Trekking Programs in Australia

Pacific Discovery gave me one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. The 10-week gap year program was a perfect mix of adventure, learning, and personal growth. The staff were very knowledgeable, and always there to encourage us. I left with lifelong friends and memories, plus a newfound appreciation for nature and different cultures. If you're looking for a meaningful, eye opening adventure, I can't recommend Pacific Discovery enough!

The Australia and New Zealand semester was the most amazing trip I’ve ever been on! From the beautiful beaches of AUS to the stunning southern alps of New Zealand, every single activity and view on this trip was amazing. There is nowhere I would rather have spent the last 70 days, and no group I would rather have been with!

I had an amazing time with amazing people on the Australia New Zealand Gap semester! It was an incredible program that showed us how to live and travel more sustainably, make the most of our time with every experience, and learn from others we meet along the way! I definitely recommend this program!!

The three times our daughter has participated in Action Quest summer camps all three have surpassed ours and her expactations, in all aspects. It has giving her so much confidence, knowledge, it has helped empower her to become an independent and resposible teen. Ready for her next adventure, anywhere she so chooses!

I loved my experience at Action Quest so much, I ended up going three years in a row! The BVIs are such an amazing place and the sailing, scuba, and activities make it even more rewarding. I’ve also made some of my life long friends at AQ, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

This experience absolutely blew my mind. You are surrounded with the best people, while having the time of your life. We live on a sailboat for either 17 or 21 days, learning to sail, scuba dive, as well as many other activities. The counselors and staff are the best I have ever had at a camp, always supporting, encouraging, and helping us along the way. The community that is built on your boat is one of a kind, I have made lifelong friends who come from all over the world. Furthermore, you are able to learn and improve many life skills, like teamwork, collaboration, or small things like cooking and cleaning. Some may think that close quarters is frustrating and cramped, but I have never minded, it teaches you to share your space and made me even closer with my roommates. Additionally, we are able to learn and explore the beautiful BVI's. You develop such a love for the islands, and some programs even get to help restore the BVI's from past hurricane damage. I have done the Vega and Carina programs, furthering my diving and sailing skills each year. I have no negative memory from camp, except from the day that we had to leave and go home. Being in the fleet is such an empowering and amazing feeling, whether it was race day or barbeques at Sandy Spit. I have had so many people at school and back home ask about ActionQuest, asking me how it was and wondering if they should go. Every single time, I always encourage them. I truly believe that this was the best experience I could ever ask for. Compared to every other summer/sleepaway camp I've done, the community created outdoes everything else. When I walked into the marina for my second year, I immediately was greeted by my friends and counselors from the year before. The memories created aboard will never leave you, and the family that you form with your "shippies" will live on forever. ActionQuest most definitely exceeded every single expectation that I had.

I would suggest this program to anyone. I met some of my best friends, learned so much about diving and sailing, and even used it to get into all my desired colleges by writing my essay about my experience.

Action Quest gave me a opportunity that I never would see myself doing, In 3 weeks I was able to learn to scuba dive, sail and make friends, The people I met inspired and encouraged me and made me feel like they were my family, I felt safe and respected by everyone there, I’m proud to call Action Quest my second home!!

My whole family has engaged in Action Quest's programs. I specifically went to please my family, yet I found myself having the time of my life. During my time in the Vega program, I made friends, had unforgettable experiences, and got to know cultures and areas I otherwise wouldn't have been exposed to. When people ask me what I do during summer, I jump at the chance to say: I spent 3 weeks sailing the caribbean and getting "scuba certy" with 11 other kids at THE summer camp known as Action Quest. The first questions I most frequently recieve are: How did you all fit on a sail boat? How did you sleep? and, What did you eat? To which I reply: We managed our space well thanks to our VERY organized and well-prepped counselors, We often slept on the tramp at the bow like burritos and we'd fall asleep quite easily to the smell of salty air, the star-filled sky, and the slight sound of the ever so often coming gusts of wind. The cooking, on the other hand, fell into the explanation of the chore chart and how, even as lazy teenagers, we'd come together and pull our load! Experience wise, AQ gave me everything they had to offer, the staff were always present, aware, and engaging. As I'd experienced a serious alergic reaction to a jellyfish sting years prior which led to a three day hospital visit, the day I arrived I met with James who assured me they'd do their best to keep me safe, with epi-pens on board, extra shower buckets if necessary, etc. The activities were fun but always required safety (which was greatly appreciated on those wakeboarding wipeouts), the "townhalls" with Mike brought the community together, our trip to spanish town brought only laughs to our crowd, the bbq night was filled with dance and sights of pure joy. After every dinner we'd have our nightly session of "squeeze" where the skipper otd would pose a question to which everyone would contribute a special and unique answer, and if we got lucky, we'd get a special guest appearance from the 3 ft long barracudas swimming below us. When a boat had a covid outbreak, it was delt with flawlessly and all of us took the required measures to keep healthy. Action Quest for me was a life changing experience that taught me independence, responsability, compassion, and more importantly, it brought me closer to the world of sailing and diving of which I'm so fond of. Now, I know I could keep spouting about the wonders of AQ endlessly so I'll keep it short and mention simply one more thing. Do it. Go. and don't miss out because I PROMISE you won't regret it.

Having been to an action quest camp for 2 years it has easily been the best thing I have ever done. From living on a boat with some of the coolest people to diving the most beautiful places in the world every second of the camp is amazing.

Action Quest provided me with a second home and family. Currently, my favorite people on the entire planet are the ones that were on my boat this past session. Scuba diving and sailing are the most amazing activities ever, and I cannot believe I was able to breathe underwater and see many creatures you never get to see on a regular basis. Sailing is so calming and it helped me to forget everything stressful in my life and just focus on the waves and horizon. I seriously cannot say enough about how close I got to my shipmates and the impact they've had on me as a person. I hope that everyone can experience something like this once in their life, and I am so grateful to have done so myself. The best thing about Action Quest is the people that you meet; there are no connections like the ones you make living on a boat with someone.

I volunteered at Nakavango in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, as part of the IVHQ Wildlife Conservation Project. It truly was one of the highlights of my life. And I’ve had some pretty remarkable experiences so that says a lot. The staff a Nakavango was incredible and extremely knowledgeable. They create the perfect balance of hard work and joyous moments playing with the children at Masuwe School, observing wildlife in the bush, and taking in the sights of one of the seven wonders of the world. We each had our own room, were provided three yummy meals a day with great care to accommodate those who have special diets. Highlights of my stay included morning and evening game drives, sitting around the fire pit under the stars, camping out in the bush, and completing a work task feeling that we had made progress on a project. Yet, the most outstanding aspect of this experience for me, was bonding with my fellow volunteers. Prior to arriving at Nakavango, I thought I’d be the senior member of the crew so I was a bit apprehensive even though I had worked for weeks to get in shape physically so I could contribute equally. Well, I wasn’t the most senior. In fact, we had a wonderful range of ages, nationalities, and personalities. We became a family, caring for and respectful of all. That truly blew me away. And now, we continue to stay in touch. I am so grateful for the IVHQ program at Nakavango. It changed my life!

My son went to Australia with GoBeyond when he was 15. He had an unforgettable experience. GoBeyond is an amazing company, extremely well organized. They even help with booking the flight and all the details, and I didn't have to worry about anything. I can't say enough good things about them.

Superb program for sailing, diving and marine biology. But even better for learning social skills - independence, confidence, teamwork. All the staff on the boats were awesome. My child could not stop talking about the amazing crew. He came back with an increased appreciation of his creature comforts at home, but also with the confidence that he can adapt to physical discomfort. He can't wait to be back next summer and has kept in touch with all the kids from his boat. Because of Covid, the travel requirements for BVI were onerous. AQ's procedures were thorough and helped us prepare all the documentation. However, AQ's stated policy is that students arriving late will not be admitted. My child's flight was canceled 8 hours before flight time; the rebooked flight was delayed 6 hours because the airline crew was not available. 4 kids, including mine, were late to the program but AQ made arrangements to put them up in a hotel and let them join their boats the next day. We are so grateful that AQ was able to make the accommodation. Given the uncertainty with travel and the now frequent flight delays and cancellations, I hope AQ will revise their late arrivals policy.

Our son is definitely more confident, talkative, empathetic and motivated about his future after coming back from his trip. The perfect combination of independence, co-living, learning and no electronics! I loved having the blogs to read, so kudos for those. On a non-CoVid year, I could see that this is a well-worn path that AQ has perfected over the years, but they should be commended for stepping up and adapting to the CoVid testing, restrictions, and challenges this summer presented.

It was a great experience for my child. Not only fun but for growth as a person and for learning teamwork and some independence and responsibility. Beyond the training, I think it is great preparation for life. Teenagers are put in a position where they are away from their parents interference, away from devices and with total strangers and have to work together to get through each day. Everyone has responsibilities and expectations. This is not a luxury boat where someone is serving them and pampering them. They have to take care of themselves and others and be part of a team. That can be difficult to replicate at home. I think it has left my child with the sense that when he goes off to college, he can take care of himself and work with a group of strangers.

Action Quest has been one of, if not the best, opportunities of my life and I wish that everyone could have the opportunity to experience it, because everything is truly amazing. Everything. But seriously, the diving, sailing, marine biology, etc are great but you can’t beat the people. The people you meet are what really make the program special.

When I went into this semester I was expecting things to be easy breezy and for us to just travel around look at some kangaroos and laugh. While that did make up a lot of the time this semester, I was happily surprised at the challenges that were presented to me during this semester. I was challenged physically through backpacking in Nelson Lakes in the middle of a wind and rain storm, I was challenged mentally with learning how to coexist with 14 other people who I had never meet before. Through all these challenges I learned so much about myself and my limits and about other people and how to respect but also push there limits a bit. I met some people on this trip who continue to impact my life, I stay in touch with lots of them and have even traveled to visit them here in the US. My instructors, Richard and Karlee, have also continued to influence me even after leaving the program. The Australia and New Zealand semester really brought me down to my raw form and the help rebuild me into someone who I wanted to be and I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to meet all these people and see all these things because without that experience I know I wouldn't have the courage to go after the things I want now.

This is an opportunity to offer our congratulations to all of the Go Beyond team for delivering an amazing, wholly immersive and truly inspiring experience which will stay with our Son for many years to come. Our Son thoroughly enjoyed the experience of tagging turtles, and he felt very honoured to be able to do a small bit to assist in the reconstruction of the BVI. Moreover, he much enjoyed meeting so many new friends from across the world. All in all an amazing experience for him - he has grown up enormously as a consequence - thank you.

Both my son and daughter have been lucky enough to have experienced the sailing and diving program in the BVI's for two summers each. Their personal growth and increased self confidence was noticeable after each time. The friends and staff will be a part of their life for ever. Just a unique and incredible experience. We are very thankful to the ActionQuest Family!