Oyster Worldwide
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✈️ ✈️ Welcome to Oyster Worldwide
Your Gateway to Extraordinary Journeys!
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Journey on a transformative travel experience with Oyster Worldwide, where responsible travel meets unparalleled adventure. Since our establishment in 2000, we have been the trailblazers in crafting meaningful and unforgettable journeys, offering over 70 handpicked programs across 25 stunning destinations worldwide.
🐾 Animal Welfare and Conservation Volunteering: Join us in making a positive impact on the world's wildlife. Our animal welfare and conservation projects provide you with the unique opportunity to contribute to the well-being of our planet's incredible creatures, creating lasting memories and leaving a positive mark on the environment.
💼 Paid Work Abroad: Take your career global with our paid work abroad programs. Immerse yourself in new cultures while gaining invaluable international work experience. Stand out in the competitive job market by acquiring skills that transcend borders.
🏞️ Adventure Tours, and More – Customize Your Adventure: Explore the world on your terms with our diverse range of options. Whether you're a nature enthusiast, culture seeker, or family adventurer, our trekking, tours, and family adventure programs cater to your unique preferences, promising awe-inspiring experiences and memories that last a lifetime.
🌟 Unparalleled Experiences for Mature Travelers: Age is no barrier to adventure at Oyster Worldwide. Our specially curated mature travel trips offer enriching experiences, cultural immersion, and the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals who share a passion for exploration.
🔥 Why Choose Oyster Worldwide?
✅ Two decades of expertise in responsible travel ✅ Over 70 handpicked programs to choose from ✅ A commitment to ethical and sustainable travel ✅ Unmatched customer satisfaction ✅ Memorable experiences that transcend boundaries
Join Oyster Worldwide – Your Passport to Extraordinary Adventures! Don't just dream of the world 🌏 make it your playground with Oyster Worldwide. Start your journey today, and let us redefine the way you travel ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️
Reviews 528
Jane
Apr 19,2017Very helpful, friendly and efficient service. Quick replies to questions.
Nancy van der Lans
Apr 17,2017Good organisation, very nice experience, clear explanations
Mr Peter Lowe
Apr 11,2017I have been fortunate to participate in a number of projects through Oyster. They are totally professional and at the same time friendly organisation whom I have absolutely no reservation to recommend.
customer
Apr 05,2017Very helpful! I found oyster to be exceedingly helpful-I've had trouble with other volunteer agencies before and was very relieved when I came across Oyster. The information for their projects is exactly what you get, everything is honest and nothing is misleading. I was always able to contact someone, if I needed help or advice, there was always a quick reply. I will definitely be using Oyster in the future.
Diego
Apr 03,2017- See real illnesses with your own eyes - Be able to help caring for those people - Visit a completely new country, full of natural and man made wonders - Engage in the local forms of entertainment, from skiing to horse riding - Enjoy the much lower prices 7/5 Would recommend to everyone
customer
Apr 03,2017Oyster Worldwide are a brilliant company Oyster really look after you and make sure that they are in constant contact. I took part in the Game Ranger course in South Africa the trip was absolutely amazing with plenty of new experiences and lovely friendly people.
Savannah Adler
Mar 30,2017So I went to Whistler regretting booking the 4 week course and wished that there was one shorter, however, now I look back at that I regret ever thinking it and instead I wish I booked the longer course! I had done a couple other trips around the world beforehand, and this one was definitely the best (and no they aren't paying me to write this!) Living in a small community with 20 other people your age made me create friendships that I will never lose and in the space of 5 weeks ( I extended my stay and so did another boy) I made friends that I feel like I know better than those I've been to school with for 5 years. The actual course frightened me because I was worried I wasn't good enough, however the ski instructors were incredible and really helped me improve my skiing and made me enjoy the sport 10 times more. I even became friends with my instructors and can't wait to wear my blue coat with them! Whistler village has everything that you need, however, it can become quite expensive so i would save a lot and bring more than you thought you need. This trip has brightened my future and I cannot recommend it enough!
Alex
Mar 29,2017This was one of the best thing that I have ever done. It was brilliant spending the time helping and learning how to be a nature guild. From learning about the different animals to taking people on game drives. It's was also good being there for2 months helping fell more part of the place and making many new friends that I hope to see in the future. This is something I would recommend for anyone who loved the outdoor life with nature and people
Sarah
Mar 24,2017I've just got home from 4 weeks at the Wildlife and Elephant sanctuary in Thailand and I can honestly say it was the most incredible experience of my life! If you're not scared of hard work and want to make a difference to these animals I would highly recommend it! Thank you so much to Harriet at Oyster who looked after me from day 1. It was an incredibly smooth process throughout my entire placement and I had no worries at all, even as a lone traveller. Thank you Oyster.
Jessica Mackie
Mar 22,2017It's really nice looking back on this experience, and thinking about all the fantastic experiences I had, especially meeting amazing new people. I was involved in the patrols for turtles nesting every night, which required waking up at different intervals after 9. The group took 3 hour shifts each, and split in two, walking either north or South around 3 times. If we found a turtle we measured her, and the leaders tagged her while we caught her eggs to take back to the hatchery. I got good at spotting tracks and digging them up, which is really hard in the dark! When baby turtles started to hatch, I helped get them back to the ocean safely. Besides working closely with the Olive Ridleys, I was involved in general housekeeping and cooking breakfast for the team. The most challenging thing for me was probably travelling halfway across the world on my own! Combining this with bad sunburn and little sleep in the first week was even more challenging, but adjustments were made, and my body got more accustomed to the new routine. With such a wonderful team to look after me there were really no issues. It felt so good to be so hands on in helping the project. Rather than just donating money to saving these creatures, I could physically save eggs from poachers or animals, and keep them safe while they grew and hatched. Thank you OysterWorldwide for such an incredible experience!
Barbora Koutova
Mar 20,2017Very well organize... always answer my questions soon they can... just brilliant work
Chloe L
Mar 18,2017Myself & my other half booked to do the "Big 5 Experience" in South Africa for 3 weeks. From the start, Anne was very helpful and provided every information we required. She gave us a call to see if this was suited to us to begin with and seemed very enthusiastic. The whole organisation of the travels and the reminders to get your insurance, kit list etc were very helpful and made the packing / preparation less stressful. At the Game Reserve, it was exactly how Oyster Worldwide portrayed the place and the whole experience was amazing and unforgettable. To be upclose to animals, feed the predator centre, tree chop were tasks you would need imagine doing but are fun! I highly recommend anybody booking through Oyster Worldwide. I would like to thank them for all of their help and if I decide to do anymore volunteering, i will be sure to go through them.
Nell
Mar 16,2017Oyster have a great system that makes you feel at ease when you're embarking on one of their adventures. After expressing my interest i very quickly got a reply and was able to ask ore questions, then leading to the phone interview which was just as informative for me and made me feel relaxed about what i was planning. I was given all the information i would need in my own account so it was easily accessible and they kept in touch throughout the lead up to make sure i was prepared. The project i chose (rehabilitating baboons and monkeys) was incredible- i felt so welcome by the owners and other volunteers. This once in a lifetime opportunity to work with these animals was more amazing than i expected, it was hands on and the connection you made with individual animals was incredible. I would recommend Oyster as a great way to feel like everything is taken care of and that you are going to a legitimate project where you are going to make a difference. I can't wait to go back!
Frederik
Mar 03,2017Excellent planning and made the whole trip very straight forward and easy, very reasuring advice too
Marc
Feb 26,2017My wife and I volunteered on the Turtle conservation in Thailand project. We are in our late 20s/early 30s and this was a honeymoon / end-of-studies trip. Our week on Koh Phra Thong, where the project takes place, was the 5th of a 6-week trip throughout Thailand and in Bali. Oyster was very thorough before, during, and after our trip, giving us all the information we needed and more! My wife thought there was a bit of a disconnect between how the project was described (consistent turtle monitoring for years) and the reality (lacking enough volunteers and a clear leader onsite over the past decade to achieve more ambitious conservation and science goals). I, however, appreciate the difficulty of carrying out such tasks over many years without strong local support, and especially given the tsunami that impacted the area in 2004. In these circumstances, it's amazing that the project is still going. I appreciated the freedom of being able to take initiative based on what I could do best, and that leaders onsite were open to fresh ideas from us, even though we were staying only for a week. For example, I suggested to paint a large vertical wall outside the local museum (managed by the project) into a giant “museum” sign in English and Thai to attract people’s attention. The leaders liked the idea, and a couple of days later, my wife and I went back to the museum on the project's motorcycle (which I had just learned to ride) to paint the sign. Aside from this and beach and sea monitoring, we were also able to help paint sea animals on the first floor of the museum to make it more attractive to visitors (the second floor, where the exhibits are, was already great). I also suggested that volunteers have the option to take a trash bag to collect plastic bottles on the beach during beach monitoring walks, as trash accumulates over the years in some deserted beach areas. We were really lucky to find the first turtle nest of the season. It was the day before we left (Jan. 22). We walked all 5 km of the longest beach, and by the turn-back point, we were a bit distressed to have seen no turtle nests during our weeklong stay, but instead plenty of fishing boats and plastic bottles that harm turtles. That morning however, a local man who was monitoring the other 5 km of the beach waived at us and said "Turtle! Turtle!". He had us climb on a wood board on the back of his smoke-spewing tractor and started driving us to the other end of the beach. We thought he was taking us to the nest, but as we drove farther on the bumpy beach, we started wondering how we'd make it back on foot, way past breakfast time. We became really puzzled when he veered off the beach and into the forest, passing a makeshift bridge the width of the tractor. We eventually reached his village, where a breakfast was waiting! :) No one spoke English, except one lady from Phuket who was visiting her relatives in the village, so we progressively got an idea of what was going on. After breakfast we climbed with her and a bunch of villagers and their kids in a wagon that they hooked to the back of the tractor, and drove to the nest on the beach. We took measurements, ensured that eggs had been laid, marked the site, and erased the turtle tracks to avoid poachers from finding the nest. What a great end to our stay!
Brianna
Jan 24,2017Coming from Canada and not finding a ton of resources to volunteer around the world, finding Oyster was amazing. The process was easy, I knew what to expect when I got there both times, and I would definitely use them to go another time! They were both some of the most incredible experiences of my life and getting there was just way too easy. It all came together perfectly, they really know what they're doing as a company! I feel like they consider every single thing so you never have a question unanswered. I have recommended to a friend, and will continue to :)
Natalie Brown
Jan 20,2017I booked with Oyster in 2013 and they were very helpful as it was part of my much longer trip across Europe. My two weeks at the bear sanctuary in Romania were an amazing experience that I won't forget. Being able to get up close both the bears and wolves was incredible, and the donkeys and dogs made great company each day. The Oyster representative Razvan was incredibly helpful and when I wanted to go hiking on the weekend he even took the time to drive me to a well known spot and pick me up when I was done.
Nicol
Jan 02,2017Unfortunately, I discovered that everyone else who did the volunteering at the national elephant park in Chaing Mai booked direct with the park vs. via Oyster Travel. The cost difference was massive. It was £585 with Oyster Travel but only £270 (12000 Thai baht) if you booked direct. This is a huge difference. I would expect / accept a £25 up to £50 difference but it was MORE THAN DOUBLE the price. Availability wasn't the issue was people at the camp had booked only a few weeks before directly. I booked a month before. I gave my initial feedback to Oyster travel to try and understand the cost difference. They mentioned the financial worry of booking direct. The people, who booked direct (50 plus people from all over the world) said that actually there was little risk as they only had to pay a small deposit in advance and the rest was paid on arrival at the Chaing Mai offices (I had to pay the full amount up front to Oyster). I was also told "kit" was provided. Kit was in the form of one t-shirt if for booked for one week or two t-shirts if you booked for two weeks. I didn't even get one was I was told as I was travelling, it wouldn't arrive in time (in the two weeks before I left?!). You are given an elephant volunteer tshirt anyway on arrival, provided by the park. I was also told that should there be a problem, Oyster had emergency contact people, on hand. If there was an issue, the park would sort it. I had no dealings with Oyster during my stay at the park and the risk is minimal. And you are totally looked after without having the 'security' of Oyster. Additionally, although I booked via Oyster, when I arrived at the offices in Chaing Mai, I still had to complete all the checking in forms which the others did. It was if I wasn't even register and hadn't passed on my next of kin and emergency details. Oh and also Oyster mentioned that you get a first night accommodation provided - which is included in the cost. It was a £3 a night room which was beyond basic (with a sink outside of the balcony) and a shower in the toilet and it was noisy beyond belief with music blaring to all hours of the morning and the receptionist initially couldn't even find the booking! In summary, I highly recommend the trip but do not book via Oyster Travel. The addional money does not go to the elephants. It goes to Oyster. Book direct via the Park. 50 other people who did so during the week I was there, had no issues and can't be wrong. This post is about the service I received (or didn't) for the cost paid for the trip vs. booking direct.
Sarah
Dec 09,2016Oyster was so wonderful to book through. I did the Big 5 program in South Africa and it was a dream come true! I was very hesitant because I had never traveled anywhere before and I had never heard of anyone using Oyster before, but it worked out perfectly. They prepared me with what I would need and calmed any nerves I had by taking the time to answer all of my questions. I would recommend them to anyone, it is a great way to travel and enjoy the world while also helping to make a difference.
L Parker
Apr 25,2017Good preparation for unique experience- helpful pre departure advice and good support whilst away if needed.