else, let alone, travelling on my own.

We were thrilled with the global exposure Pacific Discovery gave Gabe at just the right age. On the first trip, our confidence in your program grew in leaps and bounds once the kids started sending emails home! By the time Gabe went on the SE Asia program, we could not have been more enthusiastic. Even with a departure just after 9/11 when, you'll recall, we all had a heightened degree of concern regarding travel abroad, our confidence in you was very strong. Most appreciated was the slant Pacific Discovery gives to environmental and cultural issues. It's not easy, when travelling with a bunch of fellow countrymen, to pry them loose from each other and force 'em to experience the wonderful foreign-ness of their surroundings. We feel you're doing your best to turn the kids outward on their travels.

Absolutely amazing. This trip went above and beyond my expectations. I think the volunteer work we did was instrumental in making my time in New Zealand a life-changing experience. I feel so much more connected with the country, having spent so much time working to maintain its beauty. Volunteering gave me a unique first-hand experience that such a small percentage of the population will ever be so fortunate to participate in. Audrey Richardson We were first time travellers looking for an off the beaten track type trip with a bit of adventure. We certainly had this. We enjoyed the company of a great group of fellow travellers. The attention to detail by Pacific Discovery and the tour leaders was exceptional.

When I think about my trip to New Zealand with Pacific Discovery, a lot of things comes to my mind: a cool group, high adrenaline level activities, a wonderful kiwi leader loving his country and breathtaking landscapes. I remember the laughs, the rewarding volunteer work, the excitement to finally see a kiwi, cheering for the All Blacks, the feeling of being a resident, not a tourist and doing something good for the country. This trip is imprinted in me forever, me, a French small-town girl living le voyage de ses reves. Thank you for everything. This is the trip that anyone loving nature and adventure should do once in their life.

Some of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. Also some of the most surreal...riding on elephants, meeting Hmong hill tribe girls and swimming in huge waterfalls, made me feel like I was living some kind of adventure film. Every day brought something new and intriguing and I can't express how happy I am that I decided to do the program. I suggest that anyone with the means to do it jumps at the chance. You won't regret it! Bati Myles My overall trip experience was...amazing, unforgettable and invaluable! No exaggeration - best decision I've ever made! There's no excuse for you not to go on this trip.

Before I came on this trip, I'd travelled quite a bit in Asia on my own. I wasn't sure if it was worth joining a group tour rather than doing a similar trip independently. But I got so much more out of the trip than I would have otherwise. In the past I'd spent countless hours lugging a heavy backpack in the heat looking for a place to stay, which would frequently turn out ugly or filthy or overpriced. Instead we stayed in amazing guesthouses that were much nicer than anything I ever found on my own. All the treks we did seemed less touristy and more authentic than some of the other ones available. Our leader knew all the areas really well and could suggest things to see or do, great places to eat, and worthwhile places to go out. Finally it was really wonderful to have a group of people to share everything with. I would recommend this trip to anybody interested in Southeast Asia. I would recommend this trip to anyone who has never thought about Southeast Asia. It was a totally unforgettable experience and I had the time of my life.

I just wanted to thank you guys for offering such a fantastic program. This trip has really been amazing! I feel it has really exposed me to so many things and provided me with so much experiences and memories to last a lifetime. Thank you so much. Linda Chan Better than any other tour we have been on. We have travelled on a number of tours with various tour companies. None has enabled us to get as close to the land and people as this one. It has presented us with cultural challenges but with great support to easily meet and enjoy them. Everyday has brought a new experience. This has been the most interesting three weeks of our lives.

This experience changed my life, I first signed up for the trip not knowing what to expect, and full of nerves, but once met by the Pacific Discovery staff in Peru and the other travelers my worries soon faded. I made life-long friends on the trip, experienced once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and had the time of my life! I had never hiked or camped before this trip and had no idea how I was going to live out of a backpack for a month, but I learned and dove right into the experience. During the home stay and volunteer part of the trip I learned a lot about myself. Volunteering with the kids and seeing their world was eye opening and rewarding. My home stay family was fantastic and they welcomed me as if I was one of their own daughters. Everyone I communicated with was very patient with my Spanish skills. The adventure part of the trip was fantastic as well - hiking, camping, white water rafting and sand boarding. Peru is a friendly and breathtaking country, and would recommend this trip for anyone looking for new experiences and challenges.

The trip was so very wonderful. That was a life-altering experience. Thank you for helping it happen and give our best to Jennie and Roger, two of the very best people we have ever met.

I think the Southeast Asia program is genius! It's just so damn well planned out and thought through! How do you do it?

I am so thankful that my first big trip was with Pacific Discovery, it taught me to be responsible about travelling and the impact we all leave everywhere we go, I really think it will shape the way I travel my whole life. I not only saw, felt, tasted and heard things I could never imagine, I learned about the places we visited, along with how my visit affected those parts of the world. I gained a broader world view and was forced to challenge myself in ways I would not have done by myself. I have come back changed and excited to use what I have learned and experienced in the rest of my life. There were moments while travelling though Thailand, Lao, Vietnam and Cambodia that were so spectacular and fleeting that I was almost sad to see them pass me by because I knew I would spend a lifetime remembering that exact moment, which could never be replicated. It was a perfect trip that provided me with experiences to savour my whole life.