Pod Volunteer Reviews

Name: Pod Volunteer
Address: 5, Noverton Lane, Cheltenham, Prestbury
Rating: 4.77

4.8 Rating 489 Reviews

97 %

of reviewers recommend Pod Volunteer

Company Reviews

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4.8

Based on 489 reviews

Customer Service
Communication Channels	Email, Telephone, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Under An Hour
Customer Service	4.8 out of 5

About Pod Volunteer:

Pod Volunteer is an award winning non-profit organisation arranging ethical, inspiring and supported volunteering opportunities around the world since 2001

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Email:

info@podvolunteer.org

Location:

5, Noverton Lane, Cheltenham
Prestbury
GL52 5BA

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Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 5th October 2024

Helen F

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 23rd September 2024

Elise G

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 14th September 2024

Sue E

248

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

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“I spent a week with the elephants in Thailand and it was such a life changing experience to see how the elephants were rescued and to see the progression of quality of living since they’ve been within the sanctuary. it was an amazing experience”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 29th April 2023

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Posted 1 year ago

“Had a great experience doing early learning in Ghana. Pod has been supportive from the start, had no issues organising the trip and everything went smoothly. The charity I volunteered with was friendly and opened up a variety of opportunities beyond early learning, including construction and tech teaching.”

Pod Volunteer 4 star review on 27th April 2023

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Posted 1 year ago

Hi Molly, thanks so much of your review of your time volunteering in Ghana and all the different roles you were able to get involved in with the community there. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“It was very helpful having Pod Volunteer as our contact person who answered all the questions we had. The project description (AERU - South Africa) was quite updated and complete. Even though it is possible to book directly with the project, I would always prefer doing this via Pod Volunteer. They have a good connection with Christina from the AERU project, so you have two partners who are taking care of you and guarantee that your volunteering time will be a life-changing experience! Enjoy!”

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Posted 1 year ago

Hi Viola, thanks so much for your comments and it was lovely to meet you out in South Africa and see you in action monitoring the elephants. I hope you are settling in well back at home after this project and your other amazing Africa travels! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“Pod volunteer has quite simply helped me accomplish my dreams. Through them I organised a trip to South Africa for marine conservation and has given the best experience of my life. Throughout the planning process they were nothing but helpful always responding to my questions with clear and clear answers. Alex and the team made the whole process simple and fun. And I will not hesitate to use pod volunteer again”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 22nd April 2023

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Posted 1 year ago

Hi Jacob, so great to hear from you after your time at the marine conservation project in South Africa. I really hope we can help you with another trip in the future! Hope you get to use your dive qualifications again soon! Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“My trip to Thailand was incredible. I really appreciated the support the pod team offered and i felt safe knowing i could message Alex at any time.”

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Posted 1 year ago

Thanks so much Peter and so good to hear about your time at the marine conservation project in Thailand! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“I spent 4 weeks as a volunteer at Knysna Elephant Park in Knysna, South Africa. It was an incredible experience. Volunteers work with AERU--Africa Elephant Research Unit, which is part of the park. My cousin and I did this together, and both made the most of this amazing opportunity. We chose this location to work more closely with the elephants, and it proved to be life-changing for both of us.”

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Posted 1 year ago

Thanks so much Karin, so good to hear about your time at the Elephant Care and Research project and it was especially nice to have had the chance to meet you in South Africa and see you in action! It's always lovely to be able to do project visits and meet volunteers in person. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“Tortuga reserve in Costa Rica lived up to expectations with a wonderful array of projects ranging from turtle release to sting ray fishing, butterfly care and crocodile hunting. The only reservation I have was that if spare time during the day was a bit less it would have been possible to have a two day rather than one day weekly break to be able to explore further away from the reserve which was implied in the description given for the project.”

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Posted 1 year ago

Hi Keith, thanks very much for your feedback on your time in Costa Rica, it sounds like you got involved in some incredible wildlife projects! That's very helpful to know about the free time, I'll discuss with the local team and also review our information to make sure this is as clear as possible. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“The team are an absolute dream to use when booking such large and exciting travel experiences. They have very quick response times and made my booking process very simple. They are also happy to answer any question big or small about your upcoming trip as well as respond to you while your in country part way through the experiance. I did the 'endangered wildlife conservation' experience for a month in South Africa. It was truly amazing living on reserve in basic but comfortable accommodation. Up early each morning at 4am for safari drives (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) on which you helped record information about the animals on reserve. This resulted in intimate up close encounters with lion, cheetah, elephant and rhino. Truly once in a lifetime amazing experience.”

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Posted 1 year ago

Thanks for all your lovely comments - we always like being here to help with support and any questions! Early starts but well worth it for those incredible wildlife encounters - coming back home is going to feel like quite a contrast! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“Pod Volunteer was very helpful with planning my trip to Thailand. Alex was very quick with responding to emails and helping us solve any problems that occurred. 100% recommend”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 14th March 2023

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Posted 1 year ago

Thanks Alice, so great to hear about your time at the Elephant Care and Wildlife Rescue project in Thailand and I love the photo of you walking with Boon Ma. Have an amazing time travelling in Thailand and Vietnam!

Posted 1 year ago

“Pod volunteer was super helpful when booking my volunteering holiday and i loved it so much that i am going back to the same sanctuary in 6 weeks to do it all over again 😊”

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Posted 1 year ago

Thanks so much Teegan, sounds like an incredible 6 weeks and that's brilliant you are going to volunteer again! Enjoy your Thailand and Vietnam travels in the meantime! Love the photo too. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“Very easy to organise a trip, staff are so very helpful and dedicated, would recommend using pod for your volunteer trip”

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Posted 1 year ago

Thanks Stephanie for your lovely comments, I'm so pleased you were finally able to get to Costa Rica! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“Pod helped create a breathtaking experience in Peru. They were super helpful all the way and I highly recommend to anyone thinking of applying!”

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Posted 1 year ago

Hi Daniel, thanks so much for your review of your time at the Amazon Conservation project in Peru. I hope you have an incredible time for the rest of your travels! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“I spent 2 weeks at Elephant Valley Project in Cambodia. Pod Volunteer were superb and providing me with all information I might need (down to a packing list) allowing me to really be comfortable and confident on a fairly daunting trip. Excellent communication including when my trip was moved due to Covid. The project itself was also wonderful. Thank you so much! I'm sure I'll be back on another project before I know it.”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 1st February 2023

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Posted 1 year ago

Hi Megan, so glad you were finally able to get to Cambodia after having to reschedule due to Covid. It's great to hear about your experience and what a beautiful photo of the mother with baby elephant in the jungle, so heart warming! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“My Daughter and I attended the Reserva Playa Tortuga in Costa Rica through POD VOLUNTEER. The experience was amazing! Alex was extremely patient with the booking details and was more than helpful in dealing with the little items that help make a trip into a true adventure. I wouldnt hesitate to use POD VOLUNTEER again. My daughter and I are looking forward to many more adventures!”

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Posted 1 year ago

Thanks so much Jennot, I'm so pleased you and your daughter had an amazing time in Costa Rica. I visited the project last year and can't wait to go back - I really miss seeing all the wildlife there. Hope we may be able to help with another trip in the future! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“We had the absolute time of our lives on our Desert Elephant Conservation trip to Namibia. As a family of five with the youngest being only eight, we were delighted to find a conservation project that we could all take part in. Pod were excellent at helping us organise everything, work out what we needed, deciphering the ever-changing Covid travel regulations and answering our many questions! This was a holiday with a difference, all of us, kids included, had the most incredible time working with the charity. The project was a real eye-opener for us all but we loved having the opportunity to do some good and make a difference. At many points leading up to the trip I did question if we were crazy, doing a trip like this with children in tow but I know we would all say now it was one of the best things we’ve ever done, a life-changing experience and very special to do it as a family. Someone asked me recently what we’re planning for our next trip and I honestly can’t think of anything that would beat it! We met inspirational people, made friends, learnt more than we ever imagined and had the most incredible time. Watching the elephants from the platform in base camp, sleeping under the stars and waking to the sound of the crackling wood as the fire was lit for the kettle in the morning were the highlights - truly unforgettable! Thank-you, we would never have stumbled across this trip without Pod!”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 26th January 2023

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Posted 1 year ago

Hi Emma, thank you so much for sharing these incredible highlights of your trip to Namibia with your family this summer. It sounds like it was an experience that will stay with you all for a long time. I hope I may take my family there in the next couple of years as something I would love to do with my children. Love the photos of all the work you were doing in the school, the camping out and especially the desert elephants! Wishing you all a wonderful 2023. Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“I would highly recommend Pod Volunteer. Alex was extremely helpful making sure that my travels and experience went smoothly. Loved my experience in Thailand!!”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 24th January 2023

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Posted 1 year ago

Hi Ann, thanks so much for your review of your time volunteering at the elephant care and wildlife rescue project in Thailand. I love the photo of you with other volunteers, and one of the dogs of course! It brings back alot of memories of my last visit there as my room was just behind that area, really miss it! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“We had the most incredible week at Reserva Playa Tortuga in Costa Rica. Pod Volunteer were unbelievably helpful all the way through the booking process. We cannot recommend the reserve enough, all the staff were so knowledgeable and we learnt so much not just about turtles but wildlife in Costa Rica. The project is amazing. You must go!!”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 18th January 2023

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Posted 1 year ago

Hi Emily, thanks so much for your kind words and we just love the photo of the turtles on the beach there, incredible! I hope you and George have an amazing time for the rest of your stay in Costa Rica. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“They were very helpful with all the questions I had before going to South Africa! With replies within an 24 hour period. After being there for a week they helped me to extend my trip within a day.”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 2nd January 2023

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Posted 1 year ago

Hi Tilly, thanks so much for your comments on our service. And so pleased you were able to stay for an extra 2 weeks to make the most of South Africa and the amazing diving. Love the photos, really makes me miss the ocean! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 1 year ago

“I went to South Africa for the Big 5 project, with the help of Alex from Pod Volunteer. It was the most beautiful experience of my life, I stayed 2 and a half months and I didn't see the time pass. Taking part in the conservation and protection of wildlife was incredible. I recommend this volunteering project to everyone. Thanks so much to Pod volunteers !”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 7th December 2022

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Posted 2 years ago

Hi Lou, thanks so much for your lovely review of your time at the Big 5 Conservation project in South Africa and the incredible elephant photo - that's a close up! I can't believe how quickly the time has gone and hope you are settling in back at home well. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 2 years ago

“The Amazon Rainforest POD adventure was a challenging yet inspiring volunteer experience. Challenging because it was physically and mentally demanding. Inspiring because I met the most intellectual, caring and dedicated young interns, staff and volunteers. They gave me hope for the future of this world.”

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Posted 2 years ago

Hi Roxanne, thanks so much for your feedback on your 4 weeks in the Amazon rainforest in Peru! I know the team loved having you there and it's wonderful to hear about how inspiring it was, particularly the people you met and worked with. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 2 years ago

Pod Volunteer is rated 4.8 based on 489 reviews