Login
Start Free Trial Are you a business? Click Here

Pod Volunteer Reviews

4.8 Rating 598 Reviews
97 %
of reviewers recommend Pod Volunteer
4.8
Based on 598 reviews
Customer Service
Communication Channels
Email, Telephone, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In
2 - 3 Hours
Customer Service
4.8 out of 5
Read Pod Volunteer Reviews

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

Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 19th December 2025
Perky H
Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 4th October 2025
William D
Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 4th October 2025
William D
Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 4th October 2025
William D
Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 4th October 2025
William D
Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 4th October 2025
William D
Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 19th September 2025
Harriet W
305
Anonymous
Anonymous  // 01/01/2019
Pod were fantastic from the get go. They were so helpful and informative, answering any questions I had really quickly. They sent me the information guide for my specific project which detailed everything I’d need, from medical equipment to clothing. I would definitely use Pod again!
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Hi Bethan, thanks for your lovely words about your trip to Costa Rica. I'm really pleased to hear the Guide was helpful and hope we can help with another trip in the future! Best wishes, Alex
Posted 2 years ago
An amazing experience volunteering on a wildlife reserve in Costa Rica! I was kept informed on all information I needed before arriving and felt very organized and secure with the POD team as well as the local team at Reserva Playa Tortuga, particularly as I am under the 18.
Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 22nd September 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 22nd September 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 22nd September 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 22nd September 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 22nd September 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 22nd September 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 22nd September 2023
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Hi Aden, thanks so much for the feedback on your time at the Costa Rica Turtle and Wildlife conservation project, a great way to get your DofE Residential too! Love the photos, so atmospheric and makes me want to go zip lining again too, loved that when i last visited! Best wishes, Alex
Posted 2 years ago
Professional and friendly.
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Many thanks Bernard, I'm pleased you enjoyed the Thailand Marine Conservation! Best wishes, Alex
Posted 2 years ago
Pod volunteer was an amazing programme that has given memories that will last a lifetime! They were extremely helpful from an organisational perspective and making sure we were comfortable and happy within the programme
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Hi Scarlett, thanks so much and great to hear about your time in Costa Rica on our Turtle and Wildlife Conservation project. Congratulations on doing it for your DofE Gold Residential too! Best wishes, Alex
Posted 2 years ago
Very interesting island, good people, excellent food and a worthwhile project. Diving should be better organised, several people came up from a dive with very low air.
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Thanks very much for your feedback and I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed island life and that you felt it was a meaningful project in Belize. Thank you for choosing to help to protect the ocean in Belize, your support has directly helped to remove the lionfish invasive species and to conserve the reef. Thanks for your comments on the diving too – all dives are carefully planned and kept well within all safety limits but each diver uses their air at very different rate. Dive training covers the importance of each diver monitoring their individual air supply using their gauges and signalling to the dive leader when they get lower on air. We’ll ask the local team to remind all divers to be doing this but it is ultimately the responsibility of each diver (and their buddy), so we have to trust that all divers follow their training and procedures. We wish you happy future travels and lots more diving!
Posted 2 years ago
A phone call with Alex was all we needed to cement our decision to book the family turtle conservation week in Greece. We were provided with lots of information before our departure, which proved useful for our time there. The week was incredible, words just aren't able to convey how special a time we had.
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Hi Emily, thanks so much for your review of your time in Greece on our Turtle and Marine Conservation family trip. It's really inspiring to hear about how it all went and it sounds like your daughter is very committed to volunteering in the future! Best wishes, Alex
Posted 2 years ago
So helpful, had no problems with the volunteering, amazing service thank you.
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Hi Lucy, thanks very much for your feedback and really pleased that all went well in Thailand for your volunteering. Hope you are settling in back at home ok after all the exciting travels. Best wishes, Alex
Posted 2 years ago
Great communication and super reliable service.
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Hi Elin, thanks so much for your lovely feedback. I'm delighted you had a great time in Thailand doing a combination of Elephant Care and Wildlife Rescue. Enjoy the rest of the summer! Best wishes, Alex
Posted 2 years ago
Couldn’t recommend this company enough. Faultless service!
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Thanks Poppy! That's very kind of you and I'm so pleased you had a great time in Thailand doing a combination of Elephant Care and Wildlife Rescue. Best wishes, Alex
Posted 2 years ago
We have just come back from an unforgettable turtle conservation volunteering holiday in Kefalonia, with Wildlife Sense, organised by Pod Volunteer. Alex from Pod was so helpful throughout the process, with booking and organising the holiday and his communication was excellent. I would definitely book through them again. The holiday itself was fascinating, exciting and a joy! Wildlife Sense is an amazing organisation, with their knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment to the sea turtles and environment there. The experiences that we took part in completely brought to life the turtle life-cycle, and the effects that humans are having on them, from staying out on the beach overnight to watch hatchlings make their first journey down to sea – magical! – to helping in a mission to free an adult turtle caught in a fishing line – awe-inspiring! We went as a family of 2 adults and 2 teenage boys, and all of us loved it. I would absolutely recommend this holiday to anyone who wants to increase their knowledge of sea turtles but also get hands-on with conservation work.
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Thank you so much Ella choosing to help support our Turtle and Marine Conservation project in Greece on your family holiday. Your support was so valuable in helping to protect the endangered turtles on the island of Kefalonia. It is fantastic to hear that you were able to have memorable experiences helping to rescue hatchling turtles on the beach at night and tracking nesting turtles. Hope we can help you plan your next volunteering trip! Best wishes, Alex and the Pod Volunteer team
Posted 2 years ago
We loved every moment of family turtle conservation project! We've learned so much, met great people, feel like we've genuinely made a difference and contributed to an important project and made memories for life. The team were all amazing and every step from the team back home supporting our trip planning, to the communication and the project itself have been brilliant. We felt completely respected as volunteers even though we were only there for a week. The whole experience has been very inpisiring. We hope you love it as much as our family did!
Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 18th August 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 18th August 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 18th August 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 18th August 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 18th August 2023
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Hi Tiffany, brilliant to hear about you and your family's experience in Greece on the Turtle and Marine Conservation family trip. You really have all made a genuine difference to the important conservation work there on Kefalonia and I'm sure will be an inspiration for other families too. Love the photos of your family in action and the beautiful shot of the turtle hatchling - makes it all worth it! Best wishes, Alex
Posted 2 years ago
I found Pod Volunteer whilst looking for options for my DofE and the turtle conservation in Kefalonia stood out to me. Whilst I was there I met some amazing people who really made the experience what it was. I would look to do a similar project in the future.
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Thanks so much for choosing to do your DofE Gold Residential Award whilst volunteering at our Turtle Conservation in Greece! We'd love to help you plan a trip in the future. All the best - Gemma, Pod Volunteer
Posted 2 years ago
It was the best experience ever
Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 14th August 2023
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Hi Sophie, so great to hear about your time on the Greece family Turtle and Marine Conservation trip this summer. Love the photo of the turtle at night in your red light head torch! Have a lovely rest of the summer. Best wishes, Alex
Posted 2 years ago
I had a great experience volunteering with Pod Volunteer. They were so quick to respond to any questions I had, before and throughout the project. I would definitely recommend volunteering through them! Thank you so much for the opportunity.
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
So happy to hear that you had such a good time helping the turtles in Greece Anya! All the best, Gemma - Pod Volunteer
Posted 2 years ago
it was a fabulous experience, rich in emotion. With great encounters. I recommend 100% but don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Thanks so much for your review and volunteering with us Baptiste - so happy to hear that you enjoyed your experience at the Elephant Rescue project in Thailand! Best wishes, Alex
Posted 2 years ago
Pod Volunteer need to give more information about the projects as it was a shock how much hard work the turtle conservation project involved. To do this one…you must be a really strong cycler and be willing to sleep on a beach at night with just one other person. On a positive note however, pod volunteer were supportive with organising the trip, but more truthful and explicit information about the project would have prepared me better.
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Thanks very much for your open and honest feedback, which we always really appreciate. I’m glad that you found we were supportive for your trip to Greece. Our Turtle Conservation project in Greece does involve hard work as the project genuinely requires the help of volunteers to help protect and conserve the endangered turtles. Volunteers’ time and effort make a real difference. We agree that it’s very important that volunteers understand the role on the trip they are joining. This is why we aim to be clear about expectations and challenges in our website and Guide. As you know, we send out the Guide before taking a deposit so volunteers can learn all about the trip and hopefully have no surprises when they arrive. In the Physical and Emotional challenges section of the Guide we let volunteers know that the role will include “Riding a bicycle over hilly terrain in a hot climate. Volunteers normally travel by bicycle and cycle 4-8km to the nesting beaches each day” and “Taking part in night shifts, monitoring nests / turtles through the night, including sleeping on the beach”. We will endeavour to make this even clearer for future volunteers. Thanks again for your efforts to support the conservation of turtles in Kefalonia. Best wishes, Gemma
Posted 2 years ago
Amazing team, incredible landscapes, very interesting activities, I truly recommend Pod Volunteer for a safe, rewarding and unforgettable life changing experience !
Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 24th July 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 24th July 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 24th July 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 24th July 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 24th July 2023
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Hi Jean-Loup, fantastic to hear about your and Adele's volunteering in Costa Rica with the turtles! Amazing pictures and love the waterfall, great way to cool off! Hope all good on your return to France. Best wishes, Alex
Posted 2 years ago
It was an experience of a lifetime. Working on a sea turtle sanctuary was the best vacation ever. Reserva Playa Tortuga in Costa Rica was amazing. Highly recommend.
Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 21st July 2023 Pod Volunteer 5 star review on 21st July 2023
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Hi Julie and Cordelia, so great to hear about your time in Costa Rica! Love the photo of you two and also an all important turtle nest! Hope you have enjoyed the rest of your travels around Costa Rica. Best wishes, Alex
Posted 2 years ago
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.
Helpful Report
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
Helpful Report
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
Pod Volunteer is rated 4.8 based on 598 reviews