Real Gap Experience www.realgap.co.uk

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...

Vietnam Experience was amazing! You see the whole country north to south, from the big cities to "real" rural Vietnam, see breathtaking scenery, have great experiences like quad biking the white sand dunes if you want to or cycling around the hills of Mai Chau- and you get to do it all with two amazing guides who are just like really knowledgeable friends. I loved it and would recommed this trip to anybody. It's such a great introduction to Vietnam and it's people and culture.

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

Truly had the best experience of my whole life. Would 100% recommend this trip- not only did I meet the most amazing people (in particular tour guides) I saw the unbelievable sights from 'old Bangkok' which entailed shanty like houses on the river which really gave an insight into how others live (whilst making me feel lucky for what I have) to riding an elephant and zip wiring through a jungle to completing a total wipeout course. The trip is such good value for money for what you see and what's included. All accommodation is sorted plus taxis and transport and the tour guides guarentee you try the best foods and advise the best places to go shopping. The tour guides also helped us plan the rest of the trip so we returned safely to the UK. I felt extremely safe throughout. You also go to the best parties which included fire throwing on the beach and the famous full moon party- to laying by a pool in Koh Phagan with the beautiful white sand beach on our doorstep. I have to thank real gap for making it go so smoothly and I didn't have to worry about anything. I recommended the trip to a friend who is now booking and can't wait to book my trip to Vietnam and China next year. Bangkok to beaches is a great starter to those new to travelling - I just wish It lasted longer!