Program Reviews

Greenheart Travel was incredibly helpful in connecting us with Xplore Asia and helping us to get our feet on the ground in Thailand. The coordinators helped to calm our nerves about our trip and we felt we were treated with kindness and compassion throughout our time working with Greenheart Travel. If you are looking for an incredible experience and immersion in a beautiful culture I would highly suggest this program. Working with the kids has been my favorite work experience so far. I feel that I grew significantly in this program. One of the best parts was that my wife and I were placed in the same school, so if you looking for a program that accommodates couples, look no further! If you're a foodie this is definitely the right program for you. 10 out of 10 would recommend this experience to anyone.

Kara was super helpful answering any pre-departure questions. I really enjoyed my time in Incheon, I felt that I learned a lot of important information and also met some great friends while I was there. The workload was pretty intense, but it was reasonably manageable. The teacher was really thorough and prepped us for the worst-case scenario, which was good but it also didn't really apply to many of our situations. It kind of put us on edge, but all of the students who have been placed in a job are in pretty nice locations, with nice facilities at our schools. The town we were studying in was great because it was really close to the airport which was convenient for our visa runs. It was a very nice town and had everything we needed, food, grocery stores, and convenience stores too.

I participated in Greenheart's three-month high school exchange program to Australia last January-April, 2018. I went as a fifteen-year-old to a small town near Adelaide, SA. I stayed with a big family(just what I asked for!) and even though the exchange felt very short, I made more memories and friends than I thought possible in a couple of months.

I knew that I wanted to go on the exchange about eight months prior to my departure date. During the beginning stages of trying to find a program to use to get me to Australia as a high school sophomore, I found that Greenheart was extremely easy to work with and made the process manageable even for a fifteen-year-old (my parents and I had a deal that I had to do all of the arrangings from everything from travel visas to flight plans, so communication between the organization and myself was really important to me). I also found that Greenheart had comparable prices to other programs, but more options for the time of year that you could travel and more hands-on communication.

Greenheart matched me pretty well with my host family. The largest challenge for me throughout the duration of my exchange was the political views of my host family, but after talking with them and trying to understand their point of view I honestly believe that I became a more tolerant person. Family dynamics were not affected by political views, however, and my experience living with my host family was fantastic.

I would definitely recommend using Greenheart to any other high schoolers and under-18 travelers. I cannot speak to their adult programs, but from my experiences, I'm guessing that they maintain the same standard throughout the organization.

The course is good for giving a basic structure on how to teacher a class, but the best part is the confidence that is gained from actually teaching in front of others. Through this program, future teachers can go into an actually classroom with real ESL learners and give a lesson to many different age groups. I felt that experiencing this real classroom setting was exceptionally helpful in terms of building confidence for the teaching job I would hold in the future. By the time I got to my actual teaching position, I felt much more prepared than I would have felt had I gone in without this experience. I could think back on the classes I taught during the course and think about how I solved problems or how I made the class more fun for the students.

My 17 year old daughter participated in the Teen Language Program in Fukuoka, Japan this last summer. This was without a doubt the scariest thing I’ve ever done. Putting my kid on a plane to Amazingland alone was emotional and frightening, but I just kept reminding myself that this was for her, and I didn’t want my fear to be her roadblock. So, in front of her I was all brave in my SuperMom cape. Behind the scenes, I was a disaster, but the difference in my daughter from that moment when she left for Japan and when I picked her up was simply astounding. She was uncertain and nervous when she left, but returned all smiles and confidence. Her speaking skills improved tremendously with full immersion. Greenheart took excellent care of us, and Connor was a joy to work with! So if you’re on the fence, count this as encouragement to take the step. This experience entirely reshaped my daughter. Now, when she talks of college, she shows interest in much more significant degrees than she did before. She thinks bigger now and has set her bar much higher than it was before. She has learned that just because something seems scary doesn’t mean it’s beyond her reach. She is already trying to figure out how to get back to Japan and has begun saving her money again. So, yes, as a mother I was sure I’d lost my mind when I agreed to this, but I definitely got cool mom points for supporting her when it was time for her to level up.

Honestly, the trip wasn't anything like I expected, which is actually a good thing. The days were truly great and action filled, and the other kids were really fun and cool to hang out with. The morning classes weren't too hard nor too easy, just a good fit in between. The daily excursions were one of the best parts, and there was plenty of free time to explore and truly feel like you live in France. I felt safe throughout the whole trip, and you're never put in any sort of danger. The Host Family is one of the best parts. My host mother was so kind and caring, and her two dogs really made the stay a lot better. Whenever I was around another host family, the kids would always make my day. The food is good, but you're never really hungry until the end of the day because of how long each day lasts, which really just added to the whole experience. All the monuments and tourist attractions you get to see are really great, and there are tons of picturesque places no matter where you are in France. The cities where the host families lived were peaceful and quiet, a good break from the bustling Paris at the end of the day. And I do feel that my French has improved, and it's much easier to understand and speak the language then before I went on the trip. So overall, I really do recommend it, and besides a few nitpicky things I'm not going to complain about, it was pretty much perfect.

This program was an amazing experience and it is something I will never forget. I never expected to have this chance and I’m so glad that I did. The staff at greenheart travel were amazing and answered all 101 of my questions. I felt very safe while I was there and walked all over. My favorite part about the whole trip was my host family. I could not have been placed in a better family. They matched my personality and took amazing care of me. I hope to visit them again someday. The placements were very good as everybody I talked to loved their families as well.
The classes were fun and fast paced and I really enjoyed them. There was a lot of homework and my host family had to help me with it but overall I really loved this program and would gladly go back

Deciding to do this program was one of the smartest ideas I have had, in the duration of the program I learned so many things that I never knew and I felt like I grew into a new person. During the year I was there I got so much support from Greenheart and my local organization SUN experience which helped me thrive. I have so many outstanding memories of my experience that will stay with me for a life time. I would not hesitate to recommend this program to anyone who enjoys doing new things, as this is a great chance to learn, travel, and make new friends. If you are unsure of whether or whether not you want to do this program, then my advice to you is to just go for it, because if you do it will be an amazing way to learn about a new culture.

I absolutely enjoyed my time with 3T and Las Casa de la Selva. It was a safe, enriching and spiritually rewarding place to be and quickly felt like my home. I would strongly recommend this program to all looking to spend time in a paradise with welcoming and vibrant people doing meaningful work. 3T, the director is basically one of my newest deities, and I adore her as such, and Andres was excellent company and blessed with so many skills! Together they were the perfect family to welcome me in and to work with and for. I could not have asked for a better situation. I did a variety of green work related tasks, very much what I was looking for,. I got to plant trees and learn more about trees and the ecology of the tropics (also very much what I was looking for). Lastly I got a fair amount of experience facilitating the younger volunteers, which was of help to both 3T and myslef. An overall outstanding experience.

This program was absolutely the best time of my life. I cannot express how much I enjoyed my time, and how badly I wish I was back. Everyday was an absolute dream. Greenheart is for sure making dreams come true. If you are hesitant in investing in the program, I promise you it’s worth everything. It was an amazing experience and I don’t regret anything. Traveling is a dream, and it takes a lot of character to go out there and explore and learn new things. For all the parents reading this, I would definitely send your child! However, always research everything no matter what. I was new to this and I wish I had just researched a little more about currency. Other than that, everything was great and money was no issue once I exchanged. Thank you Greenheart!