Leave it to me to write a post mortem for a trip in the middle of another trip! But alas, we are in the Dominican Republic and there is no internet access in our room so I thought I would take the time to do something productive.

Since I’ve been back, I’ve been talking to a lot of people about my trip—things I liked, things I didn’t, and things that could’ve been better, so I thought I should write them down, mostly as a final record to close out this part of my sabbatical.

For the most part, I really enjoyed my trip. It was definitely an experience, one that I don’t think I’ll get to experience again in the same way and one that I’ll never forget. I loved all the people I met, I had so much fun, and I learned a lot. But of course, it wasn’t perfect. As previously mentioned, I was very disappointed in the volunteer portion of my trip, which is a little disappointing because that was the main point of going overseas.

The question people ask the most about the trip is what was my favourite part? I always tell them that I liked them all for very different reasons. I don’t think I have one favourite part, but had a lot of favourites. For example, while I was disappointed in the volunteering aspect of India, I loved all the people I met and worked with, and loved, loved, loved all the history and old architecture, and of course the food. In Nepal, I loved the freedom I had to be a local. I loved being able to take local transportation by myself and really get to know Kathmandu at a slow pace. And in Bhutan, I loved the spicy food and enjoyed being a tourist in a quiet country after the hectic, loud and dirty environment in both India and Nepal.

The other question that’s often asked is whether I would do it again. I definitely would. However, I’d do a few things differently! How so, you ask? I would start with doing more research on the volunteer placement. I thought I did enough, but apparently, not all is as it seems. As I said previously, the educational aspect is truly needed, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do. My advice to anyone wanting to volunteer is to truly look into the organization and make sure they actually have something you want to do. I mean, a lot of the people I met actually did want to work with children or teach, so they thoroughly enjoyed their time and placement, it just wasn’t for me.

The other thing I’d do differently is to spend more time in one country (which was my plan before my visa got changed in India – haha). I met people who were volunteering for three to six months, which I think would’ve been a good length of time to feel like I made a difference or some sort of impact in my volunteer placement. I think I was disappointed in my assignment because I was only “working” for three weeks in each country, and I couldn’t see any reason for me being there. I think three to six months is even too short, but I think I may have felt differently after spending so much time with the children and women, even if it wasn’t what I had envisioned doing. I know I wasn’t going to change the world in three weeks (or even the three to six months I would’ve liked) but I would’ve felt better feeling as if I were part of the organization I was volunteering with rather than feeling like a tourist.

And lastly, would I recommend anyone else do this? Yes, but with caution. I would recommend anytime that people should travel! And I recommend that people volunteer as a way to see the world. As I said, however, just do your research! Nothing will be perfect, and I had an awesome time, but there are definitely things to think about for next time!

As for countries/vendors, here’s my list:

Flights – I flew Air Canada, Jet Airways, Druk Air, Qatar Airways and Delta. I liked all of them and didn’t have any problems. There were no crying babies, service was good, and all flights were on time, except for Qatar leaving Kathmandu. Qatar Airways even paid for my hotel room. Bonus! I also bought all of my flights online with ease.

Greenheart Travel – I booked my volunteer trip through U.S.-based company Greenheart Travel. They were pretty good in pre-departure stuff and very communicative. The price was on the expensive side, but I thought it was reasonable for accommodations and food being included. I figured I would’ve saved about $300, maybe $500, if I did hotel and food on my own. Although knowing me and my eating habits, I’m pretty sure I would’ve spent that much on food anyway. Plus, staying with the other volunteers allowed me to meet so many great people so I did enjoy that aspect. I was disappointed though they didn’t have their own project overseas.

Idex – This is the actual local volunteer agency that Greenheart partnered with in India and Nepal. I’ve already said a lot about them, so I won’t rehash everything, but in general, I would not recommend working with them, unless you are okay with no structure, and mainly want to work with children and teach English.It wasn’t all bad, but I would have problems giving rave reviews.

India – I would so recommend anyone travel here. It is truly eye opening, all the sights, sounds, people, food, history, culture. It was amazing. I will definitely be back to explore more of this loud, crazy but exciting and interesting country.

Nepal – I only traveled to Kathmandu and Pokhara, but I loved them both. I would recommend Nepal, but I think it is more for outdoorsy  people. I did enjoy it for the beauty, and safety aspect for feeling like a local, but I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if I liked hiking, or mountain climbing or skydiving etc. … I also likely wouldn’t go for as long as I did, but it was definitely an experience. I probably wouldn’t go back unless to visit Everest Basecamp (haha), but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

Bhutan – Bhutan was never on my list of countries to visit, but two friends convinced me to go and I’m glad I did. It was a beautiful country and I would recommend a trip there, but not for any specific reason. You have to go in with a tour operator and you’re always with a guide and there really isn’t a lot of cities to visit, but I had an awesome time, especially that five hour trek to Tiger’s Nest. It is definitely great for outdoorsy people as well… a lot of trekking and natural beauty to be seen. I likely won’t be back, but would recommend it to anyone!

Timbuktu backpack – I bought this backpack from Mountain Equipment Co-op and it came in super handy as my carry on luggage. It was big enough for all my stuff, including my laptop and camera and was easy to carry. Lots of pockets too and durable. I used it to pack five days of carry on for when I went to Bhutan. I left my big suitcase at the volunteer house in Kathmandu and fit everything into this one. It was great! Love this bag.

Does my camera count? I didn’t buy it for the trip, but it took awesome photos. Love my Canon Rebel!

Okay, I think that’s it. I seriously can’t believe I’ve already been home for seven weeks! It all went by in a flash. I think about it all the time still (especially because I have to print my photo book – I selected 800 photos already!) and miss it. Hopefully I’ll be able to do something like this again at least once in my life. 🙂 Now, onto other sabbatical life things!

–Bea