What an amazing experience! I absolutely love travelling and experiencing new cultures and getting the 'true' experience of the country. For anyone like me, this is the gig for you. I spent two weeks in Nepal, 1 week sight seeing and 1 week in the monastery. The first week was my introduction to Nepal, I had a chance to explore Kathmandu and then spent 3 days in Chitwan National park. The second week was at the monastery and this was the best! In all honesty, I probably could have done without the trip to Chitwan - it did take all day to get their and all day to get back. It wasn't a bad experience at all - I got to canoe ride down a river and go on an elephant back safari (among other activities), but I was sold on the monastery and really that is what I booked it for - even though I was aware the Chitwan trip was part of the experience. Perhaps I should have booked longer instead! Anyway, the monastery. I was only their a very short time but I felt like I made a real connection with the place and the people. There was a lot of down time but I never felt bored. There was always someone to chat to, lessons to teach, homework to help with. The monks were all so respectful, polite, funny, happy, curious and eager to learn. It just made for an amazing and personal experience. Things always get built up in my head to inevitably be better than in reality. However, the teaching at the monastery experience was exactly how I hoped and imagined the first day I read about the experience. I have absolutely every intention to return. Well worth the money - an experience of a lifetime.

I'd been planning to go on a volunteer trip for years, after researching different travel companies I chose Real Gap.. their help, experience and advice were exactly what I needed! I also booked my flights and insurance through them- the staff couldn't have done any more for me! I highly recommend using Real Gap, I have also had friends travel through them and all have had the same positive experience! Many thanks to the Real Gap team

A truly unique and incredible experience, with an amazing lineup of activities! Definitely the best trip around for anyone looking to dip their toes into travel. Make sure to take plenty of DEET spray and enough money (£800 for me), and never say no to any of the optional activity because they tended to be the best! Without a doubt the best month of my life!!!

The itinerary was spot on. I was so impressed by the amount of activities etc packed in and included in the tour! I absolutely loved all of the different places we visited, I think it was brilliant to be able to discover such different parts of Thailand from the buzzing Bangkok to the rural Sangkhlaburi to the beautiful Koh Tao. Spending 24/7 with one group of people for a whole month meant that I really made friends for life. There are only two things that I can really make a negative comment about; the first being the location of the hotel in Kanchanaburi. Our hotel was quite a way out from the town and there wasn't anything within walking distance or even a bar or restaurant at the hotel. Due to this I feel like, unfortunately, we didn't really get the opportunity to properly experience and explore Kanchanaburi. The second thing I would change would be to stay on a different island (Koh Samui for example) rather than Koh Phangan. Although our hotel was lovely and the beach was gorgeous, there was very little to do on the island and spending a week there meant that the days could be quite long. It seemed that most people (tourists) only came to the island for the full moon party. Our tour guide took some of us to Koh Samui on a day trip and we all wished we were staying on that island instead; there was so much more to do and see than on Koh Phangan and it would have been much better to have just got a boat across to Koh Phangan for the full moon party and then the boat back. Other than that the trip really was a life changing experience and the best few weeks of my life. It has to be said that the main reason for this was my two tour guides. They were the most friendly, accommodating, helpful and fun people I have ever met and they really made the trip for us all. By the end not only were they our brilliant tour guides but also brilliant friends. I can't thank real gap enough for providing this amazing trip and I would recommend it to anyone!

Last year my 20 year old daughter went on a Real Gap trip to Thailand. On one occasion she and the people in her group were taken on a crawl around some of the bars by the trip orgaaniisers. The organiser, who was hersel drinking, went away with the others in the group, leaving my daughter, now drunk, to find her way to the hotel by herself. She had not been reminded to take a note if where the hotel was, and called me early in the morning, in a great state of distress, to tell me that she didn't know where she was, and that she was totally lost and very afraid. I was understandably distressed at the thought of my daughter being left alone like this. The organiser should not have been drinking, and when leaving should ensure that all the young people whom she is responsible for, are safe. This was not done!!!

I went to India with them for the 'Experience' and dear lord that's what I got. The first person to call and email was told 'well nobody else has complained' and indicated that the problem was just her. When she said that others also had problems, they basically called her a liar. When we called and stated that we too had problems but hadn't had a signal to call yet, they brushed us off. For starters when they say that they provide mosquito nets, it's an bare faced lie. When we called they blamed the people in country. Then they said that they didn't think that assigning blame would be productive when I pointed out that I had booked the trip and trusted Real Gap. Then when we asked when we would be getting them they said they didn't know - not exactly what we wanted to hear at that point. This wouldn't have been so bad except the day after we arrived, a girl from another trip arrived back from hospital after suffering from Dengue which she contracted from a mosquito at that camp. Then they arranged for them to be set up and emailed to let us know - a week after we had left the camp. Absolutely nothing was as per the trip notes and itinerary they provided before we left. When we asked why they said that they had trusted the in country group to give them the correct information and that it was obviously down to the in country team. When we told them that the others who were on the same trip but had booked with STA travel had all of the correct information (including having to bring mosquito nets) they said that it was not their responsibility... Everything was late and the communication from both Real Gap and the people in India was abysmal. There was one person who was excellent and that was Rinku, our guide. She often checked information too and was also lied too most of the time, right in front of us at points of the trip. If you do go, keep an open mind and don't trust that the schedule will stay the same or that they will tell you... This isn't to say that you won't also have good experiences. I had a great time on some of the trip but quite frankly I could have arranged the same trip myself for less, and with a lot less hassle. The ironic thing is that I had booked with Real Gap to avoid the hassle...

I had the most amazing time away in Laos. Vang Vieng was amazing, such a beautiful river to glide down and had an unforgettable (well, some blurry moments!) night afterwards! Luang Prabang was beautiful I could really see myself living there. Kong Lor Cave and the plain of jars are unmissable and I've never seen anything like them, and of course Don Det is a brilliant way to round off the 3 fantastic weeks! The guides really made the trip great, they always had a smile on their face and happy to help with anything and I made some friends for life in the other travellers on my trip! Laos is so untouched that it feels like a real adventure that you're on, that you're discovering things for the first time. Travelling with RealGap gives you this thrill but also the safety and security of knowing that there's always someone there to help you. I 100% recommend this trip and company.

The overall experience was amazing, I had such a great time exploring Thailand. The staff were great and they made sure to care of us, met a bunch of lovely people who were also on the trip also. Highly recommended

Most amazing two weeks ever! Very hands on experience with animals and ranger days. Learn lots about south africa and animals. Everyone is very welcoming and you only do what you want to do. Great trip for your first time travelling alone. 100% recommend it to anyone, especially animal lovers!

I've just got back from an amazing 17 days in Thailand exploring some stunning places with a fantastic culture to admire. I was nervous as this was my first time travelling alone but my tour guide was absolutely amazing. He was so helpful, knowledgeable, friendly and always up for a laugh. The people on the tour were amazing and I've made unforgettable memories with friends for life! The itinerary was well planned, fun, flexible and allowed me to do everything i wanted to do. Would definitely use Real Gap again and would recommend others to do so too!

I have just come back from the most amazing 4 week on the Thailand experience and would recommend it to anyone looking for an adventure and to make amazing new friends. It was perfect for me as a first time traveller to nervous to go alone. It was nice to have things organised for you but also great having free time to explore ourselves and even then our co-ordinater helped us organise whatever we wanted to do. After reading the itinerary I knew it would push me out of my comfort zone and challenge me and that's exactly what I wanted. I experienced so many amazing experiences in such a short space of time including; gorgeous temple tours, bike ride through Bangkok, elephant ride, snorkelling, zip lining, trekking, volunteering with the local children, and learning about the culture and lifestyle. The trip is what you make it and if you say yes to everything and go for it, you will have an experience you will never forget, and make new friends for life on the way. Our in country co-ordinater had it tough with 19 of us to please and I think he did a fantastic job and can't thank him enough.

I just got home from the three week South Africa Volunteering, Conservation and Working with Horses Program, and I'm already missing it. I spent an amazing couple of weeks on a private game reserve, doing things I would otherwise never have had the opportunity to do. Every single one of the people I met were kind and helpful, and made my trip all the more enjoyable. The Real Gap team were awesome, very patiently answering all my questions and booking my flights for me. I had almost no bad experiences on this trip, and would highly recommend it. I will honestly never forget it!

I cannot emphasise how much i would NEVER recommend this group to anybody planning on travelling. To start off with, the night we arrived they had miscalculated the number of beds booked and did not have enough space to accommodate all the people on the group. Beds ended up being shared which is uncomfortable in small cheap accommodation and with new people. I do not expect nice dorms when travelling but i expect when paying such prices to be at least given a bed. This happened on quite a few occasions and I am appalled at how the tour guides handled it. When it came to the first day our guide was actually late and very disorganised, ruining our evening plans. This also happened when being woken up to hike the wall of China to see the sun rise. They woke us up too late because they overslept (a HUGE let down for us as we were all excited to see the beautiful view) and proceeded to lead us up a wall that was forbidden to walk up as it was unsafe and unstable. They allowed us to camp outside when there was a huge storm with lighting striking the ground in front of us, we had no protection. There was also a super-typhoon headed for china and so we had to end our trip early to head back to hong kong. They organised us to travel back to hong kong on the day the typhoon was meant to be hitting mainland china. The bus was shaking as we were being driven back and it was TOTALLY unsafe. When we arrived in hong kong they had put us all up in different rooms and some did not even have beds. They then told us to find our own rooms if we had issues with having no place to sleep. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND AFFORDABLE ACCOMMODATION IN HONG KONG AT 10PM. The trips carried out were charged at extortionate prices in comparison to their true values and for the meals they took us out for at locals, we were ordered to pay the guides (who overcharged us and kept the remaining money for themselves). I was absolutely horrified by this group's organisation, concern for our safety and value for money. I do not know where half of my money went but I would never recommend this to anybody who is planning on travelling with a group.

In February, I went on the Sydney to Cairns East coast tour and it was an amazing experience. Booking a holiday through Real Gap is extremely straight forward and the holiday itself was very well organised. The Real Gap website has a check list for organising all aspects of your holiday and provides reputable companies for services such as insurance. I thoroughly enjoyed the east coast tour and would definitely recommend Real Gap to a friend. The tour had a fantastic itinerary and plenty of optional extras. The guides were friendly and very knowledgeable about the country and the excursions. I would definitely book another tour through Real Gap and plan to in the near future!

Went on the Sydney to Cairns trip in February and i can't put into words how great it was. There wasn't one aspect of the trip that I would change! How it was organised, the people on the trip and the tour guide and driver made the amazing locations even better. If you're considering booking this trip just do it as you won't regret it. Time to get saving for the next real gap adventure.

I have recently completed the two week tour from Sydney to Cairns with Top Deck. I can honestly say that it was one of the best holidays I have ever been on. The tour was so well organised but also really fun. The staff made everyone feel really comfortable and everyone got on so well. We did some incredible activities including surfing, snorkeling, skydiving, horse riding and clay pigeon shooting. The tour was so interesting, one day we were on a boat and the next day we were on a farm, we were constantly on our toes not knowing where we would go next. Everywhere we stayed we amazing host with great accommodation and food. The tour is great for people from all backgrounds, whether you are travelling alone or in groups. I would definitely recommend this tour, I will certainly be doing another one soon.