Volunteer Group!
How did you decide to apply for an international volunteer program? Why do you think volunteering is more meaningful than general travel?
I decided to apply to this program after a rep had come to my University to promote the program. After listening to what he had to say I was interested enough to go home and research the company. I like to travel a lot; but not only do I like to visit other countries, but being able to help out and learn something new while I am there is always the way to travel in my opinion. You get to have a better experience this way and meet tons of new people.
Why did you choose ISV?
It is one of the best ranked volunteer programs and their adventure programs are absolutely amazing. You get a lot of bang for your buck. ISV is amazing for booking the trip and communicating with you. You fill out lots of forms, but you do not have to book anything other than your flight to and from LA. All flights leave from LA. Everything is handled from there on out. They will even have ISV reps at LAX in case you need help or direction.
The volunteer programs they run are fantastic and there is such a range in six different countries. You volunteer for two weeks and then you travel for two weeks. We covered a lot of ground in two weeks on the adventure part, but it is the best experience in the world. I met tons of people that will forever be my friends. You see more stuff in two weeks than some people see in three months of being there. The volunteer part sounded to me like it was going to be a long two weeks, but it was so much fun.
The six other people I lived with became our family and the work did not seem like work. We planted trees, picked weeds, and set up a place for birds to nest. We also built a path through the jungle, I felt like I was in Jurassic Park, and it led to this Gigantic tree. This path was built so that it was safer for schools to make trips out there and learn about the environment.
White Water Rafting down the Tully River
What was your favorite part about the location of your volunteer program?
My favourite part about the location was that it was in a country that I have always wanted to travel to. The great thing about this program is you aren't just in one location. My group was lucky enough to switch cities during the volunteer part. I lived in Newcastle for one week and then North Haven for one week. Both were amazing and our accommodations were super nice. We lived in a house and then a cabin, we got to cook for each other, which was always an adventure. The adventure part of the trip we visited five cities between Cairns and Sydney. It was a lot of travelling by bus, but we were able to see so much of Australia, it is definitely a trip I will never forget.
What about the program you participated in makes it unique?
The program is unique because it brings together both volunteering as well as adventure. After working for two weeks, we are set free to have some fun in such an amazing country. They pack so much adventure into two weeks for such little money. There would have been no way I would have been able to do all those activities on my own for the same price.
How involved and supportive were local staff members during your trip?
Local staff supported us throughout the program by joining in right alongside of us. Our group was partnered up with Conservation Australia. Our ISV leader was so much fun to be around and always encouraged us, every dinner we would go around saying our favourite part of the day and he would just listen. He made sure we wouldn't go to bed to early so that the jet leg didn't hit us too bad. Our conservation leader was always there to talk and always bought us treats if we were working extra hard that day. They didn't seem like a boss but were more our motivation and our friends. Our tour guide on the adventure side of things was amazing, he made long bus rides not so boring. He always had little games going on within the group.
Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsunday Islands with the whole group (54 people)
Do you have any regrets?
This trip I went into the experience by saying I didn't want to leave with regrets. I took a leap forward and probably did things I wouldn't do on a regular basis, but one thing I did miss out on was the Sea Kayaking with the dolphins. I heard it was an amazing experience.
Describe what a day was like during your program.
A day in the life of my program changed on a daily basis. The basic day in the life of this program would be wake up around 6:30 or 7 a.m. depending on when our driver was coming to get us. Make breakfast and a lunch to take for the day. Pack the cooler and your day pack, as we never came back to the house until 5 p.m. Then we would head to wherever we were working that day.
We worked on an island for a couple of days and this included: weeding, planting trees, and marine debri. We always took a coffee break in the morning, a lunch break when we were all hungry. We would either continue with the work or go do another activity. We then went home and the two designated to make dinner would make dinner while the others showered. After dinner we usually would watch tv or go for walk down to the beach exploring the city.
A typical adventure day changed. We always got up early and went down for breakfast, which was provided. We would then all hop onto the bus and head to which ever activity was planned for the day, such as snorkelling, white water rafting, ocean rafting, or just chilling on the beach somewhere. Dinner was usually not provided, but we always travelled together and ate. Night life was crazy and super fun, every night we would do something different.
What was your favorite thing to do outside of your scheduled itinerary?
My favourite activity, that was not on the planned schedule, was bungy jumping as well as being able to just have free time to do what we wanted to, in the city we happened to be on. We were on our way to Airlie Beach and we were contacted by people there saying that there was beer and pizza on them at a restaurant in town. This was so much fun because we only had the one night and Airlie beach and we got to take a stroll through it and hang out at the restaurant without any rush or worries.
Fraser Island - largest sand island in the world
What was your accommodation like throughout your program?
During the volunteer part I lived in a house on a hill in Newcastle, it was super nice. We had three bedrooms that each had at least three bunk beds in each. We had two full bathrooms and one half bathroom. It was super nice to be able to stay in a house that had a TV room for everyone to have their own space. It was in a great location, just minutes from the beach as well as the main street in town, and not far from the train station. The second week of volunteering we stayed in two little cabins, these were a little more crammed, but were super cute and cozy. I liked these because they were in a small little town on a campground. During the adventure tour, we stayed in numerous hostels that were all very nice and clean.
After returning home, how would you say volunteering abroad has impacted your life?
Now that I have been home, my program has impacted my life greatly. I have made lifelong friends on the trip and there is not a day that goes by that I do not look back on this trip and wish I could do it all over again. Being able to volunteer as well as travel is the best way to see the world in my eyes. I tell everyone I know that is looking for volunteer trips to check ISV out because they are such an amazing program that really provides the best experience for their volunteers.
