I went to Ecuador with eliabroad last year and it was the best! My host mom Mercedes was so nice and really made everyone staying at the house feel comfortable (there were 2 other girls at the same time as me). She didn't speak any English, so we had to use Spanish all the time. The Ecuador coordinator helped with everything, especially on the first night when my bag didn't make it. WE got the bag on the next day, so it wasn't a big deal to lose my luggage. I worked at the Remar orphanage and the kids were so cute and so fun! It was so hard to say goodbye after a month. Before I left, everyone in the eliabroad office was really helpful and had a lot of information and patience for my questions. I really hope I can go back to Ecuador someday.

I graduated in the spring of 2009, worked as a waiter throughout the summer, had plans fall through in autumn, and ended up almost by accident volunteering with Projects Abroad. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Projects Abroad was extremely receptive to my schedule and my desire to leave immediately. They made sure I was ready to go as quickly as possible but they still made sure I was ready. They provided support every step of the way but the freedom and independence this organization guarantees means that the Project and the experience remain mine. The staff in Tanzania were fantastic. They placed me with a great host family, helped me settle into living and working in Africa, and most importantly made sure I had a Project that needed doing. Projects Abroad is in my opinion and based on my experience one of the best organizations to volunteer with abroad. I was able to have an adventure that combined travel and service and I was able to have it because of this great organization.

Don't bother with these people. They were rude and actually don't do a thing you can't arrange yourself. This "service" has no phone number to ask questions of, they don't take credit cards, so it is all cash sent by wire and they provide nothing more than sending your application off to the university, which is something you can do all on your own. For your money they send you a letter from the school saying you have been accepted and an address for where you are to go on the first day of classes. They do not provide a meet and greet service at the destination, provide no housing options and don't arrange visas. They gave my son an address for the university housing to arrange his own housing where he waited an hour and was given a piece of paper with 4 numbers and addresses to follow up on in an unfamiliar city. He's still wandering around looking for a place to stay. CSA was not a service at all -- just an additional level of unpleasant bureacracy.