Gap Year Experiential Learning Programs

Would absolutely recommend this program to anybody looking to experience Chinese culture! You’ve got to be able to roll with the punches, and learn to manage your time well, but the rewards are so worth it. Being an au pair is incredible for learning Chinese, as you get to learn as you teach. The friendship I made with my kiddo was the highlight of the whole experience!!! LoPair is amazing at finding great host families, on top of creating a great support system during your stay.

It has been an incredible experience. I was able to fulfill my dream of studying Chinese and getting to know this beautiful country. Also, meeting my "little friend," being able to teach her English and share time with her, has made me very happy. Being part of a Chinese family has been a challenge because of cultural differences, but it has been a beautiful experience.

I was in Quepos for 6 weeks did Spanish classes, surf classes and two volunteer projects (working with kids and teaching english). I made a lot of new friends, got more independent and experienced an amazing country like a local.

My experience in Guangzhou was amazing thanks to my host family, surely not thanks to the agency, especially after getting to China, the agent following me was not interested in me and disrespectful. I was forced to anticipate my flight two days before my expected departure, not even a little bit of empathy or understanding, she was just forcing me to make a decision quickly, furthermore on the day of my departure and the following days, no one asked me about how the flight was, if I was home safe, she just texted me on the morning of the flight, no good morning or greetings, just telling me “don’t miss the flight”. Quite disappointing approach.

I strongly recommend LoPair for an experience as an au pair in China! The staff has always been helpful whenever i had questions, and they were extremely supportive throughout my experience. Not only is this an amazing opportunity to learn more about the culture, history and traditions of the country, but it’s also an excellent way to learn Chinese and make new friends. Every month the staff will also plan a cultural activity for all au pairs, giving us the chance to try different crafts and meet up together.

One thing I appreciate about this program is that you are able to focus on just living. Before taking the leap, I constantly made decisions around bills and working. For the time I have been here, I have met amazing people that have changed the course of my life and learned from teachers who taught me lessons beyond just Chinese. I am not saying that your experience will always be easy, but the plot is well worth it.

I went into Seamester feeling excited, nervous and worried that my expectations were unrealistically high! I can not stress enough that I was so wrong, Seamester blew my mind, it was more incredible than I could ever have began to imagine. I can not recommend this program enough, you will experience once in a lifetime things and see incredible places. More than that you will learn, learn about the world the ocean and most importantly yourself. You will be challenged in the best way possible and truthfully flourish. I owe this program so much and would do it again in a heartbeat. Go in with a smile and an open mind and it will not disappoint.

I came to Argentina with mente Argentina for the first time and it was a really good experience ! It’s perfect if you want to make friends and contacts really quickly, the atmosphere is warm, people are really nice and the activities are amazing ! I did the barman program during 1 month and it was really resourceful but I ended up staying in Argentina longer using Mente Argentinas apartment. Even if I was technically not with Mente anymore, I kept really good friendships from mente Argentina as I was in the shared apartment option. The apartment has everything you need to make your stay comfortable, it was also close to marketplaces, bars etc. This option is also really good if you want to make friends fast ! I recommend entirely !

I did a 8 month long gap year in Peru with Maximo Nivel doing various voluntary works. Each one of them was truly amazing, organized by great people and unbelievable hospitality. Special shoutout goes to Fanny, my homestay for all of my time here. She really made us part of her family and shared the Peruvian culture to us. The working staff at the Maximo Office are also super supportive and trying to max your experience the country (shoutout to Lucas!). I would recommend this organization to anyone.

My semester abroad in Nepal was one of the most influential and memorable three months of my life - even years on afterwards! This trip pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best ways - learning to bargain, figuring things out for myself in a place that was completely new to me, fumbling (but loving!) learning Nepali and the excitement of speaking to people in rural villages and learning about what their lives were like, pushing myself physically when it came to trekking, eating so many momos (delicious!), and feeling the extraordinary peace of days of silence at the Buddhist monastery. The instructors were also incredibly supportive and helped me make connections for my independent study project (theater in Kathmandu). I came back from Nepal with so much more confidence in myself and my abilities; I would not trade this experience for anything!

Going to Nepal changed my entire life. I wish I could go back. The experiences I had, the people I met, the food… I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to go. The trip was well organized and I always felt safe. I knew I could rely on my team leads. There were numerous opportunities to lean into activities that I was interested in, and I felt an appropriate amount of freedom and boundaries which are both very important when traveling to a foreign country!! I would recommend a dragons program to anyone. It’s not an experience you come to regret.

My gap program with Dragons in China and Southeast Asia was truly a remarkable experience. Doing homestays in Cambodia, Laos, and China are experiences that I'll remember for the rest of my life. The instructors were excellent and managed to both challenge the group and make sure that everyone was always supported and had everything they needed. I learned a lot from their instruction, but the full immersion in local culture was my favorite part.

Over 10 years ago I had the most incredible gap year experience in Bolivia and Peru with Where there be Dragons. The knowledge I gathered during that trip continues to inform my thinking and career path today. My time in Bolivia and Peru, learning about international development through the lens of host families, local NGOs, civil society organizations, and the Where there be Dragons staff themselves inspired me to pursue an undergraduate degree (and now graduate!) in international studies, Spanish, development, and policy. I have spent 10 years living, working, and studying in Washington DC and continue to reference this experience in job interviews and graduate program applications. Shockingly, all of this isn't even the best part of the experience. Instead, it's the relationships and friendships built that continue to last the test of time. In the past year I've seen three dragons friends around the US, and over the past ten years there's been countless reunions and catch ups. Would highly recommend this program to anyone looking for experiential learning opportunities that seamlessly blend intense outdoor exploration, independent study, and cultural immersion- as well as of course lifetime friendships.

SAS as a recent high school graduate was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I am so grateful for the opportunity to sail on the Fall 25 voyage as an international gap year student. The experience as a whole was so unique and I truly do not believe that you can find such a program anywhere else. The accommodation was so surreal because I got to wake up and see the waves as we sailed across the world. The community SAS builds is welcoming and kind because whenever I had a problem on the ship or in port, I never once felt alone or stranded. There will always be someone in your corner, which I appreciated. A massive thank you especially to the crew members on the ship who always make an effort to get to know your name, check in and give you a smile or laugh whenever you're stressed by travel planning, relationships and/or academics. The food does get quite repetitive if I'm being honest but it's truly a blessing to have such skilled crew members who can create delicious and nutritious meals in the middle of nowhere on the ocean. Pro tip: always get your cake first cause everyone loves the cake and it's always the first to go. In terms of academics. there are a variety of courses and I loved how everything always tied back to our in-port experiences, which allowed us to reflect on our SAS journey deeply, which I think was a crucial aid in how I developed and matured as a person. This was a great bridge between high school and university because I feel that I came out more mature, socially aware and ready for adult life. I also never felt that I couldn't make new friends because everyone is so open and you get to interact with a lot of diversity due to the various represented cultures, backgrounds, religions, nationalities etc. Til now, I am so grateful for the friends I made on SAS and we keep in touch almost daily as we plan our reunion trips. If I had one piece of advice for whoever's reading this, is that you will never truly see and understand the world around you until you're interacting with various people on the ship and in port. So do it!!! You will never regret SAS, I can promise you that :p

Was the best time and experience of my life it is so fun to be apart of the experience you never feel left out you will always feel like you are apart of the group with helping everyone and everyone will always be there for you

This program taught me a lot about myself and giving up. The river rafting was a bit much but it was a fantastic experience for me to learn from. It gave me a big realisation that life really isn’t easy but we all made it all of the Warriors i loved it so much!

At warriors Academy I grew mentally, physically, and socially. The facilitators were supportive, the adventurers pushed my limits, and I made lifelong friends. Truly and awesome experience I’d do again.

This only being my first Quest of this Warriors Academy experience has already been amazing every single little thing. The people, activities and the environment all just awesome and breathtaking nothing that would make you feel negative just positive and that overall is amazing!!

Before we went rafting down the olifants River we went on a 3 day hike and after that we got to my fav part the rafting where we went down the river we crossed rapids and saw such beautiful views. I felt amazing while doing the whole activity

U will never find an experience like warriors Its filled with talented individuals who provide u with comfort, help u grow, find peace and care about u. There is no other words to describe warriors than the word fenominal