Cross-Cultural Solutions

I have used them for my voluntourism adventures twice. In 2013 I went to Thailand and in 2014 to Morocco. Both places were amazing and volunteering in these communities one a special needs school and the other a children’s hospital I was awestruck by the appreciation and love I was given. The program costs more than others but it is worth it. As a single female I could not of felt more safe. What this program offers that others don’t a home base where all the volunteers stay (great for meeting new friends and going for adventures with others) security guard, three meals and clean water, transportation to volunteer site and amazing staff who will help if you have any problems. There is definitely more to the story of the one reviewer who gave it one star. They do not kick people out easily. Both times I went people went out and drank but came back by curfew 1 am and was able to volunteer the next day. Some even came in later not often. I was not there but I think there was a reason for the termination not just having a few drinks. It makes no sense. I would highly recommend using them for an experience of a lifetime.

I just got back from an eye opening and wonderful experience in Ghana for 2 weeks. I volunteered in the Municipal Hosital since I’m a nurse in the US. The program coordinator based in the US really listens to your skills and interests and appropriately placed me where I’d be the most useful. Granted I would’ve enjoyed volunteering at an orphanage or school but the hospital is where I really wanted to spend my time.
The other time spent not volunteering was so planned out by our amazing in-​country program coordinators. Everyday after volunteering at our placement there was an excursion, or cultural lesson, or some kind of activity planned. I was NEVER bored. There were only 3 other volunteers there at the time but it was great. The staff was so caring and attentive to our needs. I had a rash on my hand and the program directors took me to the intown pharmacist right away. I never felt alone or on my own completely but I found that comforting being in such an unfamiliar country.
The house was clean, well maintained, safe. The food was great, always something to eat! Rice, beans, plantains, checken, beef, potatoes, fu-​fu, bangku. Security was always outside day and night so I always felt safe. Everyone at CCS just wants to make sure you have the best experience possible and I truly felt that.
All of your transportation is arranged to and from the airport, to your placements and excursions each day. Also if you’re there for longer than a week then you can go anywhere on your free weekend. The CCS staff helps and recommeneds places that other volunteers have been so you know what you’re getting yourself into. 2 other volunteers and I went to Cape Coast for the weekend and it was definitely a great experience. I would recommend this to first time volunteers or people traveling out of the country for the first time!

I’ll say it I was terminated for drinking before the program started. I am a geeky 25 year old and NOT a party girl. On my first night (before orientation and before the program even got started) in Cartago, I went for a walk with some guys. Making friends is a good start, right? I asked the guys to walk me home because they had spent more time figuring out the area. Sometimes, you just need to get out of the crowded compound. One guy was old enough to be my father and the other a little brother. On the first day, you are excited to see the town.
I didn’t even have my wallet with me it was so spontaneous. I know it’s best to be in a group. I sat at a table in a whole in the wall while a fellow volunteer and 50+ year old man showed me pictures of his kids. He was keeping an eye on his 19 year old roommate. I can’t drink beer because I’m allergic to gluten and I turned away things offered to me.
Who did we meet in the bar? Cross Cultural Solutions staff who purchased drinks for a 19 year old. The next morning we all received termination letters. After all this, the other volunteer and I took responsibility for a 19 year old with no experience travelling alone in a foreign country. CCS was incredibly condescending considering I met up with the wrong crowd. They’ve even gone so far as to call me a liar and I’m their customer! Our entire group was home by 8:00pm. I’m probably not the first girl in history to make a bad judgement call by hanging out with guys. I just feel like these guys were blacklisted being the only men in the house.
I will be suing for my money back. I don’t think meeting new people on the first day violates policy. You are supposed to be safe and with a group. They didn’t even talk to us before they decided that we were all unworthy. Cartago, is very far from things so I question being based there for three weeks. I went up to Jaco beach for a week and enjoyed myself.
I had every desire to give my best to the program. I feel very foolish that I believed that this organization respects adults.

I volunteered with CCS in Thailand. I have also volunteered overseas without an organization by finding my own volunteering before I volunteered with CCS. I can’t say enough about how awesome CCS is and how far superior it was to when I went on my own. With CCS I volunteered at a home for abandoned elderly where CCS has been working for many years. Because of their relationship I got such a warm welcome and my work was really productive. Also, with CCS they provided lots of cultural activities that were amazing like a trip up a river to a agricultural cooperative. The other group members were amazing also. I am still friend with many of the people I met. CCS also made the experience very safe for me. Their vehicles are all well maintained and the food is simply delicious. What a relief not to worry about getting sick when traveling abroad. Seriously, it was the trip of a lifetime and I couldn’t rate CCS higher.

As a three-​time volunteer with Cross-​Cultural Solutions, I’ve been shocked by how different, yet how similar each of my experiences has been. On one hand, each region adds a unique flavor found nowhere else, but on the other hand, CCS has a way of executing its mission in a way that gets you in the best position to make a positive, evident impact in the community, every time. That unforgettable feeling of contribution is something that never changed across my three experiences.
In my most recent trip to Brazil in July 2012, I worked primarily with Missionaries for Charity, a daycare located on the outside of Salvador, Brazil’s third-​largest city. Nuns who have devoted their lives to this organization run the center and care for the ~30 children here every day, completing a considerable amount of work in the process. These nuns are some of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met, and getting to know them over the course of my volunteering was one of the highlights of what I got from the program. I was happy to contribute by organizing games and arts/​crafts for the children, finishing projects around the center, and preparing food and feeding lunch to a group of 30 – 40 more underprivileged children from the community at lunch time. Many of the kids were quite young, between 3 – 4, and required a lot of attention and care, so we also cleaned and helped put them to a nap in the late morning after our activities. The older kids who came for lunch loved having us there, and we had such a great time. I’ll never forget the time we spent playing soccer and doing Capoeira, Brazil’s famous form of martial arts, with the kids during the week.
The home site couldn’t have been better. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly. The lodging was more than adequate, and the food was spectacular. Further, I can’t imagine a group of fellow volunteers who melded together better, yet who came from so many different backgrounds and personalities. We did everything together, from the 14-​year-​old high school Freshman and his family to 50+ working professionals, and everyone in between.
I love CCS’s vision: «a world in which people value cultures different from their own, are aware of global issues, and are empowered to effect positive change.» I also identify strongly with all of its objectives in the volunteer experience: 1) directly impacting communities through volunteer work, 2) fostering cultural exchange and understanding and breakdown of stereotypes (two-​way, both locals and volunteers), and 3) to spread knowledge of this experience (through reflection and sharing after volunteering). All three of these aspects are so important to my experiences to date. In the end, you feel so fortunate to make a positive change in the community, but the impact it makes on you ends up moving you even more.
I’m proud to be a three-​time volunteer and future four-​time volunteer!

We were most excited about going on the People-​to-​People tour with Cuba Insights, which is a part of Cross-​Cultural Solutions, at the end of the summer. We paid our money and booked our non-​refundable airline tickets to Miami. Then just about two weeks later, we learned that Cuba Insights has not been able to renew its license with the US State Department and therefore had to cancel the trip.
After several emails and phone calls, we got our money back for the tour, but are stuck with our nonrefundable airline tickets.
Cuba Insights said they’d be glad to help us out if we were to reschedule for another tour with them and keep all of our money with them in the meantime — but they have no idea if and when they’ll get their new license.
When I asked why they didn’t tell us their license was about to expire, they said they would have told us IF we would have asked. Hhhmmm. I don’t see my medical professionals, lawyer, CPA and others with licensures requiring me to ask whether they’re keeping their licenses up to date.
So if you want to work this organization, recognize their standards of professionalism may differ from yours. And keep your eyes and ears open and ask lots of questions!

I went to Ghana for 2 months and had the best experience of my life! I can’t speak for the other countries but Ghana was AMAZING! I completely recommend it!!!