“Being an ambassador for GVI is great, especially if you want to volunteer with them again as it’s a great way to collect points which give you a discount towards another trip. I have met some ambassadors who have managed to accumulate almost enough points to pay for an entire trip. It’s not even difficult to do —  anyone who has enjoyed their experience is keen to talk about it, but to be honest, often friends back at home who haven’t done anything similar, don’t really understand the impact it has on you, nor why you want to do it. As an ambassador you are asked to chat to others who DO understand, as they have the same desire to go and really do want help, advise, and just to hear about your experiences to help them decide where to go and what to expect (both positive and negative aspects as both help them be prepared). You might be asked to contact others by email or Skype, attend a general open day or if you feel up to it, run your own meet-up. I’ve found going to the open days really helpful as I have met people who have either been on or run projects which I’ve been interested in but have for one reason or another been rejected from; talking to them has really reassured me, or corrected aspects of the projects that I have misunderstood making me keen to go there again.”

“Personally, I found my whole program so amazing and incredible that I really wanted to go back out on another program as soon possible and in the meantime stay in touch and help GVI who had given me this amazing opportunity in the first place. Although at first a tad worrying, attending events is really good fun and they allow you to talk to people who are genuinely interested in what you have to say about your own life-changing experience and it lets you relive all the memories of your program and convey your own passion for travelling and volunteering to those who perhaps have not yet discovered the joy of it and want to experience the world. Of course, the points you receive from all of this also allows you to get back out into the field and experience it all over again, giving you different experiences to share and more reasons again to want to share them with others. All in all, if you loved your program and want to get back out and do another one or if you just want to be able to represent GVI and talk about your experience, then being an ambassador is certainly for you.”

“I first signed up to be an Ambassador to get money off future trips, but I ended up really enjoying the events I’ve attended. The events are a great opportunity to reminisce about your travels and your adventures. I really enjoyed looking back through my photos and telling people about the animals and sights I’d seen, the great people I had met, and the fun experiences I’d had. It surprised me how interested people are in hearing and seeing about the activities I’d taken part in. People often want to know about the living conditions, the best and worst parts of your trip, and generally finding out all about GVI and the opportunities on offer. I had a great time on my GVI projects, so I’m very happy to give people the honest truth about GVI and encourage others to travel with GVI rather than less ethical and less supportive alternatives. I’ve also met some great people at GVI events — both ambassadors and interested public. The events tend to be fun, social activities. Hearing about other people’s experiences and taking a look at what GVI currently has to offer just makes me want to get out again and experience more GVI programs! I can’t wait to travel somewhere new and being a GVI Ambassador, with all the points I’ve earned, will make it much cheaper!”