Broadreach

★★★★★Jude T

EXTREMELY FUN EXPERIENCE!! In summer of 2024, I did the 12 day Snorkeling + Sailing trip and it was an incredibly unforgettable experience. I especially enjoyed visiting the various islands included in my itinerary, cooking meals for the rest of the crew, and just having a fun, relaxing time! Highly recommend this for anyone looking for a fun time for their teen! I’m going next summer too! Edit 1: In summer of 2025, I attended the 12 day Scuba Diving and Sailing trip and it was (once again) spectacular. I was skeptical about scuba diving at first, but the instructors on my boat made sure myself and all of my other crew mates feel properly prepared and accommodated for the activity. I really enjoyed everything from the previous trip and ESPECIALLY recommend doing the scuba route which is truly unforgettable (we literally had a shark swim with us in Saba!). Yes, of course I still highly recommend Broadreach. To Broadreach: sorry, you're stuck with me (I'm gonna keep coming back :)

★Tanishka Handa

HORRIBLE. Before traveling, I did not expect such unimaginable, terrifying, and unsafe times I have had during my 12 day trip. One of the counselors in particular, Ashley McCarty HURT my character, back answered me, and almost yelled at me for something I did NOT do. I was completely taken a back regarding her inappropriate and unprofessional behavior, and filed a complaint against her to HQ staff. I made the biggest mistake by not calling the police when necessary as I did not want to stay in a villa with someone who was going to harass me like this. She’d rudely cut me off when I tried to speak, irritating me by interfering unnecessarily, made me look stupid a couple of times, acted like my “boss” and had a lack of empathy, made things harder for me, and had the audacity to LIE to my mother for something that was not accurate. I felt that it was more like what she wanted, and did not care about how I felt, even though I was suffering, skipped dinner for 1 day, and would say things like “We are going to have a tough conversation”. Before even making that comment, she automatically made me feel like I was in trouble for doing something I did not do as mentioned earlier. Is that how you talk to others? I don’t think so. Leadership like this is unacceptable, and should not be tolerated. I HIGHLY recommend that Ashley does NOT obtain this position again, as she did a terrible job with her duty, making this a toxic environment for me with her awful work ethic which is a major concern and a red flag. She can never take back the pain that was brought on to me as I suffered majority of the trip having the urge to cry often and having a loss of appetite. My parents and I were very disheartened by Ashleys behavior, and I was sure to address this in an email, in hopes that she would get the necessary consequence that she deserves in which I sent to one of the staff members who was very helpful. I was also not fed properly, and I felt EXTREMELY uncomfortable and “trapped”, feeling strongly about having an early dismissal back home. On the other hand, I am glad I got an exposure to see behind the scenes of veterinary medicine, which helped me decide which career path to take. Special thanks to HQ for clear communication from their respectful staff! P.S. NEVER be afraid of standing up for yourself. If you feel unsafe, or unheard, acknowledge that your voice matters, and you are valued.

★★★★★Gabriel Ochoa

Fantastic fun and safe experience for my teen. As a parent I felt connected thru the experience because of the blogs and the photos. I loved that she did not have her phone and could only call every 7 days. She was exposed to a new culture, made friends, studied and was challenge to get out of comfort zone. A complete win!

★★★★★Jennifer Driscoll

This was our second summer with Broadreach. It is an exceptional program with great management and staff. Last year my son did the marine biology sailing/scuba camp. It was a once in a lifetime experience to dive, travel to the different islands and experience new cultures. He not only loved the trip and made friends, he came back a more mature person who knew how to cook and function independently back home. Even his teachers noticed the change. This year, my son and daughter did the vet camp in the Bahamas. The location of their house was beautiful with a pool and easy access to the beach. Every day the kids had a new adventure kayaking, hiking, and working with animals. It was a good mix of real, hands-on experience and unstructured fun. What impressed me this year is how attached my daughter, who isn’t super expressive, got to her counselors and new friends. This year I had close contact with Motts (who runs Broadreach) and camp counselors Katie and Ashley because my son had a medical issue on the trip. Katie took my son to the hospital and called every hour. It was stressful but they stayed in close contact and continued that support when it came time to process the insurance claim. (Definitely get the insurance so you can submit for reimbursement. The hospital in the Bahamas did not take the insurance I have through a major U.S. carrier and the cost of the doctor’s visit and antibiotics was expensive.) Every day a teen is named “Leader of the Day” and prepares an essay about what they do. The staff posts pictures and somehow get a couple of each kid. Parents get almost real time updates (WiFi permitting) as a result. They will quickly become the highlight of your day. TLDR: Broadreach has transformed my kids in many great ways. Amazing trips, management and counselors. Highly recommend.

★Emily Buchsbaum

I attended the Costa Rica Veterinary Experience from July 25th to July 28th (I only made it to the fourth night). On the fourth night we were at the accommodations (attached below) and our hosts were introducing themselves. (This was at approx 4pm). We had spent the day moving around, looking at animals, lugging our bags up flights of stairs so we were all pretty tired and hungry. As people began to rise to go follow our host on the tour I turned to one of the group leaders and asked, “do you by chance have a snack?” She replied “no. You should have eaten at lunch. Let’s go!” The other group leader added, “we can’t just make a granola bar appear. You need to communicate sooner.” Immediately I began to panic. Many people don’t understand panic attacks because movies/tv represent them as these tiny moments of breathlessness that can be solved by a pat on the back. That’s incorrect. It’s an intense event that can last 3 minutes or 3 hours. My entire body screams. My stomach turns, my back stiffens, my muscles clench. I can’t breathe, I can’t think, I can’t move. My brain is telling me that I’m going to die, that this is the end. My entire body is in so much pain it’s indescribable. I walked to the bench in the kitchen and I sat on the floor to try and ground. Group leader one yelled at me to, “get up! You’re in the way!” My heart raced faster. I begged to call my dad, to call my mom over and over again. I asked to call a mental health counselor or anyone. All the while I was being scolded by them. I cried, I pleaded for my dad. Finally I told them that if they didn’t get help I was going to hurt myself and they yelled at me for not communicating well. They got Mary, the owner of the school. She actually helped me. She gave me her phone and she listened. I don’t know what would have happened if Mary wasn’t there. I think I would’ve fainted or had a muscle spasm or ended up in the hospital. I will never forgive them for what they did. I have never felt so unsafe, unheard, threatened, blamed, or attacked in my whole life. I didn’t fully settle until 6:30 - 7ish. Which means I felt completely shredded for 2 and a half hours. It’s equivalent to a person who’s broken their leg - screaming on the ground for 2 but people only stop to tell them to be quiet. Broadreach can’t take back the trauma that this has induced. I left the next morning, by myself in a taxi that was ordered by Mary who is unaffiliated with Broadreach. No one said goodbye. Booking this trip is hopefully the worst mistake I will ever make.