Pod Volunteer Reviews

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

4.8 Rating 500 Reviews

97 %

of reviewers recommend Pod Volunteer

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4.8

Based on 500 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 24th June 2025

Ben C

Pod Volunteer 4 star review on 28th March 2025

Chloe T

275

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Sort by: Most Recent Most Recent Highest Rated Filter: None None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“One of the best experiences I have had! Alongside the great project itself, you meet so many people as well as plenty of free time to do what you want. Also, there are evening activities to get to know everyone better as you make friends with people from around the world.”

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Posted 2 years ago

Hi Harvey, brilliant to hear about your time in Greece on the turtle conservation project and that you have made lots of new friends from around the world. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 2 years ago

“I volunteered at a wildlife rescue centre in Thailand through Pod volunteer and had an incredible time. Pod volunteer were extremely organised and very accessible via email to answer any queries. The process of booking the project was straight forward and simple. The description and information I was provided with matched the project perfectly. I would highly recommend Pod volunteer to anyone looking for a volunteer project!”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 23rd June 2023

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Posted 2 years ago

Hi Charlotte, so great to hear about your experience in Thailand on the Wildlife Rescue project for your Gold DofE Residential! I'm really glad everything came together so you could fit the trip in around your work. At least the weather is warm to welcome you back to the UK! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 2 years ago

“I am attaching my evaluation I completed for SLWCS”

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Posted 2 years ago

Thanks so much Carolyn, great to hear about your time with the elephants! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 2 years ago

“No words, photos, videos will ever do the Horse Rehabilitation project in South Africa justice. Thanks Alex from Podvolunteer for helping set this up with how crazy things were on my end. Thank you to Georgie, Penny, and the entire family at the Rehabilitation and Rescue. Truly truly felt loved and part of the family. I will surely be coming back soon.”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 20th June 2023

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Posted 2 years ago

Hi Matthew, I'm so thrilled that it all worked out so well. I love the photos, especially you and your horse with tongues out! And the video of riding down to the beach is so evocative of my recent visit there, really miss it and the fun family atmosphere. Hope you make it back soon to see Georgie and Penny again! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 2 years ago

“pod have been amazing- very quick in responses and answered any questions o had really well. All i would say is that in the info booklet a lot of the info i was given about the sea turtle conservation i did in greece was outdated/incorrect. For example the 'no wifi' etc. Otherwise, pod have been great, and i had an amazing time!!”

Pod Volunteer 4 star review on 12th June 2023

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Posted 2 years ago

Thanks so much for your comments and amazing pictures, looks like you had an incredible experience and really makes me want to go back to Greece! I'm sorry there were a few bits of information that weren't up to date, I'll message you privately to check on those so we can change them. With Wifi, we hadn't wanted to say it was always available, as in previous years it had been rather unreliable but hopefully it's better now! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 2 years ago

“Very quick and helpful service! Alex worked very hard to ensure my special needs were accommodated.”

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Posted 2 years ago

Thanks so much and I'm really glad it all worked out so well for your volunteering trip. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 2 years ago

“Provided a fantastic opportunity and have supported me and my friend through our whole process of volunteering in a foreign country. Very helpful for any questions we had and very reliable. Amazing and I would definitely recommend to anyone else.”

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Posted 2 years ago

Hi Amber, it's been a pleasure helping you with your DofE Residential volunteering trip to Costa Rica and I'm so pleased to hear it all went so well. Hope you are settling in back at home and getting over the jet lag! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 2 years ago

“This was an incredible and unforgettable experience that has impacted me in so many ways… not only were the horses amazing, but the people and the friendships we made were amazing too 💗”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 2nd June 2023

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Posted 2 years ago

Hi Abigail, thanks so much for your feedback on your time at the Horse Rehabilitation project in South Africa. I know how much Georgie and Penny loved having you there and all the hard work you did! Love the beuatiful pictures! Hope you are settling back in at home well. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 2 years ago

“Helpful, with links to organise getting to one part of my travels to the other. They check up on you to make sure that you arrived safely. But not sure it’s not worth the ton more money than booking directly.”

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Posted 2 years ago

Hi Alannah, thanks very much for your feedback and I’m really glad the travels between different parts of the country all co-ordinated well. We do appreciate that it can sometimes be a little more cost to book through us than going directly to a project, but it’s important to consider that it’s not easy to find ethical and good quality volunteering experiences on your own. Going directly tends to be more suited to a repeat visit. We do always keep volunteer fees as low as possible and we operate on a non-profit basis to ensure this. We are also always there to support our volunteers, before and during their time away. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 2 years ago

“Our service trip was to Namibia for Desert Elephant conservation. I had the pleasure of coordinating with Pod Volunteer for almost 5 years, as our trip was delayed several times over 3 years due to Covid/pandemic. I was so grateful to be working with Alex and the other Pod Volunteer team members who made a potentially stressful situation very easy and manageable. Their communications were timely and helpful, answered all of our seemingly endless list of questions, and their partner organization in Namibia who we ultimately volunteered with (EHRA) was top notch. Everything about our experience was 5 stars and we would highly recommend working and coordinating with Pod Volunteer again for a future service trip. Thank you!”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 8th May 2023

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Posted 2 years ago

Thanks Kristin, so delighted that this trip to Namibia finally came together after the Covid delays. Love the picture of your group out in the desert tracking elephants, what a place and what an experience. Hope you are settling in back at home ok. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 2 years ago

“Volunteered in Ghana with Pod and had an unforgettable experience. I made long-lasting friendships with the community and it changed the outlook I have on life. Would 100% recommend to everyone.”

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Posted 2 years ago

Thanks so much for your comments on your time volunteering in Ghana, the community there are so grateful for your help and it's wonderful to hear about the friendships you have made. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 2 years ago

“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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years ago

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

Posted 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years ago

Pod Volunteer is rated 4.8 based on 500 reviews