Volunteer World Reviews 

317
TrustScore 5 out of 5

4.8

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Considering 81 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently praise the dedicated staff members for being exceptionally helpful, kind, and always ready to answer any questions with great professionalism. People deeply appreciate the thorough guidance and comprehensive resources provided during personal calls, which makes organizing volunteer journeys much easier and entirely stress-free. Though some customers experienced issues with unexpected project changes, unreliable local guidance, or questions that remained completely unanswered. A few reviewers also noted occasional communication hurdles regarding delayed initial booking confirmations, language barriers on-site, and unexpected adjustments to their daily volunteer schedules.

What people talk about most

Staff

Users describe positive interactions with staff members who are consistently helpful, kind, and professional.... See more

Customer service

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of customer service, describing the team as exceptionally fast, helpful,... See more

Service

Clients share positive opinions on service, noting that the support received was absolutely incredible from... See more

Response time

Customers had positive experiences with response time, reporting that the support team replies super fast and... See more

User experience

People report positive experiences with user experience, highlighting helpful support calls and clear... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I had a great call with Mariela Pero from Volunteer World. She was kind, patient, and took the time to clearly explain all the steps of the process. She also shared valuable insights and followed u... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The call I had with Josefiene was really helpful — especially the follow-up email summarizing my program details, along with the visa and vaccine information I needed. I still have several programs op... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Laura has assisted me in my queries on numerous occasions, and I am deeply impressed by her! She is always patient and friendly, and able to assist in resolving any issues or answer any questions yo... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The booking experience with Volunteer World was great! Plenty of information on the projects in an easy to read format. Questions were answered quickly by Volunteer World - thankyou Mariela and by my... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Cultural Tours Provider
  2. Tour Agency
  3. Travel Agency
  4. Volunteer Organization

Written by the company

Volunteer World is the world's leading volunteering platform. We show you how to volunteer abroad! Search & compare the best international volunteer programs offered by volunteer organizations and local NGOs with just a few clicks.


Contact info

4.8

Excellent

TrustScore 5 out of 5

317 reviews

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1-star

Asks customers to review

This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative

Replied to 100% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 2 weeks

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4.8

All reviews

(317)

121 reviews in the last 12 months

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Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Thanks!

They helped me a lot with all of my questions and always answered really fast. Also, somebody was checking on how I am doing once in a while which was very nice.

October 7, 2022
Unprompted review
Volunteer World logo

Reply from Volunteer World

Hi Jonathan,

thanks a lot for the nice feedback! :)

Warm regards,
Volunteer World's team

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Super easy to use in terms of…

Super easy to use in terms of everything being clear on the website as well as Linda always ready to help and answer questions!

October 31, 2022
Unprompted review
Volunteer World logo

Reply from Volunteer World

Hi Sara,

thanks a lot for your nice review! We are happy to read that our services made your volunteering experience easier! :)

Best Regards,
the Volunteer World Team.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Being ignored by Volunteer World when I urgently Need their help

I Paid the project fees in full before traveling, but when i arrived in Tanzania the organisation clearly has no such project.

I had to find a different project and different accommodation myself.

I’ve been waiting over 6 weeks for a promised refund from the project, but nothing received.

I told Volunteer World what was happening, initially they responded quickly (asking the project to refund me promptly) but as soon as it becomes clear the project is not going to be refunding … Volunteer World now just ignore all my messages.

Volunteer World Ignored me From the moment of me asking about the “refund guarantee” … coincidence? No, i think not.

Stuck in Africa, lost over $1100 … not impressed.
😡

December 8, 2022
Volunteer World logo

Reply from Volunteer World

Hi Mark,

we have now analyzed the whole situation and in our opinion, we fully agree with you that the refund offered by VOStA isn't enough regarding the situation. Please understand that as mediators, the Volunteer World team isn't able to decide on the reimbursement of the fee paid to the organization, thus we are doing our best to moderate this regrettable situation. However, we will make the possible at our end so you'll get suitable compensation regarding and this will never repeat in the future. Please contact our team to get further support with this situation. we are more than eager to help you as quickly as possible.

Kind Regards,
the Volunteer World Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Life changing experience

Life changing experience. The people I met in Nicaragua and interacted with at Volunteer World were very helpful. I learned so much about the country, its history and culture. My Spanish skills improved and I returned home with a renewed appreciation of my country.

October 31, 2022
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Be very careful...

My daughter arrived at her placement in Costa Rica to find mould growing on the walls and ceiling above her bunk. There were no staff to greet her and she was left after a 17 hour journey sobbing in the bathroom ignored by everyone. She is 18. I had to deal with this long distance and arrange for her to leave first thing the following morning. I have emailed and WhatsApp messaged but have received no reply, no apology and no refund. Terrible.

November 6, 2022
Volunteer World logo

Reply from Volunteer World

Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. First and foremost, we want to express our sincere regret that your daughter had such a difficult experience upon her arrival in Costa Rica. We understand how distressing this must have been for her and for you as a parent managing this from afar.

Please allow us to clarify the situation. As soon as we were informed of the conditions at her placement, we immediately offered assistance, including the option to move her to a different room or arrange a new placement altogether. Unfortunately, we were only notified after your daughter had already left the program, which meant we were unable to take action in time to resolve the situation on-site.

In light of what happened, we extended a goodwill gesture by offering a voucher as compensation, even though we were unable to directly intervene at the time. We strive to ensure that all participants have a safe and positive experience, and we regret that we were not able to meet these expectations in this instance.

If you have any further concerns or would like to discuss this matter in more detail, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We value your feedback and will continue to work on improving our processes to prevent such issues in the future.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Volunteer World is not to be trusted to…

Volunteer World is not to be trusted to look after you at all! My daughter travelled to Tortugas de Pacuare in Costa Rica to rescue Turtles a few days ago and on the first night she stayed in the accommodation provided there, there was incredibly heavy rainfall, she and her friend got seriously flooded out, along with all the other volunteers. It was no longer safe to stay in the accommodation provided, it was totally flooded, she had to sleep upstairs that night on a mattress on the floor in a small room with seven other girls. The staff in charge at the site did nothing to evacuate the volunteers from this highly dangerous situation, nor did they seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation. The water flooding the downstairs of the accommodation smelled like it had been contaminated from the septic tank, creating a real risk of disease. She and her friend waded out of the place on the day after the flooding and was unable to get a refund of her payment to Volunteer World or Tortugas de Pacuare, even though the accommodation was totally unsafe and it wasn't safe to cook or prepare food in such an environment. And even though she hadn't received the accommodation or the food she had paid for.

Since posting this review, Volunteer World took an interest and managed to persuade Tortugas de Pacuare to refund my daughter's payment to them. It's a pity they didn't reply to my messages when I first contacted them. I sent Volunteer World an email and messaged them on Messenger, as well as on WhatsApp at that time and my daughter emailed Tortugas de Pacuare, but neither of them responded to those messages. It's good to know that posting a review on Trustpilot seems to have a beneficial effect and my daughter is happy now she's been refunded the payment she made for the accommodation and food she never actually received. I hope the other volunteers had a good time there, despite the serious flooding.

October 25, 2022
Unprompted review
Volunteer World logo

Reply from Volunteer World

Hi Iain,

I am really sorry if you got this impression. We are also very pleased that you have already informed us that all financial matters with the project have been resolved.

In conclusion:
We made the best we could moderating this situation fort you to get the best outcome after this event. Since we are only the mediators we are always reactive with the great attention to communicate closely with the organisators of the stays.

It seems to us that Tortugas de Pacuare also made his best on his side to handle the flood and to get everything back on track as soon as possible. After having been in touch with him lately, we are really happy that we finally managed to send you a refund. Sadly, such events as floods are out of our hands and caused by nature.

However, the flood had a small intensity and we were happy to hear that the volunteers' safety was not at stake. Your daughter and her friend were the only volunteers who decided to leave the program.

As for the deposit, we are happy to offer you to reuse it with the Flex Option. Sadly, we cannot offer cash refunds for forces of God as a flood is out of our hands. We suggest you refer to an insurance that we highly recommend for these cases.

Of course, we are happy to answer any of your questions!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The website is a great resource

The website is easy to use. The project that I chose was trustworthy, and the description found on the website was accurate. Overall, the experience was relaxing.

October 5, 2022
Unprompted review
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Reliable Website

I contacted and booked my volunteer adventure through Volunteer World. Your payments are safe, I got a quick response when I needed to transfer my deposit. I would definitely recommend!

August 4, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

A bitter disappointment

Unfortunately, a bitter disappointment. It's called a social organisation, you want to help and think you're doing something good. As long as you pay well, everything is fine. But if you can't take part in the programme because of health problems, you suddenly have to pay a double deposit as a cancellation fee. No one explains where the costs come from, the general terms and conditions are simply referred to, which one has never seen before. Without a doubt a bitter disappointment and unfortunately not a social thought, but a money-making scheme, in the foreground. Attention!

Response to feedback from Volunteerworld:

Unfortunately this is right past my question, I am requesting a cancellation invoice from you. Highly questionable if I don't get any feedback here and my questions are talked past....

August 9, 2022
Unprompted review
Volunteer World logo

Reply from Volunteer World

Dear Nicole,

We have now had the time to take a close look at your case.

We are very sorry that you cannot start your program due to health problems. As we have already informed you personally and throughout the entire process, a travel cancellation insurance is highly recommended to be taken out for such a case. For cancellations for "personal reasons" we explicitly cannot offer cash refunds. This is part of the terms and conditions you accepted during the booking process.

Nevertheless, we can offer you on a voluntary basis to use your deposit for another project at any time. Once you found a new opportunity, please let us know in via chat or email.

Greetings

the team of Volunteer World

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Happy experience!

Great platform for all kinds of volunteering project. Best service compared to other platforms. Quick and smooth communication. The staff understands the volunteers, as well as the organization.

June 23, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great experience!

I was a volunteer with Volunteer World and they have really great opportunities to help all around the world. Everything went very well, they are supportive and helpful! You can choose between so many projects and decide which counrty, which project and even if you dont have a lot of money to spend, there is a possibility to adjust the price ratio. I personally love these features!!

June 7, 2022
Unprompted review
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Many thanks!

Many thanks to the whole Volunteer World Team for supporting me during the whole booking process with their fast replies and qualified assistance.

May 30, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

This platform is amazing

This platform is amazing, with all the programs that you need in one place. No need to visit numerous websites in your search for the perfect volunteer program. 😊

April 12, 2022
Unprompted review
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I wasn't very open to the idea to pay…

I wasn't very open to the idea to pay to work but i had great time ! Good team and so cute animals.
J'étais pas chaud de payer pour travailler mais j'ai passé un super moment !
Bonne équipe et des animaux trop mignons.

November 7, 2021
Unprompted review

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