Pod Volunteer Reviews

Name: Pod Volunteer
Address: 5, Noverton Lane, Cheltenham, Prestbury
Rating: 4.80

4.8 Rating 666 Reviews

97 %

of reviewers recommend Pod Volunteer

Company Reviews

Metrics

Info

4.8

Based on 666 reviews

Customer Service
Communication Channels	Email, Live Chat, Telephone

About Pod Volunteer:

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

Visit Website

Email:

info@podvolunteer.org

Location:

5, Noverton Lane, Cheltenham
Prestbury
GL52 5BA

Write Your review

Tell us how Pod Volunteer made you happy

Help future customers by talking about customer service, price, delivery, returns & refunds.

Minimum 10 characters

Would you like to add a photos or videos?

Strengthen your review by uploading photos & videos.

Drag files here or browse

(Supported files: jpg, png, mpeg, ogg, mp4 & webm)

What's your name?

Leave this blank if you'd like to publish your review anonymously.

(Optional)

Whats your email?

We need your email address to verify that your review is genuine

Please note that we may share your email with the company to verify your order.

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 12th September 2026

Anonymous

321

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

“best experience of my life, they give you all the information you’ll need before you leave so you don’t need to worry about anything, and they check up on you whilst you’re there to make sure everything is going smoothly. I made friends for life and will 100% go again.”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 16th July 2026

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

Thanks so much for choosing to complete your Gold Residential DofE award at our Turtle Conservation team in Greece - your photos look amazing! All the best - Gemma & the Pod team

Posted 3 months ago

“Volunteering in Costa Rica for 12 days was truly transformative for me. I am very grateful to Pod Volunteer for their outstanding communication and consistent support. They ensured that both the pre departure preparation and the program itself were well organized. Thank you for facilitating such a meaningful and impactful experience!”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 8th July 2026

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

Hi Cara, I'm so pleased to hear about your experience at the Turtle and Wildlife Conservation project in Costa Rica. Well done for all your hard work and congratulations on logging volunteer hours for your college program! Best wishes, Alex and the Pod team

Posted 3 months ago

“POD Volunteer were fantastic in helping me towards the completion of my Duke of Edinburgh Good Award. I travelled to South Africa, where I spent a week on the most incredible reserve. This involved taking four flights in total taxi transfers etc, which was all made simple and easy, especially thanks to Alex from POD. His communication was excellent and all of my questions were answered. Thank you POD Volunteer for making the final step towards my DofE Gold award seamless and enjoyable. Very much recommended.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

Thanks so much Finn, it's brilliant to hear about your experience at the Big 5 Conservation project in South Africa. An amazing way to achieve your Gold DofE Residential - well done! Thanks for being so great to work with too, you were very organised and on top of everything. Best wishes, Alex and the Pod team

Posted 3 months ago

“Everything was perfect, I`m really happy with my experience. Pod Volunteer supported me step by step through the entire process and everything worked smoothly. My experience was even better than I had imagined!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

Thanks so much for your lovely review! Alex and the Pod team

Posted 4 months ago

“I did the turtle conservation for 2 weeks in kefalonia and it was one of the best experiences ever! I met some amazing people and had such a great time working with the team there and the turtles. If you are considering doing a volunteer scheme I would 100% recommend doing it!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

Thanks so much for for the lovely review! Thank you for joining the Turtle Conservation project in Greece and supporting environmental conservation work on the island. Best wishes, Gemma & the Pod team

Posted 4 months ago

“J'ai passé 6 semaines avec Penny et Georgie du projet Horse Rehabilitation, c'était une expérience incroyable. Étant là pendant la période de Pâques, on a pu faire énormément de ballades (pratiquement tous les jours sur le premier mois, puis un peu plus calme à la fin). J'ai donc pu monter différents chevaux. Les chevaux sont adorables et ont des conditions de vie de rêve : vastes prés et traitement super. La grande majorité des pensionnaires sont des rescues, on apprend donc leurs histoires, toutes différentes. On apprend à être avec eux, tous très attachants et très différents dans le fond et la forme (caractères et races). Toute la famille m'a accueilli comme un membre de la famille. La ferme abrite toutes sortes d'animaux plus ou moins sauvages, énorme diversité (chevaux, chiens, perroquet, paons, impalas, … J'ai super bien mangé grâce aux très bons plats cuisinés par Georgie et Craig. Le travail est physique et les journées sont denses, préparation de la nourriture, nourrir les chevaux, monter, prévoir l'eau, etc., donc pas de problème pour s'endormir. C'est une expérience super enrichissante si vous aimez les animaux, boire du thé, être dehors dans de beaux paysages et prendre soin des chevaux. La communication avec Pod volunteer est fluide et toutes les informations nécessaires sont communiquées, bon contact.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 months ago

Thanks so much Anais, great to hear about your experience in South Africa at the Horse Rehabilitation project! I have included a translation of your review here: "I spent six weeks with Penny and Georgie from the Horse Rehabilitation project, and it was an incredible experience. Being there during the Easter period meant we were able to go on a lot of rides (practically every day for the first month, then a bit quieter towards the end). So I got to ride a variety of horses. The horses are adorable and have dream living conditions: vast pastures and excellent care. The vast majority of the horses are rescues, so you learn their stories, all different. You learn how to be with them; they are all very endearing and very different in both character and breed. The whole family welcomed me like one of their own. The farm is home to all sorts of animals, some more wild than others—a huge diversity (horses, dogs, parrots, peacocks, impalas, etc.). I ate incredibly well thanks to the delicious meals cooked by Georgie and Craig. The work is physical and the days are full: preparing food, feeding the horses, riding, making sure there was water, etc., so there was no problem for to fall asleep. It's a super rewarding experience if you love animals, drinking tea, being outdoors in beautiful scenery, and taking care of horses. Communication with Pod Volunteer is smooth, and all the necessary information is provided; good contact."

Posted 5 months ago

“Ich bin sehr froh, über PodVolunteer gebucht zu haben, sie haben sich um alle Vorbereitungen inklusive Transfer gekümmert und auch während des Aufenthalts sichergestellt, dass alles gut ist.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 months ago

Thanks so much for the lovely review and for joining our Wildlife Rescue project in Costa Rica Fleur! I have included a translation of your review here: "I am very glad I booked through Pod Volunteer; they took care of all the preparations, including transfers, and also ensured that everything was fine during my stay."

Posted 5 months ago

“We travelled to Costa Rica as a family of five (kids aged 12/12/14). We stayed for 1 week in the animal Sanctuary there and it was such a positive experience. The team were so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Our accommodation was really comfortable and the complex was fantastic, with a gorgeous pool. All food was provided and although it was canteen style eating, this meant it was a really sociable way to connect with other volunteers. The work was sufficiently hard to make us feel useful, but with loads of breaks to remind us we were on holiday. The kids were given loads of responsibility which they loved. Overall, an absolutely awesome family experience!!”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 16th April 2026

Helpful Report

Posted 6 months ago

Thanks so much for the lovely review and photos Emma. The team loved having you all helping out with looking after the animals. Thanks for choosing to join our Family Wildlife Rescue team in Costa Rica! Best wishes - Gemma & the Pod team

Posted 6 months ago

“Very well run project, great local dive school training (Kan was fantastic and best of luck in completing the Instructor training). Content and delivery of the conservation training was through, practical and a lot of fun. May well be back.”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 months ago

Many thanks Adrian, great to hear about your experience in Thailand on the Marine Conservation programme. Best wishes, Alex and the Pod team

Posted 8 months ago

“I had such an incredible time volunteering with Pod Volunteer! It was so special working with animals and being in such close proximity to them everyday. It was amazing meeting lots of great like-minded people- there’s something special about the type of person who volunteers and everyone I met was that kind of person! The food was yummy, facilities were at a sufficient standard considering the price per day for everything. Only thing I would say is, the animal kitchen really needs more refrigeration, to keep the produce fresher for longer. Also, you definitely need stools at the high table in the cafeteria area, overlooking the incredible view! A snack/bottle beer tuck shop for the evenings would be great for volunteers and also another revenue stream for you. Overall though, I’ve made memories to last a lifetime and I’m so glad I chose to volunteer with you and all the gorgeous animals!”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 months ago

Thanks so much Shannen for your lovely review and great ideas for improvements at the wildlife sanctuary. Thank you for choosing to support the rescued animals on your trip! Best wishes - Gemma & the Pod team

Posted 8 months ago

“Super helpful, professional, quick to communicate and answer any queries.”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 30th January 2026

Helpful Report

Posted 8 months ago

Thanks so much Claire, that's great to hear and I'm really glad you enjoyed your time with the dogs (and cats) in Thailand, love the photos! Best wishes, Alex and the Pod team

Posted 8 months ago

“I couldn’t have had a better time volunteering with Pod Volunteer. My volunteer coordinator, Alex, was super helpful and made my journey very smooth and stress free. This experience was probably the best experience I have ever had, I very much recommend to anyone considering volunteering.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 months ago

Thanks Alex, so good to hear about your time at the Costa Rica Turtle and Wildlife conservation project and great to meet you out there too! Hope all is going well with your plans for further studies. Best wishes, Alex and the Pod team

Posted 9 months ago

“Really enjoyed our week in December at the Elephant & Wildlife Conservation Project in Sri Lanka. The local team were very informative & friendly and it was great to meet the other volunteers. Being older volunteers (ages 59 & 66) we were delighted to find a project that welcomed everyone. Staff at POD were very helpful at sorting everything out for our trip and provided a lot of very useful information about what to take etc.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 months ago

Thank you so much for the lovely review Elizabeth! I'm very happy that you both had a fantastic time with the Elephant and Wildlife Conservation team in Sri Lanka. Thanks for choosing to support this project! Best wishes - Gemma & the Pod team

Posted 9 months ago

“I recently went on Pod volunteer's under 18 October half term turtle conservation trip to Greece. Our group leaders were so friendly and helpful which just made the experience feel really comfortable. The area we were based in around Argostoli was so stunning and the Pod Volunteer team organised a wide variety of activities throughout the week based all around the local area. I learnt so much about both conservation in general and turtles through the presentation and talk that our group leaders had organised. I would 100% recommend this trip to anyone who is considering it !!!”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 9th January 2026

Helpful Report

Posted 9 months ago

Thanks so much Ella, it was fantastic having you on the team, thanks for all your enthusiasm and engagement in the conservation activities. Best wishes, Alex and the Pod team

Posted 9 months ago

“Great communication from start to finish. My daughter visited Kefalonia in October with Pod Volunteer as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Gold award. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 months ago

Many thanks Natalie, it was brilliant to have her on the team with us in Greece! A great way to achieve her Gold DofE Residential. Best wishes, Alex and the Pod team

Posted 9 months ago

“My granddaughter loved the animal sanctuary and the volunteering in the animal kitchen. But organisation is "casual" - so expect a lot of waiting around and change of plans. They had a lot of "day tripper" volunteers and they took precedence over us which was a little disappointing. The accommodation has seen better days and maintenance was poor. There was no cleaning of our cottage during the week and no change of towels / linen. The food was best described as adequate - you have to be prepared to eat rice and beans every day including breakfast. We never had bread or any desserts. We were expected to wash our own plates and crockery in cold water - it was notable that some of the younger volunteers only rinsed theirs. A few of us were ill as a result of this. I was paying $380 a night for this accommodation and experience - that's very toppy for what we received. But my granddaughter loved it and so I was happy with that.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 months ago

Hi Daniel, Thanks very much for your feedback. I’m really delighted to hear how much your granddaughter enjoyed the wildlife sanctuary and volunteering. I’m very sorry that some elements of your trip were disappointing. We will review this with the local team and will also be directly in contact with you to discuss further. I do understand that meals at the sanctuary can feel a bit repetitive however this reflects the local Costa Rican traditional cuisine which features a lot of rice and beans. There wouldn’t normally be dessert as tropical fruits are provided instead. Volunteers are expected to do their own washing up and I’m sorry to hear that some weren’t doing it thoroughly. The washing up is normally always in cold water (as it is in many parts of the world), but that shouldn’t compromise health in any way. We will follow up about the cleaning of the cottage and change of towels / linens as normally this is done every few days – if you had let us know whilst you were there we would have loved the opportunity to be able to help quickly resolve this! Despite these points, I’m glad the overall experience was a big hit with your granddaughter and hopefully some lifelong memories to enjoy. Best wishes, Gemma and the Pod team

Posted 9 months ago

“My son had an amazing time during his Pod volunteer trip and, as a parent, the organisational elements were spot on. The activities were interesting and varied and we received useful updates during the week, including photos. We would thoroughly recommend Pod.”

Helpful Report

Posted 10 months ago

Many thanks Kristy, that's muych appreciated. Best wishes, Alex and the Pod team

Posted 10 months ago

“Having just returned from 4 weeks at Manu Learning Center, I'm having difficulty coming up with words to describe my time there. I am a 69 year old adventurer, conservationist and lover of rainforests. When I read about MLC and the possibility of volunteering, I signed up immediately. When you sign up for an experience like this, you don't really know the reality of it until you are immersed in it. From the minute they picked me up from the airport, until they returned me for my flight home, everything was taken care of from all the travel, food, lodging and volunteer time. Everyday was an adventure. One needs to be quite fit to fully participate, so make sure you get prepared physically. The hiking is continuous and is tricky at best because you are navigating mud, roots, rocks and streams. While walking, you are either looking for animals and butterflies to collect data on. Mornings start early. The food is plentiful. You'll want to bring lots of snacks. The biodiversity was rich, but often we saw just tracks. But the tracks were everywhere: puma, jaguar, peccary, deer, tapirs...One of our crew met a jaguar on a trail and two others had an encounter with a puma. It gave me so much hope that this patch of land that used to be a cattle ranch had returned to enough health to support so many animals. I saw monkeys daily and a friend taught me their routines, so we could really get to know them. Birds were everywhere as well as butterflies. We saw peccary, a tapir scared us on a night hike, there are agoutis in the compound, If you are a hearty soul who wants to make a small difference, this is your place. I loved it all.”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 19th December 2025

Helpful Report

Posted 10 months ago

Thanks so much for such a lovely review Perky - it sounds like you had an incredible time supporting the Amazon Conservation team in Peru! Best wishes, Gemma & the Pod team

Posted 10 months ago

“I had a great trip with Pod Volunteer and the team were great providing lots of support with everything we needed. The activities were well organised with lots of time to relax as well. I loved the experience and wish to come back soon!”

Helpful Report

Posted 11 months ago

Thanks so much, great to know you enjoyed the balance of activities on the trip and felt well supported by the team. Hope we can help with another volunteering trip soon. Best wishes, Alex and the Pod team

Posted 11 months ago

“I had an incredible time voulenteering with Crees in the Amazon rainforest, which I found and booked through Pod Volunteer! Throughout, there has been amazing customer service with quick and useful email replies!”

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 21st November 2025

Helpful Report

Posted 11 months ago

Thanks for such a lovely review Emily - I'm so happy to hear that you had a great time at the Amazon Conservation project in Peru! All the best - Gemma & the Pod team

Posted 11 months ago

Pod Volunteer is rated 4.8 based on 666 reviews