Pod Volunteer Reviews

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

4.8 Rating 502 Reviews

97 %

of reviewers recommend Pod Volunteer

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4.8

Based on 502 reviews

Customer Service
Communication Channels	Email, Telephone, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	2 - 3 Hours
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 23rd July 2025

Izzy H

282

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 4 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“WFFT has been one of the greatest and funniest experience I’ve never had in my life. If you’ve always dreamed of travelling around the world, doing volunteering with animals and live and unforgettable and memorable experience, don’t wait any longer and join us! I’ve spent 6 weeks in total at WFFT, including 3 weeks in Wildlife and 3 weeks in Elephants. I’ve really enjoyed both and I would recommend anyone to experience both as well. In my opinion, the longer you stay the better it is. You get to know every animal’s habits and and specific needs. They are adorable, amazing and endearing. Moreover, the staff/coordinators/volunteers are awesome and I’ve made wonderful Friends. You only got one day off a week, so there is no long rest. The work days are really long and exhausting, But it’s worth it and your help is precious and meaningful. Go for it!!!”

Pod Volunteer 4 star review on 28th March 2025

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Posted 3 months ago

Hi Chloe, thank you so much for all your hard work during your 6 weeks in Thailand doing a combination of Elephant Care and Wildlife Rescue! Hard work and a lot of fun, exactly what we aim for! What an amazing set of pictures too, it really shows what life at the centre and in Thailand is like. Hope you are settling in well at home after a long time away with your other travels too. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 3 months ago

“My daughter had a really brilliant time in Kefalonia, she enjoyed the activities very much especially the night shift. She found camping and sharing a tent with girls she didn't know a challenge, but she made several new friends by the end of the week. A big thank you to all the leaders for being supportive.”

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Posted 10 months ago

Hi Terry, thanks very much for your comments, your daughter did so well and really rose to the challenges of the trip. It was a very nice group and great to see so many people mixing well and making new friends. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 10 months ago

“I had a great week in Kefalonia with Pod Volunteer the accommodation was good and the food was really good, the leaders make us feel very safe the whole week, thank you. I enjoyed the activities on the beach with the night shift and morning survey. However, if I’m being completely honest, some of the tasks weren’t what i expected going on this trip, i expect the snorkelling to be deep in the sea seeing lots of turtles but it felt quite monotonous and pointless looking at sea grass for an hour everyday. For the actual turtles, it was amazing watching them going into the sea and that was a moment i won’t forget but I felt that I wasn’t very helpful overall I don’t feel we made a difference to the turtles since we just observed and watched the staff handle the turtles, I understand that we aren’t as knowledgeable as them but watching back trailers from previous trips of the turtle saving on Pods instagram it led me to believe that we would be more involved with the turtles. I still had a great time and. it was a trip I’ll never forget.”

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Posted 10 months ago

Thanks very much for your feedback on the U18 Turtle and Marine Conservation trip and for letting us know about some of the tasks that weren’t quite what you expected, it’s really useful to hear this. With the snorkelling, the reason for doing these surveys is to monitor the sea grass meadows and collect data that feeds into the database, so it can seem repetitive but it’s really valuable data that is being collected about the state of the vital sea grass. In terms of handling turtles, we always try to minimise this and as we are there for a week it’s more of an observational role. We’ll review our info to try and make this as clear as possible. I’m really pleased that you enjoyed the nesting check shifts and the overnight shift and that you had a great time overall! Thanks for all your efforts and hope you have a great last bit of the summer hols! Best wishes, Alex

Posted 10 months 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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“Very good (customer) service”

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Posted 2 years ago

Thanks so much Caitlyn, great to hear about our customer service as this is so important to us. Best wishes, Alex

Posted 2 years ago

“We had an amazing time volunteering in Thailand. We were a family with 2 teens and found the experience humbling and rewarding. Podvolunteer were fab in their communications and support - thank you”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Spent two weeks in Costa Rica doing turtle conservation! Was an amazing experience, met so many amazing people and learnt so much. Was incredible to work with locals who are so passionate about their work”

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Posted 2 years ago

“I volunteered on the turtle conservation project in Lixouri, Kefalonia, Greece for two weeks. It was one of the most challenging, rewarding and unique experiences of my life so far! Alex from Pod Volunteer was very supportive and clear with the application process, and checked up on my progress in Greece as well which was really nice - I felt like I could ask any questions I needed to at any time. The work was not what I expected but a very honest insight into a conservation career - we volunteered long hours, in hot conditions, and cycling and walking for hours every day made it physically strenuous. But if you were willing to put in the effort it was incredibly rewarding and the challenge of it made me feel like I was making a real difference to the organisation's amazing conservation work. I will never forget the night surveys; these involved walking along the beaches from 10pm til 5:30am looking for nesting turtles, and I got to hold the shell of a beautiful female while her tags were checked and measurements taken. Walking for hours under the stars was surreal. I was also incredibly lucky to see hatchlings on my last day, despite it being earlier than usual hatchling season, and being able to hold a newly hatched turtle and watch it crawl to the sea was again a moment I will never forget. Overall, I would recommend this experience to anyone with a positive attitude and a willingness to work hard - it has convinced me that I want to pursue nature conservation as a career, I have made so many amazing memories, become stronger as a person and met friends for life! Thank you Pod for this opportunity!”

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Posted 3 years ago

“I truly enjoyed my experience in the Elephant sanctuary in Thailand. Everything was well organized, the people were amazing and the project itself was genuinely authentic. Would recommend!”

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Posted 5 years ago

Thank you so much for your review; it is fantastic to hear that you had such an amazing time at the Elephant Care project in Thailand and that you found your placement was so well organised! All the best, Iona - Pod Volunteer Specialist

Posted 5 years ago

“Very nice team. Good organization. Short-term trips are partly possible but you are bound to the protocol of POD-Volunteer.”

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Posted 6 years ago

Thanks so much for your review - we are so glad to hear you found your placement well organised! Best wishes, Iona - Pod Volunteer Specialist

Posted 5 years ago

“The whole process was well co-ordinated and ran smoothly. A great company to volunteer with!”

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Posted 6 years ago

“They were very professional and provided good information for the internship that I did. Any questions I had were responded to very quickly.”

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Posted 6 years ago

It's great to hear that you had a great time volunteering on your internship in Belize Michael! Thanks so much for your lovely review, we enjoyed helping you plan for your trip. All the best, Gemma - Pod Volunteer Specialist

Posted 6 years ago

“Very nice staff, had a great experience! Little expensive tho but worth it.”

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Posted 6 years ago

Thanks very much for your feedback, we are so glad to hear you had a great experience and found the local staff friendly! Best wishes, Iona

Posted 6 years ago

“The communication back and forth about volunteer information was good. The program was great, except when i tried to extend my stay because it was hard to pay for an extension.”

Pod Volunteer 4 star review on 5th March 2019

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Posted 6 years ago

Hi Jake, Thanks very much for providing feedback for your placement at the Kruger Conservation project - it's fantastic to hear that you felt the communication with Pod and your time with the local team were both positive. It's great that you extended your stay in South Africa and we will review your payment extension issues. Best wishes, Iona - Pod Volunteer Specialist

Posted 6 years ago

“Pod Volunteer is an easy, quick and thorough system of getting volunteer work abroad.”

Pod Volunteer 4 star review on 18th February 2019

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Posted 6 years ago

Hi David, Thank you for your feedback and sharing this lovely photo of you volunteering in Udaipur! I really enjoyed helping you prepare for your trip and hope you volunteer with us again in the future. Lucy – Pod Volunteer Specialist

Posted 6 years ago

Pod Volunteer is rated 4.8 based on 502 reviews