Katelyn enjoying service day

Go Global’s Direct programs are the perfect fit for students who’ve always wanted to backpack. Read about Katelyn Harvey’s, a junior at the University of Arkansas, experience below!


Before I heard about Go Global, my friend and I thought that we just wanted to travel abroad alone. When I heard about Direct and looked into more details about the program, it seemed perfect because I had always wanted to come to Greece, I didn’t need credit for school, and it made my parents feel better than to have me backpacking alone in another country. As our two weeks are coming to an end, I am so glad that I chose to come on this trip for many reasons.

1) Friendships
I have made so many friends while in Greece and it really is hard to believe that we were strangers a week and a half ago. I know that these friendships will last even when we go our separate ways at the end of this week and I am so thankful for that. Our directors of this trip, Pierce and Kelsey, are also a huge factor of why Go Global is so great because they are so knowledgeable of the areas that we travel, and they are two of the nicest and most encouraging people that you will ever meet.

2) Planned Activities and Free Time
I can honestly say that the Go Global program allows just the right amount of planned activities and free time. On certain days we may have a tour guide, buses scheduled to take us where we need to go, and dinner planned for us. On other days we may have one leadership lesson in the morning and then have free time for the rest of the afternoon, which is also so nice to have while traveling.

3) Service Projects
Two of our days in Athens consisted of service projects to help the community in whatever ways they needed. One day we helped the Salvation Army and another day we went to an after school community center to do crafts, make snacks, and played with the kids in a local park. This really was so awesome to be able to give back to the community that we were spending so much time at over these two weeks.

Hiking in Greece