Xtreme Gap Year

One word to describe my four weeks backpacking Thailand with Xtreme Gap would be "crazy". During that month, I went from living beside elephants in rural Thailand, to fine dining at the top of the Baiyoke Tower, to snorkeling off the coast of Koh Tao, to dancing at the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan. Xtreme Gap had everyday planned with tons of different activities yet enough free time to explore and have fun at night. I made some great friends from all over the world through this program and we definitely share some unforgettable memories.

The only thing that was a bit lacking about Xtreme Gap was the service as they weren't super communicative and I really didn't know what to expect of the trip besides what was on the website (though there is tons of info there). Both our tour guides were great at leading us around and giving advice but sometimes it felt like we had to tell them what to do. There also were quite a few times we had to pay for activities which we felt was a bit strange. But all in all we got from place to place safely and on time and the trip was overall amazing. Just "trust the process" as everything works out great and you'll have an unbelievable time! I would definitely recommend!

I did the Xtreme Thailand Experience which was good but not necessarily because of the company. The people I had in my group were so cool and the tour guide we had was the best.

I initially had a problem with Xtreme Gap because they are very vague with their itinerary and the information on their website, which opens door to confusion that they DO NOT want to be accountable for. For example, I picked the Open Water Diving option yet they have SPECIFIC swimming requirements that I can't reach which wasn't on the website. If I had known, I obviously wouldn't have picked it because am I trying to drown in that water? Yet they do not want to give me the difference back when I pick another option. I'm certain this has happened with others and they still haven't changed it by adding more information to the website, indicating they enjoy scamming people. I had let them know that this had clouded my time here (1 week in, out of 4 weeks) and for 100 quid basically they're saying "that's your problem". For a big company like this, I'd expect better.

The staff that answer the emails are rude and quite frankly, unprofessional. It's been a week since I've sent my email and no response.

Take what you want from this but I'd suggest if you want a more enjoyable, honest experience, then go with a different company because they all do the same thing anyway.

If anyone is considering travelling to Australia with Xtreme Gap my advice is do it! I had the 1st 5 months of my life travelling up the east coast from Sydney to Cairns.

I opted to choose a gap year company because I was travelling on my own, and this company struck me as the most fun. In all it was pretty good value, I saw quite a few shorter tours which were around the same price, so I was a bit sceptical as to whether the package would deliver on my expectations.

Sarah at Xtreme Gap Year was very helpful with answering all my questions before I went away, and I had quite a few of them! She came up with some great suggestions for things for me to do whilst I was away. As for meeting people, I found this pretty easy to do once travelling. The structure of the trip was such that you are constantly meeting new people, and there was a great mix of different adventures as well. I got to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef, go skydiving but my personal favourite was Fraser island. I was paired up with a group of 6 people in a Land Rover, and got to spend a couple of days camping out under the most amazing stars.

I can understand how this trip wouldn't be for everyone however, because it's flexible you have to set the dates for when you want to do the activities, but actually I found this super easy. Everywhere you stay you can do this in person or via email or telephone. So for me this wasn't an issue, and was a small price to pay for the savings I made compared to more expensive two-week fully guided tours.

I joined the South Africa experience and I have to say I loved it. For me it was a genuinely life changing trip. After 5 weeks I have seen and done so many different things, I cannot explain how much it has affected me personally. Week one in Cape Town volunteering was an extremely humbling experience. Getting to spend some time with the children of the community, who have absolutely nothing was very enriching for me personally but moreover I feel I have definitel done some good as well. Everything was well-organised, and I was made to feel welcome very quickly, although I did have a slightly shaky start at the beginning but I would put that down to culture shock more than anything else. Nikki and the team are very helpful and clearly care a great deal about the lives of the street children.

My contact at Xtreme Gap Year, Shannon was very helpful to me personally in helping me plan my trip. She was full of good ideas as to what to do which is why I ended up in the South Africa experience. I'm very pleased that I did. Part of the trip included a road trip through the garden route. I was put in a smaller group of 6 people, and whilst I didn't know anyone in the beginning I soon got to know everyone. This was one of the highlights of the trip. The guide was very knowledgeable and kept the group in good spirits. It was a good itinerary overall, but there were some long travel days. The different activities included, plus the places we went to made up for this however.

I tried surfing in Jeffreys Bay which was great fun, although I have to say I don't think it's turned me into a surfer! My final couple of weeks were spent on a game reserve which was a great way to see lots of wildlife and experience the bush. It was very hard work, but very rewarding as well. I was fortunate enough to see a buffalo giving birth, and we work to lots of different tasks during our time there.

The communication from extreme was excellent throughout, they certainly know a lot about the destinations, and my experience the South Africa experience was faultless. I would definitely recommend.

Would not recommend this package to anyone. The schedule of the first few weeks make no sense. Doesn't give you the opotunity to meet people before moving places and starting all over again. Very unprofessional when I wanted to change my trips as I believed their trip didn't give the best experience. Would not refund me. I Think they are making the trip out as something it isn't! Don't book through xtreme gap year! Worst decision I've made!