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Hey,

This month here at BUNAC we’re all really excited about the launch of our brand new web zone - BUNAC Experiences.

As passionate travellers we’ve had the time of our lives experiencing different cultures and countries all over the world. And we can’t shut up about it!

BUNAC Experiences is overflowing with travel stories, videos, photos, travel tips, recommendations and news from us and the quarter of a million people BUNAC has helped to work, travel and volunteer abroad.

From the Australian outback or rainforests of Costa Rica to the glitzy lights of Vegas, we have BUNAC participants all over the world itching to share their amazing experiences. So if you’re thinking of embarking on your own experience, this is your chance to hear about what BUNAC can offer you straight from the horses’ mouth.

Like anything travel related, this site won’t sit still for long so be sure to check it out regularly!

We’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions for BUNAC Experiences so drop us an e-mail via experiences@bunac.org.uk and tell us what you think.

Happy travels!

Vicki - Co-editor, BUNAC Experiences

Without doubt one of the most popular BUNAC programmes at the moment is Work Canada, which offers flexible long term working holidays in Canada to both students and those aged 18-30. One of the best ways to discover a destination is often through the recommendations of a local, and at BUNAC London we're lucky enough to have a number of Canadians currently on deck. So here's your chance to meet the team and get some great insights into working in Canada as per Octavie, Michael and Kim.

The best thing about travelling in Canada is… How spectacularly vast the country is and how much it changes from one province to the next. You get the Maritime Provinces complete with small towns and fishing villages and then the amazing urban areas of the east – Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa followed by the vast expanse of the prairies that head straight into the most amazing mountains you’ve ever seen and it ends again with the west coast of British Columbia. Head up north and you get permanent snow and ice. You get every type of wildlife from moose, beavers, mountain goats and bears to whales on the coast. The weather can be -40 or +40 but the sun will almost always shine. It’s one of the best countries to experience and you’ll never know what will awe you next.

The people in Canada will be vastly different from one area to another, but no matter who you meet, they’ll love your accent and be happy to show you around and help you out.

You know you’re in Canada when there’s a Tim Horton’s on every other corner, people actually say ‘eh’ and they apologize for things that aren’t their fault. On restaurant menus under appetisers is something called poutine (chips with gravy and Canadian cheddar cheese) – try it at least once!

The most important thing to remember when working with a Canadian is not to confuse us with being American. We are very proud to be Canadian and the two countries and their citizens are quite different, plus we have a much better national hockey team! Hockey team bashing is acceptable, however, before you start, be sure to do your research on the sport. Hockey in Canada is similar to football – it’s a huge passion for the majority of the country and we take it extremely seriously here.

When I think Canada I think fresh air, open spaces, great road trips, amazing nature, and spectacular camping adventures.

Want to see more of what our team gets up to when travelling and learn about their experiences abroad? Get inspired and ask a question whilst you're at it!

Regardless of where your travels take you, without a doubt one of your most prized possessions will soon become your travel photos. One destination which regularly features in participants' updates and emails while abroad is the good old US of A. With employment possibilities in any part of the country and extremely flexible travel options we're regularly seeing so many different sides of the US through photos from BUNAC participants.

As you can see from those submitted over the last two months America really does offer such a diverse array of BUNAC Experiences. From working at a theme park on the Work America programme to sweating it out in some of the world's most awe inspiring national parks on Volunteer USA - America really is the land of opportunity.

We've been lucky enough to follow a number of Work New Zealand participants through their blog updates whilst their exploring this amazing country.

This relatively small (sized) country packs a fair punch and travellers often talk about the fact that you really can do anything and everything in NZ - the team down there are constantly reminding us that they've been frequently voted the hottest destination by Lonely Planet. When reading some of these participant updates that have come through recently it's not hard to see why...

Adrenaline central - Julie & Dan:

"We arrived in Auckland and were met by Kiran from BUNAC/IEP...the most enthusiastic Kiwi I think we will ever meet! Everything was 'sweet as' and everyone was a 'dude'. It was the start of a period that was very action packed!

We had our orientation...setting up bank accounts, tax numbers and stuff. But more excitingly, we went on a ferry to Rangitoto Island, which was only formed 600 years ago from a volcanic eruption, and was an amazing day out." read more

Congratulations to everyone who has been offered a job on the Summer Camp USA  programme and is heading for camp shortly. The programme is now full for 2009 (apart from those already holding camp contracts and returners) but now could be the perfect time to start thinking about getting involved at camp next year!

Often described as the hardest job you’ll ever love we compiled a short list of comments from last year's summer camp counsellors explaining the real side of camp and how to prepare for it!

• “Do it! At least for 1 summer! Be prepared for a tough first week but hang in there and you’ll reap the rewards.”
• “Don't sign up for the summer camp experience half-heartedly. It's full-on to live and work with children for 8 weeks!”
• “Go into the experience with enthusiasm and be willing to try new things"
• “Just do it! You only live once and you are more than likely going to have the summer of your life like I did!”
• “Give your best and never give up”

We've also got some videos about life on camp - participants talk about their time at camp on the left, whilst in the second video our very own Haydn talks to a UK Camp Director about camp life.

Check out our Experiences blog and you'll see that we're pretty proud of a couple of our Volunteer Costa Rica participants at the moment (truth be told we're really proud of all of them and their amazing contributions around the globe!) Here's the excerpt from our blog that you can check out below. What a great effort and a worthy undertaking.

Congratulations on the amazing success of two BUNAC volunteers in Costa Rica who have made the national news!

Charlotte and Tanah have spent the past 3 months volunteering in a Costa Rican orphanage which was featured in the national newspaper, Nacion, profiling the work of the orphanage and the contribution of volunteers.

Charlotte comments that as a volunteer she has been able to make a real contribution to the lives of disadvantaged children: "at the orphanage the children are very sweet - some of them have terrible backgrounds but the orphanage is a really good place, well organised and I feel very useful there."

As well as working hard in their project they’ve made the most of their time in Costa Rica and have been taking Salsa lessons and joined the local orchestra. They even played their instruments in the Basilica!

Weekends give volunteers the chance to have a well-earned break and explore this exotic country. Tanah and Charlotte have visited some amazing places including stunning beaches, volcanoes and the tropical rainforest. They enjoyed their time on Volunteer Costa Rica so much that they’ve decided to extend their stay and are now planning further travels around Central America. Check out more here!

We’ll be attending a number of university and national events this year, as well as hosting tonnes of free presentations and information sessions all around the country.

Our on the road team would love to meet you and answer any questions you may have before embarking on your BUNAC experience.

If you would like to receive an email about any regional events coming up in your area, please sign up to BUNAC’s mailing list or keep an eye on the BUNAC events section.

Web: www.bunac.org.uk
E-Mail: enquiries@bunac.org.uk
Facebook: BUNAC Fan Page

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