Organise your 2 week school trip to Bali today! Teachers travel free and your 14 days in Bali will be fully structured, inclusive and led by our experienced team. Your first week will have you based in the traditional town of Tabanan for the volunteering part of the trip and giving back to the local community. You will receive an orientation into life in Bali and an introduction into Balinese culture before your volunteering begins. You will volunteer in the heart of the Tabanan community as you support a wildlife rescue centre, provide free English lessons for the community and keep children entertained at local kindergartens. Each evening we will run cultural activities such as a visit to Tabanan Royal Palace and a yoga class.
After the first week of giving back to the Tabanan community, it will be time to explore Bali further as the adventure travel begins in week two of your Bali expedition. Your adventure travel will begin with three days R&R in the Gili Islands and then back to mainland Bali for visits to temples and ricefields. A sunrise hike will follow up Mount Batur before resting those legs at Toya Devasya Hot Springs. Your next port of call is the vibrant town of Ubud where you will enjoy shopping, waterfalls and monkeys. You will finish your 14 days in Bali with sunset at Tanah Lot Temple. Everything is included in your 2 week Bali expedition from the airport transfers and meals to accommodation, entrance fees and cultural activities.
BALI SCHOOL TRIP HIGHLIGHTS WITH PMGY
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A FULLY STRUCTURED, SAFE AND ALL INCLUSIVE EXPERIENCE
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A PERFECT BLEND OF VOLUNTEER, TRAVEL, ADVENTURE & CULTURAL IMMERSION
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TRIP ITINERARY, ACTIVITIES & DURATION EASILY TAILORED TO YOUR NEEDS & WANTS
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THE BEST VALUE & MOST AFFORDABLE TRIP PROVIDER WITH NO SACRIFICIES IN QUALITY
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PMGY WILL ENSURE A TRUE AUTHENTIC BALINESE EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR GROUP
HOW IT WORKS
Plan My Gap Year has the expertise, experience and networks to make your Bali expedition accessible, safe and stress-free. We pride ourselves on safety management and we have risk assessment documentation for all our overseas trips including to Bali that outlines how we ensure participants are kept safe while overseas.
Organising an overseas trip for your school involves lots of preparation. From flights and insurance to pre-trip training and that’s even before you’ve looked at organising the itinerary! So that’s where PMGY come in. We really do specialise in the school's overseas expedition area providing exclusive group trips whilst accommodating large groups of students, on full board options, with great community project work and travel opportunities. We can organise:
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FLIGHTS (PMGY ARE ATOL PROTECTED), TRAVEL INSURANCE & FULL VISA GUIDANCE
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ALL-INCLUSIVE TAILORED VOLUNTEER AND/OR TRAVEL-BASED ITINERARIES
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FULL PRE-DEPARTURE PREPARATION AND 24/7 INTERNATIONAL & IN-COUNTRY SUPPORT
As a social initiative, we are able to guarantee affordable prices without sacrificing the quality of our programs. We frequently have groups joining our programs as they are looking for a more affordable alternative to their existing provider. We can tailor a trip around your requirements and work with you to create your personalised school trip itinerary. So why not follow the PMGY ten-step journey below to making your bespoke school trip to Bali a reality!
TEN STEP JOURNEY & OUR SUPPORT ROLE
Step 1: Arrange a Call - Should this trip be the one for you, get in touch by email or call and one of our school expedition specialists can discuss and tailor your Bali school trip. Alternatively, let us know the best way to reach out to you and we will do so at a time convenient to you.
Step 2: Meet & Greet - After initial contact has been made and ideas progressed, our school expedition specialist will travel to meet you and any of your colleagues in person. As a result, a face can then be put to the name, the Bali trip planning can be evolved and any initial questions can be answered.
Step 3: Information Session - Once the itinerary, duration and dates are in place for your trip to Bali, our school trip specialist will come and host an information session with all interested students and parents. We will convey all necessary content and information about the trip and hold a Q&A session after the presentation to ensure all attendees are as informed as possible before signing up.
Step 4: Confirm Trip Numbers - Once the internal school deadline for registrations has passed and the trip numbers are known, PMGY will arrange the invoice procedures for the overall group deposit payment to confirm the trip go ahead. For every 10 students, 1 teacher spot will be provided for free! We can also arrange and provide flights and insurance options for all travellers should this be applicable.
Step 5: PMGY Pre-departure Support - Throughout the build-up to your Bali school trip, we will be on hand to support you whatever way possible. Whether it be through creating your bespoke trip handbook, completing risk assessments, communicating safety management procedures or providing project preparation webinars, we will have all bases covered.
Step 6: Pre-departure Session - Around 2 months before your school trip begins in Bali, we will come to your school and do a final pre-departure session with staff, students and parents. This will ensure that everything is in place before your school head overseas and the content covered will align with this accordingly. We will also distribute PMGY T-shirts to all travellers at the session!
Step 7: Before You Go - In the days before your arrival into Bali, we will be in close and regular contact with you to make sure everything is in place for your trip. This will include a range of emails and phone calls ensuring your arrival procedures are all in place, dietary requirements & medical conditions are catered for and that our ground team in Bali are well prepared for your school's arrival.
Step 8: Enjoy the Trip! - When on the trip, our ground team will become your day to day port of call. We will touch base with them daily to make sure your trip is running smoothly. If required, we will be available 24/7 from afar. We will check in with you across the trip to see how everything is going. We know you will be in safe hands with our trusted, experienced and vetted ground teams!
Step 9: Return Home - By the time our team have dropped you safely back at Denpasar Airport, the travel blues may already be starting to kick in! We hope all the students and staff have had an unforgettable trip! Each trip participant will receive a certificate of completion. Furthermore, we will check in one final time with you in the days after your trip for feedback on your Bali experience.
Step 10: Future Planning - After a few weeks away from Bali and once the travel blues have well and truly settled in, it's now time to be planning your next school trip with PMGY to create more magical memories! Whether it be back to Bali or to a new destination, PMGY will be on hand every step of the way again to facilitate your new adventure. Back to Step one we go!
CASE STUDY - NCS CALDERDALE, UK
Who - NCS Calderdale from the United Kingdom. 29 students and 3 staff member from NCS Calderdale travelled to Bali on a group trip expedition with PMGY.
What - A 14 day expedition to Bali in total. The first half of the trip focussed on community volunteering in Tabanan. This ranged from childcare and teaching in the local community to working at a wildlife rescue centre, completing beach cleans and renovating & painting a kindergarten playground. The second half of the trip centred on adventure travel across Bali and the nearby Gili Islands. Cultural activities were all arranged to keep the students entertained and learning in evenings. This included soaking up at the local hot springs, enjoying a yoga class, visiting Tabanan Royal Palace and more light-hearted karaoke and quiz nights. The adventure travel that followed was a great way to see the highlights of Bali in such a short space of time. It was action-packed and included R&R, snorkelling and spectacular sunsets on Gili Islands, temples & ricefields, volcano hikes, shopping in Ubud and exploring monkey forests and waterfalls.
Where - NCS Calderdale experienced so much and a range of locations in their 14 days in Bali. Arriving into Denpasar in the Kuta region, the main segment of the trip was the community volunteer placements in the traditional town of Tabanan. This was the groups base for the first 7 days. Afterwards, the group moved onto to explore the majority of Bali and its surrounding Gili Islands. Whether it was the beaches of Gili T, the rice terraces of Tegalalang, the volcano of Mount Batur or the vibrant town of Ubud, NCS Calderdale experienced the breadth of Bali.
When - NCS Calderdale joined PMGY on an overseas group expedition for 2 weeks in July 2019. The NCS group had completed similar group trips with PMGY in destinations like Vietnam and Sri Lanka. It became clear that Bali had become a firm favourite with NCS as they confirmed to return on a similar trip itinerary with PMGY to Bali in August 2020!
Why - NCS Calderdale and its affiliate groups are an established partner with PMGY group trips. Over the last few years, they have completed a range of overseas group trips with trust and confidence in the quality and affordability of the trips provided by PMGY. These include trips to Morocco, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. Based on these continued positive experiences, NCS Calderdale provided its students with the opportunity of the Bali 2019 trip. PMGY make the trip so accessible with its affordability, inclusivity and structure, that the trip hit capacity with 29 students travelling and many more left wanting to join. The combined travel and volunteer itineraries that PMGY provides at great affordability and inclusivity, means NCS Calderdale are a regular and repeat group traveller with PMGY. In short, the overseas trips PMGY provides match the needs and wants of the NCS group at very affordable, accessible and inclusive pricing.
How - Following successful trips in the past with PMGY, NCS Calderdale reached out looking for new overseas opportunities to volunteer and travel. Bali was a new option for the group and was as a flagship destination, it came recommended by PMGY to NCS Calderdale staff planning the trip. The itinerary was proposed and positive discussions held between PMGY and NCS on phone calls and emails. Eventually, Josh from the PMGY team travelled North in late 2018 to hold an information session with interested staff, parent and students followed by a Q&A session. The trip details were shared and questions were answered with a huge turnout of up to 100 people at the event. The trip was limited to 29 students, and within 1 month of the session deposits were paid, places confirmed and the trip was all set for NCS Calderdale to head to Bali with PMGY in the summer of 2019.
Feedback - "From being overseas with PMGY on a succession of trips, we always wonder how they manage to make each trip better than the last. Bali was no different. Trip planning and preparation was as seamless as ever with the PMGY team with whom we also arranged students insurance. Communications were always prompt and the pre-departure trip support was smooth right up until the day we flew out of Manchester for Bali. When we arrived in Bali, we received the friendliest of welcomes from the Bali local team which included a western co-ordinator in Brandon who was a contact point for our group throughout. This really added to the trip value and not something we had expected. From the very start, the trip superseded all our expectations. The food was always delicious and plentiful, the accommodation much more luxurious than expected and the team were so attentive to our groups' needs and wants. This included small details such as ensuring all dietary requirements were catered for and that all students could share rooms with their closest of friends on the trip. The adventure travel was so much fun and went so smoothly as we visited some fantastic places in the Gili Islands and Ubud Town as well as experiences not to be forgotten with volcano sunrises, historical temples and meeting the monkeys! However, the highlights had to come in the first week where we not only learnt more about Balinese culture, but we could also give so much back to the Tabanan community. Whether this was through teaching English, collecting dozens of bags of rubbish on a beach clean or painting and renovating a new playground at a primary school, I feel our group got to leave a positive legacy from our time volunteering in Tabanan. We can't wait to go back to Bali with PMGY next year!"
VOLUNTEER PROJECT SUMMARIES
The core of the sample overseas school trip with PMGY to Bali will be centred around the volunteering schedule and making a positive impact in the local community. The core projects within the sample itinerary that students will be completing volunteer work in are wildlife rescue, teaching and childcare. It is important to note that we also have medical volunteer opportunities in Bali. As a result, your volunteer schedule can be tailored to include these aspects. Consequently, the sample itinerary and volunteer options included within can be amended to a bespoke Bali expedition for your school.
Childcare - In Bali, it can be difficult to afford a high standard of care or education for their children, particularly for families in the relentless farming and fishing industries. Therefore as a childcare volunteer in Bali, you can support struggling families and childcare centres. By complementing the work of local staff members we can ensure that these children receive the attention and support that they deserve.
It has been suggested that pre-school years are the most important years of a child’s life and an ideal time for learning a foreign language. Above all, this makes time with international volunteers invaluable. Subsequently, as a childcare volunteer in Bali, you can focus on educating the children with very basic English skills. For example speaking and vocabulary, such as colours, shapes and animals.
We work with local kindergarten/childcare centres founded by our local team. Naturally, the creation of the childcare project by our local team within the heart of the Tabanan community means the project is very close to their hearts. There are currently around 20 children who are sponsored to attend the kindergarten and our team have ambitious plans to keep increasing the numbers of children that can come to project month by month. Students will play a crucial role in interacting with the children, keeping them entertained, building their confidence and teaching them basic English, life and social skills.
Children generally age from the younger age brackets of 2-3 years of age to the upper ages of 6 years old. We have close links with a range of kindergartens in the Tabanan area which the groups may be supporting at. Students are encouraged to structure the childcare volunteer session to ensure they get the balance right between keeping it fun with play activities, but keeping it controlled and routined with some basic learning activities. Local coordinators will be on hand at the project to support volunteers.
Outside of the learning and activities, students may also be able to complete some renovation and painting activities at the kindergarten and childcare centres we support in Tabanan. Whether it be painting walls or renovating a playground, this will be of great infrastructure to support and certainly leave a legacy of your time at the project.
English Teaching - English is a key component in both the formal and informal industries that exist in Bali, as well as the communication mediums that underpin them. This ranges from the schools, offices and banks to the shops and restaurants that make up much of the booming tourist industry in Indonesia today.
PMGY’s volunteer teaching English abroad program gives volunteers the chance to really make a difference by opening up possibilities of developing English for local children in Tabanan. The explosion of tourism in Bali means the need to speak English has never been greater. Though English is taught in school by a local Balinese teacher, the opportunity to converse with a native, fluent English speaker is invaluable.
Your schedule will be mixed when you volunteer to teach English in Bali. You’ll spend your time across the different projects where we provide free English lessons in Tabanan, with the main placement being at the Akasa Foundation. This is a community learning centre founded by our local team in 2011. Having lived within the Tabanan community her whole life, the local team noticed a lack of opportunity for children from less well-off families to thrive within the educational system. Consequently, this drove the team to set up the Foundation and to seek the help of international volunteers. A major goal of the centre is to provide basic education to preschoolers from low-income backgrounds, in preparation for eventually joining the local school. The Akasa Foundation runs 3 classes: Kindergarten (3-4 years), Beginners (5-7 years) and Advanced (8-14 years) classes. You will partner up with other students to lead classes in what is a largely informal setting.
Your main role as a volunteer in Bali at this project will be sharing your time, knowledge and skills to the local communities. Moreover, by boosting their confidence in spoken and conversational English you can help to maximise their potential. The project is afternoon based. Dependent on student numbers and the schedule, we can also partner with local schools in the Tabanan community where you will support English teaching in a more formal classroom format.
As a volunteer teaching English in Bali, you are required to be creative and very patient, although a local teacher will act as a guide. We generally find that the more students prepare for their day then the more they and the children get from the whole experience. You will find Balinese children warm, friendly and eager to learn.
Wildlife Rescue, Beach Cleans & Mangroves - Indonesia is home to hundreds of different species of animals, many of which find themselves dispersed by deforestation whilst the country expands it’s exporting of goods like palm oil and rubber. As a result, there are now seven centres in the whole of the country that rehabilitate and release endangered animals into their native habitat in the wild. PMGY Bali wildlife rescue volunteers will gain great insight and opportunity to join in on the care of these animals at the wildlife rescue centre.
Within the centre, you will find a range of animals that were victims of poachers and traffickers. The primates and birds looked after have usually been rescued from markets, private homes and businesses where they were kept as pets or for entertainment purposes. This is a huge problem in Indonesia, displacing wild animals from their natural habitats and separating them from their families. Most importantly, these animals need extra care, attention and enrichment in order to improve their wellbeing and daily lives.
Students will volunteer to give endangered animals daily support and enrich their lives. In addition, students will also get involved in additional opportunities to support the wildlife and environment in Bali. For instance, tackling environmental issues via mangrove restoration and beach cleans.
At the Bali wildlife rescue centre, students can get involved in work across a number of different projects. The focus here is on the daily care, wellbeing and rehabilitation of many different species, with the goal to release them back into the wild if they are healthy and equipped with the necessary skills to survive. Many of the animals at the centre have been displaced, injured or rescued with over 40 endangered primates and bird species living at the centre. Examples include the Javan Lutung, Southern Pig-Tailed Macaque, Grey-Headed Fish Eagle, Southern Cassowary and Palm Cockatoo.
Students will support the daily activities at the centre. Examples include helping with feeding as students cut and prepare meals based on the species you are working with and learn about the types of food that are best. Furthermore, students will engage in enrichment activities and social interaction where possible as well as enclosure cleaning and general maintenance at the centre.
Plastic pollution is becoming a huge problem worldwide and our Bali wildlife rescue volunteers aim to fight the battle against this environmental catastrophe. Students will support this during the expedition in Bali by getting involved in the regular beach cleans that are driven by our local team. Students will visit local beaches to collect disregarded items, before correctly disposing and recycling these. In addition, we also work with local people to create an even bigger impact, by educating them about environmental conservation and recycling.
Students will also work with local villages to restore existing mangroves, which have been affected by climate change and littering. Under the supervision of our local team, students will work directly with the villages to help them plant mangrove plants and educate the villagers about restoring ecosystems and environmental conservation.
