Plan My Gap Year (PMGY) - Tunbridge Wells

Sadie T.

Amazing experience with PMGY!
My experience with Plan My Gap Year in Cape Town was fantastic. Cape Town is an amazing city with so much to do, and the volunteering project was such an incredible experience. Everyone in the volunteer house was so lovely and the facilities were good. I would definitely recommend the 3-day Garden Route trip, it was a big highlight of the trip.

Katie C.

I recently signed up with two friends to volunteer in the day-care sector of PMGY Tanzania. The experience start to finish was amazing. Upon arrival at the airport the pick-up service removed the stress of when you first arrive in a new place. The volunteer house was simple but had a nice family feel. The coordinators did an excellent job at looking after you and making sure you settled in okay, I would definitely say you don't need to worry about feeling lost if you're going solo!
The volunteering was rewarding and everyone I interacted with in Arusha was very kind and helpful. I felt safe walking to and from placement every day. The volunteering itself consisted of working in a day care which had around one hundred children aged from one to six. Each day care and school was different but the one I was placed in had very little resources so I would advise thinking of some activities or bringing some tools that you can use to teach and entertain the children. I bought my speaker to day care everyday and the children loved it! The volunteering itself was my favourite part of the trip and I think its a great experience to do.
There are so many activities you can do after placement and on the weekends. I stayed for three weeks and went on a safari one weekend and to Zanzibar the next! PMGY organise the safari so all you have to do is pay and they can also help to organise any other trips you may want to do. All in all I would recommend to anyone.

emily M.

I absolutely loved everything about volunteering with pmgy!! I did childcare volunteering for 5 weeks! I extended my time as I was living it so much! It’s like a big family, they help you with everything and truly care! the rooms are comfortable and the food is really nice although a bit repetitive. We extended our visas and the process was easy with pmgy. The volunteering was so much fun and the kids are the best, so eager to learn making it feel so rewarding. Thank you for the best time plan my gap year Bali!!❤️

Rach K.

If your thinking about it, just book!

6 months ago today I’d booked with PMGY, quit my job, packed my bags and I was on my way to Ghana (thinking what on earth am I doing?!). I spent months and months going over it in my head and eventually just went for it and it is the best decision I have ever ever made! PMGY are simply amazing. Every country I have been to, every project, every member of staff I have met/spoken to, every weekend trip I’ve been on; has just been outstanding! Every new volunteer I meet asks which country has been my favourite and I just can’t answer, every destination has been great for all different reasons!

Ghana is a very authentic experience and you really really make a difference at the projects. The people in Ghana are so full of life and infectious energy!

Tanzania is such a beautiful country with some amazing day/weekend travel opportunities. Safaris, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar- beautiful! The childcare project at Rafiki School is just the best!

South Africa (Game Reserve) was insane! Working with the big 5 everyday, taking care of the ones in the rehabilitation centre, going out on game drives and helping maintain the reserve, very surreal! The accommodation is great and you have access to all of the hotel facilities too!

Sri Lanka is everything! Projects, travelling, partying, relaxing… you name it we did it! Staff are amazing and the friendliest people I’ve ever met- I miss it sooo much! It felt and still feels like home even though I’ve left.

I’m now in India (which is equally as amazing) and will be moving onto Nepal, Bali and hopefully Vietnam if my savings can stretch to it!

My biggest worry was being homesick but having a routine with the volunteering, living at the houses and having the staff around to help with anything straight away; has really helped. Every weekend I go away travelling and always look forward to going back ‘home’ to the volunteer house afterwards.

I can’t wait to see what the rest of my year has in store! Thank you PMGY!

Natasha B.

I booked with PMGY to go to Bali in 2018. Booking is a simple process. Josh was very helpful and provided the Volunteer Handbook which is brilliant. It's a book of helpful tips regarding the region you are travelling to, what to expect regarding culture differences, dress codes, meals, details of the project and more. Very thorough guide which helps when you're travelling alone for the first time. Once I arrived in Denpasar airport, I was greeted and taken straight to the volunteer house where I was shown my room. I wasn't told what was going to happen the following day by anyone official, but the other volunteers had the information.However, I do believe this was because I arrived before the PMGY co-ordinators had arrived however, but I met them halfway through my trip. Steph is lovely, really helpful and always works hard to ensure you are happy as much as she can, very positive and dependable. She now works in the PMGY UK office and has still been as great and positive as always. Adriana was really lovely too, bur I believe the co-ordinators in Bali change yearly. Ketut, Indra, Rush and Krishna (the family you will be staying with, at the volunteer house) are so welcoming and so so lovely. Ketut was known to everyone as the Balinese Mum because she was always there to offer some great advice, comforting words and a bright smile. For a lot of the volunteers, this is the first time being away from home, and being in such a different place, so far and in a different time zone with a hugely different culture than the Westernised one, having Ketut there was wonderful. She really makes the personal difference from just being another volunteer to family. The accommodation is really great, lots of common areas to socialise, the rooms are nice and do frequently have warm water (but not constantly). Some rooms are nicer than others, but even the "lower ranked' rooms are cosy and nice. Rush (Ketut's husband) builds the rooms himself and if there are any issues is there to help. The food is really good, but if you don't like rice, I would reconsider! Tabanan is the area in which rice seems to be mass produced and it will essentially be your entire diet. The rice is usually served with some kind of meat, vegetables and sometimes potatoes or pasta, and occasional noodles. I know there were a lot of good options for vegetarians too. I was on the wildlife project, where I worked with various monkeys, crocodiles in a range of sizes, birds such as cockatoos, macaques and horn bills (my favourite) and also a friendly sun bear named Balou. You will be on project Monday-Thursday and will either work from 8-11am or 2-4pm. Sometimes you get the opportunity to go to a turtle or cat sanctuary if there are a lot of volunteers. Typical work would be to cut fruit for the animals, feed them and then clean their cages when they are finished. A lot of the work may be thinking on your feet and using your initiative as there may seem like little work, but there is always something to do. On the weekends (Friday-Sunday) you are free to do as you please. Whilst Bali is a small island there is an ENORMOUS range of things to do, whether you head up north and do some adrenaline filled activities such as waterfall jumping or paragliding in Lovina, or if you want to head down south and go to Asias largest waterpark, WATERBOM, or head to the Gili Islands to the east of Bali. There is a huge amount to do and a wonderful mix between traditional Balinese culture, and the growing tourism market where Westernised culture is being implemented.
For anyone coming here, I would say come with no expectations, and you will have an amazing time. You will be blown away by the friendliness of the family, making new friends and the work you contribute to the projects. Don't even think before booking, just book it. With an open mind, you will have the most incredible experience.

Robbie H.

PMGY have been absolutely fantastic at making my first time travelling beyond safe and enjoyable. As a 17 year old, fresh out of high school, PMGY were the ideal company to go through as the support leading up to arriving in India for the medical project, as well as constantly throughout. The house in Faridabad is absolutely incredible and has the loveliest homely feel to it. Vishy takes care of you ridiculously well and him and the team never leave you feeling like you need anything - there is so much support and you are looked after so well! The medical project involved leaving the house with a local doctor and travelling to the location of that days project. This may include hospitals, old-age homes, nursing homes, slums or housing complexes. The work you would participate in on project included basic health checks (blood pressure, blood sugar, weigh-in etc.) and a brief consultation with patients to find out what problems they are having. You would complete this as part of the team, along with the oversight of the doctor, who would also decide what medications the patient needed and could be given at the time. You generally spent 3-4 hours on the project - usually seeing around 20-30 patients - before returning to the house for lunch, all of which is prepared for you by local ladies in the house. I spent 4 weeks in India, which I felt was the perfect amount of time to become acquainted with the local area, the team and go on a number of weekend trips (all of which Vishy will organise for you!) I cannot recommend PMGY enough!

Esha S.

Amazing experience!
The staff at PMGY were so helpful and organised so much for us. Everyday there was something going on, whether that be a culture night with traditional dancing, henna and sari night or an opportunity to try Tuktuk driving lessons, there was something for everyone!
The volunteering was very well structured, a great opportunity to help the local community and make an impact. I spent the first two weeks of my trip taking part in the childcare project, where I played with the children as well as taught them some basic English, such as colours and the alphabet. The final two weeks I spent on the dog project – I really enjoyed looking after the puppies, daily tasks included walking and bathing the dogs as well as giving them medicine. One day we even had the chance to take the dogs to the beach and help them swim, this was so much fun! Overall, I really enjoyed the mornings volunteering and found the experience very rewarding!
As well as the volunteering during the week, the weekends were also very enjoyable. I took part in two of the PMGY weekend trips – the Maldives chill out weekend and the Cultural Triangle Trip. Maldives was so beautiful and a great chance to take part in activities such as paddle boarding and snorkelling as well as relax in between the busy weekdays. The Cultural Triangle Trip was also amazing, and I think the day where we went on the elephant safari was my favourite day of the 4 weeks!
Overall, I had the best month volunteering with Plan My Gap Year and highly recommend visiting Sri Lanka!

Tali E.

I had the best time on my trip, and was very quickly immersed in a completely new culture and trying things I never thought I would. There was 24/7 access to support within the volunteer house which provided much comfort of safety.

There are so many volunteers and so it is very easy to meet your sort of people very quickly. My friends and I had the best time and would do it all over again.

The weekend trips are very well planned. They provide you with a packed weekend filled with must-see activities. It was also another chance to meet more of the pmgy volunteers and socialise.
I recommend doing the weekend trips that have plan my gap year staff attending, and aren’t with a private company. Due to the fact that this means you don’t have the support for that weekend. For example, the Maldives weekend is run by a private company and so no plan my gap year staff attend and you need to be extra careful.

Meeting lots of friends from across the world and seeing a whole new culture and side to life was a highlight.

One thing that I think could be improved, is that the volunteer programmes only run for a couple of hours each day and so I believe more of a difference could be made if this was lengthened.

There was a good private tuktuk service provided by plan my gap year which meant it was very easy to get around safely.