Xtremegapyear Reviews 141

My trip was cancelled. And I didn’t get my money back. I didn’t get any response on my emails en messengers.

I was added to three different WhatsApp groups so communication was confusing and we weren't sure where to meet the lady who picked us up at the airport. I wish I was told that I was the only person staying for two weeks out of a group of 10 staying 3 and 4 weeks. If I was advised that this was the case, I probably would have paid to stay longer. Otherwise, my tour guide was brilliant. He was very helpful on our free days and suggesting places to go/eat. He even helped someone get their suitcase back when it was left behind. He showed an interest in the group as well which was really nice. Highlights were the ethical elephant project and waterfalls. The people I met were a lot of fun and I am already planning another trip via your website for Bali! Fantastic experience.

I attended UF Bali camp in November 2019

How UF portray themselves on social media especially Instagram is NOT a true reflection of the service provided and since being on the trip experiencing it I find it insulting. It’s a complete false representation of what actually goes on at the camp. They share posts of other camp members pictures such as when they have ordered food themselves (externally) and UF post as if they have provided it, or when camp members have taken themselves to a beach club or on a tour, UF post as if they have arranged the trip and its been facilitated by them which is not the case UF actually did very little.

Nobody spoke to any of us about our health questionnaires, nor ask of any injuries or tailored anything to our own needs. There was no nutritional support given and when one of the camp members decided to sign up to a meal plan via Wanderlust she was initially told she would not be able to store her prepped food in the fridge in the kitchen as others may wish to do the same, we were not able to store anything in the fridge such as our water bottles so we could have cold water and on 2 occasions there was no drinking water available at all.
Somebody went home with the key to the fridge one evening so the following morning we were unable to get to any breakfast.
In regards to the trainers Aldhy and Emily
Our measurements were taken and kept these on her phone. When it came to people leaving the camp  people had to chase for their details to be sent to them. These people are ‘supposed’ to be providing support and claimed at the welcome speech that they would be with you every step of the way, not the case at all.
Some classes were cancelled due to a trainer (there was only 2) being unwell and they had no back ups in place.
We overheard a trainer and the manager having an argument in the villa kitchen.
It felt like one of the trainers was using the classes as an opportunity to work out himself, as he would rarely come round and assist people or give them alternatives to do if they were struggling.
We were taken too really unhealthy places for dinner.
Communication was poor. Every day there was issues with the shuttle service to dinner.
There was always issues with the excursions being dropped off in places without info then being told no bookings had been made despite this being part of the 'package'

In the 2 weeks I was at the camp the only excursions offered were 1 surfing lesson and trip to a Temple. We were told if you wanted to join the surfing trip the following week you need to pay an additional 600k IDR when this should have been included.
For 2 days we had no hot water in any of the rooms. One camp member had 3 cockroaches in her room, one of which she found crawling on her when she woke up! Bedding and towels were only changed once per week. The bathrooms were never fully cleaned or tiles wiped down. A room of 4 people coat £2000 per room per week!
The website promotes single sex rooms, on 2 occasions 2 female guests had to share with other males.
UF camp is completely overpriced and I feel we have been ripped off.  We have simply paid for a massively overpriced Hostel.

Our host Aum was fantastic. She really made the trip as good as it could be! We visited some brilliant locations the elephant village and Erawam waterfalls. A great trip.

I had a wonderful time during my Xtreme Gap year thailand x experience. I believed I payed around €1,600 for the entire month which included all accomodation, transfers (which was a lot) and a lot of activities and food. I asked many other friends who had travelled Thailand for approximately a month on their own how much they had spent on all those things and it turned out they had spent more.

I paid an extra €30 euro for the week in Koh Tao for a large shared air conditioned room. I didn’t mind paying it as I knew from the email it was only a fan room. I would definitely reccomend Xtreme Gap to sort out AC rooms from now on and just add it onto the overall cost to combat the issue on arrival to Koh Tao!

I would highly reccomend paying the little extra and spend the 4 days doing your PADI scuba course. It was 100% worth it and Davy Jones locker scuba instructors are amazing and friendly!

Be prepared to live in a little less Luxery in Surin for a few days. I didn’t mind at all but some others would have preferred a little more comfort! But it is stated in the email that it is a homestay!

I’ve had so many people ask about Xtreme Gap year from watching my trip on instagram and if I would reccomend them- to all repsonses I said YES.

If you’re wondering how much I spent I think it was around €800-€900 euro for the month including a return flight from Koh Samui to babgkok at the end, eating out every day, renting jeeps and scooters, nights out and lots of other things!

It is an unforgettable experience however, the amount you pay for 4 weeks with this company, which doesn’t include flights, is a bit expensive for what it is.

You do get small things included in the price such as breakfast at some of the hotels/resorts not all, the last two hotels we were at did not have anything included when we were there for 5 days or more which is a long time

Even though the country is cheap, the ATM’s charge you £5 every time you take money out. I do think the company should explain it better how the currency works there. The company do advise you to take out 3000 Baht which is £77 to start with, but including food and transfers, depending where you are and what you want to do/spend it on, goes quickly.

The last place that was included in the travel, Asia Diver Resort, was ridiculed with bed bugs and you have to pay an extra £100 if you want air con which is ridiculous. Paying for the money that myself and others did, air con should of definitely been included without a doubt.

I do think as well Xtremegap should break down that you should pick and choose wisely how long you want to travel for as you are in a totally different place with the same people in your group every single day. Of course it’s entirely up to you who you spend your time with and what to do with it, but if you’re not used to being away from home or comfort, you may find it quite overwhelming and intense. The company should provide some advice about that.

Had the best month of my life! Would not fault the trip one bit and our guide was amazing the whole time! Would 100% book again

-Thailand Experience X

I found the 4 week thialand trip exciting and jam packed. I feel satisfied with how much of thialand i have now seen. It was well planned out and i thought much of the tour guides.

The accommodation at most places was fine, excluding the accommodation in koh tao, where we had no AC. In 30*+ heat some nights were unbarable there.

I will always remember the experience’s and the people i have met on this trip. Its gave me the confidence now to go travelling myself.

Two weeks in Thailand for me just wasn't enough! I absolutely loved every moment of it and for a first time solo-traveller, this couldn't have been better organised, I felt at ease and put trust in my guide and never felt uncertain. The people in my group are some of the best people I've ever met and we all got on so well. From start to finish this trip has been thoroughly organised and fun. I would recommend it to anyone.

I booked 4 weeks at the Bali fitness bootcamp and loved it so much I ended up staying an additional two weeks!
The guest house is lovely and clean, location was great and the trainers are amazing! My fitness levels were not great and I was a little intimidated by the CrossFit gym to start but the three workouts a day held at the resort by Emily and Aldhy were more than enough to improve my fitness levels. Thank you also to Teresa, Ida, Putu, Made and all staff for making my stay the most enjoyable.
I can not recommend the bootcamp enough and will for sure be visiting again in the future thank you all!

Stayed in the Bali bootcamp for 3 weeks and it did me SO good! The people where super friendly the vibe was good and the bootcamp was sweaty! Overall experience was awesome and i would definetely recommend!

I went on the Thailand 4 week experience. The 4 weeks were jam packed with activities and our tour guide (for the first 2 weeks) was brilliant. She was very friendly and, despite a slight language barrier, was able to help us and take us through the country with no serious problems.

However this is where the good stuff ends. Despite the website saying that the accommodation is clean and tidy it was anything but. Some of us got a nasty helping of bed bug bites during the stay in the elephant village and in other rural areas such as Pak Chong. As well as this, air con in rooms was not always a guarantee, making some nights especially at the beginning very uncomfortable.

The elephant village experience for most of us was the turning point. It was something we were looking forward to the most and we were deeply let down. It was a three day stay in village that claimed to be cruelty free, by the extreme gap website and when we had our induction, where no riding was to be had on the elephants etc. We only had one afternoon with the elephants themselves, (which was amazing), but after that we didnt have any other activities with them again. Elephants were also chained up in the pen which meant they had only little room to move around. While there were opportunities for other activities during the 3 day stay they were only short and did not include being with the elephants themselves, which made us all lose enthusiasm.

Not only were the elephants chained, but one of our group saw a elephant ride by with a saddle on its back. Its clear that this village had other activities for other groups such as riding and elephant shows, which was hidden from us at the start. The village is called Ban Taklang elephant village, near Surin. I suggest to everyone wanting to do this experience they do thorough research first.

Whilst communication at the beginning was good and quick, such as emails asking for advice, its clear to me that the people you talk to are based in the UK and havnt actually been on this specific experience. I asked whether i would need a backpack or suitcase, and they said a backpack would be much better. This was not the case. The only time you carry large luggage on this experience is when you travel from location to location. Other than that you carry a small bag for day trips. Travelling light is definitely the best option here but a small suitcase would of been WAY more convenient.

Onto Koh Tao, again the accommodation was lacking massively. The rooms were not air conditioned and had no warm water. For two weeks that began to get on everyone's nerves. The hotel itself was okay. Food was cheap and the pool was good. The island itself is beautiful and has some brilliant nightlife and activities.

Our guide/rep changed when we got to Koh Tao, and despite our first rep being brilliant, our second one was terrible. She was supposed to help organise our trips home hassle free, but in the end communcation was so bad (ie messaging to arrange appointments) that most of us arranged trips home ourselves. Lacking massively in people skills and all i would say is just be prepared to organise with friends or on your own at that point, because you wont get much help.

All in all the trip is made by your fellow travellers. If you can ignore the negatives of the company you can still have an amazing trip, just be aware that this company is no way near as good as it claims to be. Next time i travel in a group it wont be with extreme gap unfortunately, despite it being well priced.

Edit: Just as a side note, before and after the trip I have noticed many reviews on sites like this that follow a similar pattern and are worded the same, especially reviews that indicate that they are yet to go on the trip but still leave a 5 star rating. In my opinion these reviews are not to be trusted, so again make sure to research review websites thoroughly to see for yourself.

I had a very good time in the UF Bootcamp! From the organization, to the resort, to the personal trainers and their workouts, everything was great!!! I recommend to everyone to have this experience!!!

My Extreme Gap Year Bali experience, 3 Weeks in Paradise! This was exactly the holiday I needed, and was it worth the money? 110%! From my arrival to my departure, the staff made me feel so welcome, made sure I felt safe and secure, done their best to answer any queries I had, the guest house was stunning, clean and tidy always! Structure of days were very organised a day prior so you knew what was happening! Crossfit Wanderlust for any crossfit fans this gym is heaven for you, even if you are new to CF and just want inspiration or to boost your fitness 2/3 workouts per day could be crossfit, HIT or boxing (your choice)! Dinner in amazing restaurants with the amazing company of fellow campers and staff! Excursions to monkey forrest, rafting, rice fields, water parks, so much to do! I managed to lose almost 5kg in 3 weeks, body fat percentage dropped by 4% and gained muscle mass! My goal was to improve a couple of weaknesses and up my cardio, within my last week my fitness and my endurance had totally peaked! To top it all off the friends you make along the way! Get inspired and get booked on! You wont regret it!

Awesome company! Loved the Thailand Experience. Would recommend it to anyone.

The Ultimate Fitness Bootcamp in Mallorca was a great experience for me.
We had a lovely group, experienced teachers Kate and Melissa and a perfect coordinator and coach Teresa. Also masseuse Cécile is top. The whole team cares for you and helps you to participate in every activity.

The food is healthy & nice and the villa is clean.

The view is nice and the free bikes are a perfect alternative for taxi or bus.

A must do!

Bali bootcamp, advertised as resort style accomodation and facilities, arrived to find it was called Asri guest house and was nothing more than that, a 5mt plunge pool, rooms where mouldy and smelt of sewage, when I questioned the level of accomodation I was told it is a resort because it has beds a pool and a restaurant (a kitchen where breakfast only is cooked), they charge 35£ a night where it was once a 10£ a night guest house. You can also book this holiday through Ultimate fitness holidays, this is the same holiday, don’t be fooled. They fired the trainer that was looking after us middle of the first week and took a boxing classes away from us, was told it's ok because another trainer will arrive in a week, we would be there in a week. The training claims is that it for fitness levels which it isn't, majority of the trading is done at a professional crossfire gym not run by either companies and not many guests had the fitness ability to keep up with these classes. Beware this holiday will continue to cost you money, I suggest if you have already booked that you organise your own drivers and tours outside of this company, it will save you a lot of money. Note this company does not exist on TripAdvisor and any attempt to list them cannot be done because some how they don't actually exist.
Maybe Xtreme gap year can provide the companies full details when they respond.

First two weeks travelling in and around Bangkok were absolutely amazing - definite 5 star experience. Our guide was fantastic, she was so personable and really made sure we enjoyed every aspect of the trip. She was also absolutely hilarious which really helped our group to gel quickly. The second two weeks spent in Koh Tao were amazing, but there wasn’t much structure. There was no set plan for a lot of the days and we rarely saw the guide which was a shame. Don’t get me wrong - I still loved the trip but the second two weeks did not compare to the first. Koh Tao is beautiful and the activities on the final week are so much fun. Great way to finish off. Overall, I would 100% do it again, loved it!

Sarah has been amazing! from my first email she has always responded within the hour with detailed answers to my questions. she has given me all the information I need and was so lovely to talk to. I have booked to go on the Thailand entourage next summer and I am so exited! I'm sure that before I travel I will have lots more questions and I have no doubts she will be able to answer them. every process of the booking has been so easy and fast and would 100% recommend this company to anyone looking to go traveling.