Explore interviews with travelers, alumni, and staff from hundreds of programs.
GoAbroad interviews dive deep into the real stories of people who've studied, interned, volunteered, or traveled abroad on one of our 11,000 programs. From unforgettable adventures to honest advice, our interviews share what it's really like to go abroad. You'll also meet the staff behind the scenes—passionate people who make these programs possible and give each one its own unique vibe. Whether you're looking for inspiration or trying to choose the right path, our interviews will give you the insider scoop you can't find anywhere else.
I have always had a passion for nature and conservation, which inspired me to pursue the Honorary Ranger course with SANParks. While working in fields that did not directly focus on conservation, including oyster farming and commercial diving, I witnessed some of the environmental challenges associated with these industries. This motivated me to pursue a career where I could make a positive difference. During a job interview in Cape Town, I learned about an opportunity at Oceans Research Institute and immediately saw it as the perfect chance to combine my passion for nature with meaningful work. Here I would be able to contribute to conservation, and become part of the change I wanted to see.
Spanish Antigua is part of my family's history. My father founded the school in 1978 with the belief that learning a language should bring people closer together. Growing up around that vision gave me a lifelong appreciation for education and cultural exchange. After developing my own career in psychology, education, and tourism, I felt inspired to contribute to the school's next chapter. I want to honor what my father built while helping our teachers and students thrive today. For me, this work brings together my professional experience and something deeply personal: preserving a welcoming space where people from different backgrounds can learn from one another. That inspires me every day!!
I am a pre-med student at the University of Notre Dame and a certified EMT, and I want to become a surgeon. Working 911 calls showed me how much medicine depends on connecting with people in their most vulnerable moments. I wanted to see how physicians practice in a resource-limited setting, use my Spanish in real patient care, and find out what medicine looks like when you strip it down to its core.
I came to Malta by chance in 2015, to learn English for a summer, mostly because my girlfriend, now my wife, practically made me go. Living it as a student, I noticed there was no agency in Malta itself offering a truly personal service. Agencies were based in the students' home countries and often didn't really know what they were selling: they had never lived in the city, never visited the schools and couldn't tell a student what a normal week would feel like. We wanted to give students that personal experience, with the knowledge of someone who actually lives in the destination and can answer from experience, not from a brochure. That's how Vivirse started, and it is still the reason I do this every day.
I have always loved travelling and discovering new cultures, but I wanted to do something more meaningful than simply visiting a country as a tourist. Volunteering abroad felt like the perfect opportunity to connect with local communities, learn from people with different backgrounds, and make a positive contribution along the way. As an animal lover and passionate nature photographer, I was also excited to discover Colombia’s incredible wildlife and culture. I hoped this experience would help me grow personally, improve my Spanish, and inspire me to continue volunteering in other parts of the world.
I was inspired to go abroad because I wanted to experience a different culture, meet new people, and do something meaningful outside of my everyday routine. I was drawn to the opportunity to immerse myself in a new community, learn from the people around me, and make a positive impact while gaining a new perspective on the world.
After completing my MA in Applied Linguistics at San Diego State University, I was looking for a safe, family-oriented place to raise my son while continuing my remote work in the TEFL/TESOL industry. Nosara welcomed my family and me with open arms, and we found a community where we could imagine building a life.
When I was later laid off from my remote position, it became the catalyst to pursue a longtime dream: running my own language school. It wasn’t quite the route I had planned, but my professional background, the community we had found, and the opportunity came together. NSI gave me a way to put my education and experience into practice while helping others connect through language. It all felt very serendipitous, and I’ve never looked back. The connections students build with local people and one another continue to make the work rewarding.
After living and working in Central America for many years, I wanted to work for an organization that was truly connected to the communities it served. I was drawn to Give & Surf because we work with different communities experiencing poverty and, importantly, our programs are right in their neighborhoods.
I've always enjoyed meeting people from different parts of the world, learning about their cultures, and sharing my own. That's what initially attracted me to Go-Elective. I loved the idea of helping international students experience Kenya beyond the usual tourist attractions, through clinical placements, volunteering, cultural activities, and everyday interactions with local communities.
I was also inspired by the organization's commitment to making international clinical experiences more affordable and accessible. What makes the work especially rewarding is watching students arrive in a completely new environment, gradually become comfortable, build friendships, and leave with experiences they'll remember for years. Sometimes they even wish they could stay longer, and that's always lovely to hear!
As a pre-med student, I wanted to experience healthcare outside the United States and get a better understanding of what a career in medicine involves. Going to Kenya gave me the opportunity to observe doctors in a different healthcare system while experiencing a new culture. I was especially interested in surgery and emergency medicine, so being able to shadow in those departments made the trip particularly meaningful.
I was inspired to go abroad because I wanted to step outside my comfort zone, discover a new culture, and gain experiences that would help me grow as a person. I wanted to meet people from different backgrounds, learn about their daily lives, and contribute to a local community in a meaningful way. Volunteering abroad also appealed to me because I could combine my interest in education with the opportunity to make connections, learn new perspectives, and create memories that would stay with me long after returning home.
What inspired me most to work for this company is definitely its attitude and its core values, which are the foundation of everything it does. The most important to me are care for others, mutual respect, and the commitment to giving everyone who joins the program an unforgettable experience that goes far beyond a simple study-abroad trip.
After previously going to Africa on a family trip, I knew I wanted to experience its healthcare side. I could not think of a better way than to do an internship there. I have seen many people do internships across the world, but not many who have chosen Africa. I knew I was going to love it as soon as the idea popped into my head!
I was an au pair with this agency first, so I saw how much effort they put into supporting and caring for au pairs. Whenever I needed help - visiting a doctor, fixing my phone, sending things abroad, or dealing with other problems - they were always ready to assist me. I really appreciated that, and it made me want to become someone who could also support foreigners coming to China for the Au Pair Program.
I wanted to work abroad and experience a completely different environment, and when I saw that there was an open position here, it felt like a really good opportunity for me.
After a financial disaster with a failed franchise venture, which led to my divorce after 25 years of marriage. I wanted to escape the UK, travel to parts of the world I had never visited, and do some useful environmental conservation work. I specifically wanted to go to Southeast Asia, an area that had fascinated me from an early age.
I have always been curious about the world and wanted to see what life is like beyond Germany. For me, traveling has never been only about visiting famous places or taking pictures. I wanted to meet people, understand other ways of living, and become part of another culture for a while.
Ever since I can remember, I have imagined myself exploring the world. I never imagined it would be this easy. When I was in university, I took every opportunity to go abroad. Of course, I went to closer places; the farthest I reached was Azerbaijan. But when I finished university, I finally found myself having all the time in the world to actually live abroad, not just traveling, but really inmerse myself in the culture.
For me, I had never left my country before, and I wanted to see a new part of the world somehow. I think it is important to get out of your comfort zone at a young age, especially by exposing yourself to a new culture and new people. If I had to give another reason is that it is a great excuse to learn a new language, which is also a useful thing to have under your belt.
I was inspired to work with Volunteer Safari Initiative by my passion for tourism, conservation, and community empowerment. Through my experience in tourism, I realized that travel can be much more than visiting beautiful destinations—it can be a powerful tool for learning, creating connections, and making a positive difference.
