Thailand

As a frontier volunteer I could not ask for a better experience on the South East Asia trail. With a group of 11 volunteers and 3 trail leaders, I could not fault any of them. Seeing the grand palace in Bangkok on day 3 of the trail, I fell in love with Thailand. We visited Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pai, Kanchanburi, Phuket and Koh Chang. The place we stayed in Koh Chang had the best accommodation with breathtaking views and hammocks on the sea front. It was a very chilled out place with stunning sunsets. Looking forward to seeing what the rest of the trip will bring!

So far as an eco-trail in South East Asia, I've had an incredible experience. We've travelled to small towns and cities all over Northern and Southern Thailand, experiencing elephant trekking, zip-lining in the jungle and sleeping in wooden huts. In the South we went snorkeling in amazing clear blue seas. There have been many visits to temples, there have been many visits to temples, some like the grand palace which are so spectacular. We were lucky to be in Thailand for Songkran festival (Thai New Year), which everybody loved - most of Thailand joins in massive water fights for a 4 day weekend. You really can't go anywhere without getting completely soaked by a water gun or getting a full bucket of ice cold water thrown over you. One of my favourite places in Thailand was the island of Koh Chang, which is very beautiful and relaxing. Time has gone so fast on the trail, and I am very much looking forward to the rest of the trip!

Coming to the end of our time in Thailand, and it's flown by! We've all seen and experienced some amazing things, including the volunteers having just completed their padi open water! Really proud of the guys, have made some really close friendships already, and all in all we're having a fantastic time. In particular, I've loved the elephant riding, and the historical aspects of Kanchanaburi. Koh Tao has been a well deserved break for us all, relaxing on the beach and building up our energy for the next phase...
Looking forward to what Cambodia holds for us!

I have spent the last two weeks travelling around Thailand leading Frontier's Ethical Adventure Trail and it has been amazing. We started off the trip in Bangkok and then made our way up through northern Thailand to Chiang Mai. We spent two days trekking through the jungle accompanied by our funny local guide, Brad Pitt, unfortunately there was not a strong resemblance! After riding and bathing the elephants in the river we carried on north to Pai. Pai is one of my favourite places in Thailand and a great place for a Thai cooking lesson! After spending some time in Kanchanaburi, learning more of the history behind the bridge over the river Kwai, we are back in Bangkok for one of the biggest water fights on earth!! The Songkram festival! I can't believe how fast the last two weeks have gone. The chance to lead Frontier's trail was too good an opportunity to miss and I cannot wait for the next 8 weeks where we will head to the islands, Cambodia and travel the length of Vietnam!!

I was a volunteered at the Peace Village in Thailand in February through Volunteers For Peace. They were very helpful and worked with me to select a project that matched my dates, the type of work I was interested in and had a cost I could afford. The project was a perfect blend of work and cultural exploration. The international group (3 Koreans, 3 French, 3 Thai and myself from USA) had a great dynamic and we learned a lot about each other and a really different culture. VFP staff told me before I left that engagement of the volunteers is at a high level because you have the opportunity to complete work tasks together which fosters a common spirit and they were right!

One piece I was really impressed with was during the first week when we stayed at the house of a very highly regarded advocate for alternative and organic gardening. It was interesting to see large groups of government officials and international visitors coming to his house to learn about the approaches he was using.

We also got to visit the Ministry of Alternative Energy and see the projects they are working on including solar hot water, bike powered water pumps and more.

Our work projects were agriculture focused and included planting and tending to morning glories, re-building the compost pit, preparing land for planting, and general gardening tasks.

I really couldn't have asked for more from this project or VFP and I'm excited to find a different region to explore with them in the future.

The first week of our trip was quite enjoyable. We have traveled to many wonderful destinations, our trail leaders have been phenomenal in handling a variety of situations and keeping us all happy and getting along. Though I was hoping for more actual trekking - hiking- the vacation mood and relaxed attitude of the trail has been quite a lovely break from life. Each area we go to is more beautiful than the last and friends are made daily. We've ridden elephants and hikes up mountains. We've swam in waterfalls and relaxed by pools. Our coordinator is not only friendly and helpful, but incredibly on top of constantly switching plans and creating days that work for all of our varied group. I would highly recommend this for a single traveler as you are surrounded by friends the instant you start and have enough flexibility to do your own thing with the support and structure of a group that knows what to do next.

After being forced to take a gap year not getting the grades I needed to go to university, I was left with the perfect opportunity to do something worthwhile with my time in between retaking exams. Going to Thailand on my own has taught me so much despite the fact I was only able to do a 2 week programme. It was a great way to gain independence, but more importantly has taught me the importance of volunteering. Through teaching in schools and working within the community in Baan Nam Khem it has really broadened my mind, meeting a wide range of interesting people, both adults and children, and by the end of your time spent there you don’t feel like a tourist but more like one of the locals. The GVI team based in Baan Nam Khem were incredibly supportive and enthusiastic in their work, which quickly rubs off on you, so that you can really enjoy your project whilst also feeling a real sense of achievement at the end of each day. Being able to fully submerge myself into the Thai culture really adds to the experience, making a nice change from everyday life back at home, getting you out of routine. As I only got to spend a short time in Thailand, it has left me wanting more from volunteering, to which I am looking into doing another project in the very near future! I would highly recommend GVI to anyone, not just in Thailand, but to any of the exciting destinations they have to offer, without a doubt it is one of the best experiences I have done.

I had a wonderful experience with WLS International during my 2 week program in Chiang Mai this past January. I initially signed up for 2 weeks of volunteering in the Vieng Ping Children's Home in Chiang Mai city, but I ended up doing much more than that. I did spend time at the orphanage in the city, but I was also given the opportunity to visit Kingdom Kids (a daycare for children with special needs), a monk school, and also changed my plans to participate in the elephant camp program. It was such an amazing experience due only to the efforts of the outstanding country volunteer coordinator, Prachit. From the moment you are picked up at the airport, you have not a thing to worry about. All the issues of accommodations, volunteering, and transportation are settled and organized. I had the flexibility to make changes in my plans and Prachit was there to promptly assist me whenever I needed her. She went well and beyond for each volunteer to ensure that they were satisfied with their program arrangements and at the same time having a good time. Even though it was the busy season of volunteering, Prachit was always accessible to volunteers. I appreciated her telling us where our money goes when we signed up for the programs, it was nice to see that at least some of the fees were going back to the organizations. She genuinely cared for the organizations and wanted volunteers to see beyond the exterior of each place. All in all, it was an experience of a life time! I met numerous remarkable individuals locally and from all over the world, got to see Thailand from a different perspective, and made memories that will last a life time. I would do another program in Thailand in a heartbeat and I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to volunteer abroad in the land of smiles.

I was in Vietnam volunteering at another organization, before I got to Travel to Teach in Chiang Mai. In Vietnam I volunteered in a rehabilitation center with disabled children and then there were 5 other volunteers that taught English class in an orphanage. I heard their stories, about how they struggled. They had no materials for teaching, no text books, papers, pencils or a working computer, there were no other volunteers to show them around, there was nobody from the organization to support them, … They had a hard time and got really frustrated. I was preparing myself for the same thing, because after my volunteering in Vietnam I immediately started volunteering in Chiang Mai with Travel to Teach. But I was surprised in a good way. I got picked up at the airport by a very enthusiastic staff member. I got to the dorm and the other volunteers showed me around the house, the area around the dorm and in the city Chiang Mai. I felt at home at once. I was so relieved, since I would be here for 8 weeks. I had all the materials I needed to prepare the lessons, a computer that works, I had other volunteers helping me with coming up with topics and games and one of the staff members came the first day to help and translate. The schools were so happy to have us and so grateful. It’s the best feeling ever and I will miss the schools very much! I taught 3 hours a day and on Friday we had the day off, this depends on which school you go to. But everybody had more then enough time to do trips, activities, go out, … A lot of the activities were organized by Travel to Teach, and fun was guaranteed. In short, working for Travel to Teach has been one of the best experiences of my life and I recommend it to everybody!

I have travelled and worked with other organisations before and it is hard to find one that you can 100% rely on. From the second I arrived in Chiang Mai I was greeted by a smiley staff member at the airport. I was then given a tour of the city and driven to our dorm where I was surprised to see 10 other volunteers happy to greet me. This really helped calm my nerves of being in a foreign place. Everyone made a huge effort to make me feel comfortable and included me from the get go. I didn't actually start teaching until after my teaching lesson and thai language crash course (which was given to me a few days after my arrival). The teaching schedules were not as strict as I thought it would be, very different to Australia, so you just need to be flexible as they have a lot of public holidays and religious celebrations. There are endless resources to plan your lessons, and there is always someone who is willing to help you when you struggle. Even if you are given time off, you have the option to teach at the local orphanage, which was a great experience.

I definitely recommend staying for more than 4 weeks, as I was only there for four weeks and I didn't want to leave!