Thailand: Intro to Community Service

Arrive at the hub airport where you’ll meet your Rustic Pathways Flight Leader who will help get you checked in and through security before traveling with your group to Thailand. Get acquainted with fellow Rustic travelers before boarding your flight.

Today is lost as you cross the International Date Line. Not to worry, though–you’ll get it back when you return.

Arrive at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and meet your Program Leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program. Board another flight to Baan Chiang Yuan, home of the Rural Thailand Service Base House. Head to the base house and settle in, relaxing after your long flight. Join the group for an orientation discussion about the week ahead, expectations for your adventure, and an introduction to the local culture. After dinner, staff will lead you to the local market where you can sample local foods and familiarize yourself with Baan Chiang Yuen. You will have the rest of the evening to make yourself at home, meet some new friends, play a game of cards in the cafe, or recover from jetlag.

Students will stay at the Rural Thailand Basehouse throughout this program. Students will stay in shared rooms with 4-8 other students and have access to comfy twin beds, air conditioning, and ensuite bathrooms with Western-style toilets and hot water.

Wake up to the sound of the morning gong calling the monks to collect alms throughout the village and enjoy a group breakfast. Local staff will lead an introduction to Thai culture before a short walk to tour the local temple, where a friendly monk will likely give you a bracelet for good luck in a traditional string ceremony. After lunch, dive right into your afternoon service project. Typically, there are between three or four projects each day and we usually offer each of the seven options at least once a week. These projects offer the chance to work alongside students from across the world, as well as with our Thai staff. You might help in English classes at a local primary school, work alongside villagers in the rice fields, or teach small children how to swim in our pool with our local staff. This afternoon, the Thai staff will lead a series of Thai games that always generate friendly rivalry between the different teams and help create new friendships. After dinner, learn about Thai culture in an interesting, hands-on way – you could learn how to play traditional Thai music, how to cook with our chefs or a little bit of the lingo with our amazing local staff.

After working on your service project all morning, have a fun afternoon excursion around Udon Thani where you’ll see, taste, and smell so many new things! Take part in a photo scavenger hunt full with prizes and bragging rights for the winner. Enjoy a traditional lunch and cool off with a visit to a nearby water park. After a long day out on the town, spend your well-deserved free time at the base swimming in the pool or playing volleyball, soccer, or spikeball. In the evening, we’ll do an activity called “No Reservations” where you can sample some local delicacies that will be a bit out of your comfort zone!

Today will be another day of morning service and afternoon fun. The activity varies each week but could include a trip to the Buddha Cave, visiting a national park, a food tour and photo-scavenger hunt of the city, or touring the celebrated temples of Udon Thani province. Sometimes we even make a trip to a Muay Thai Gym where you can practice your boxing and self-defense skills. Tonight, depending on the week, we may have a trivia or movie night at The Base, or maybe a night out in town!

Wake each morning to eat breakfast and join your service project. You will continue to work on our seven ongoing projects for the rest of the week. While the exact schedule may vary, the following projects are generally offered during the morning hours: Welcome Homes, Swingsets and Coloring Books, and Hands in the Dirt. After lunch, return to work on a different service project. The typical afternoon service projects offered are: Teaching and Tutoring, Bobbing and Floating, and Meals on Flip-Flops. Wrap up work for the day and head back to the Rural Thailand Service Base for some time free time to relax. These nights will include an excursion to the night market and a goodbye party at the base for students leaving the next day. At the night market, you’ll have ample time to shop for presents and souvenirs among the small stalls filled with local fashion and handicrafts. Make sure to try one of the fruit smoothies or a Thai iced tea! At our bonfire goodbye party, Thai dancers come from the village to perform and teach traditional Thai dancing before we turn on Western music and show the local staff how we dance back home. Join your group for a mid-trip discussion where you will begin to reflect on what you’ve experienced and learned so far.

Your hong leader will wake you up early this morning to say goodbye to the students leaving today. Spend your day in Nong Khai, a beautiful riverside town on the Laos/Thailand border. Students will visit the incredible sculpture garden Sala Kaew Ku where they will see the impressive and gigantic statues inspired by ancient Buddhist and Hindu traditions. Afterward, a trip to a local smugglers market will allow for students to purchase beautiful souvenirs to take home. Students return in the afternoon to the base, greeting newly arrived students and showing them the ropes. If you are leaving for an additional side trip, time to pack and get ready for your great adventure!

As a group, you will choose your morning and afternoon service project today, which depends on what options are available. Tonight students will have dinner off the base and can visit a beautifully lit temple after dinner. Join your group for a post-service debrief in the evening, discussing what you experienced and learned through hands-on work in the community.

Explore the surrounding area by going to Chiang Khan, Khao Sawan Khwang, or Phu Foi Lom. Northeastern Thailand has so much natural beauty, and this is an amazing opportunity for students to experience the nature of it. Depending on students interests, there will be time for hiking, exploring night markets, and even another foot massage!

Spend the day at Phu Foi Lom, a beautiful national park just an hour outside the city. You’ll spend the whole day at the park hiking, relaxing and taking in the unbelievable views over the region. Stop along the way at the Big Buddha statue, one of the largest in the area, and grab lunch at one of the local staff’s favorite restaurants before heading back to the base. After dinner, welcome back the students who left on a side trip, and get ready for a full three days of service! At the end of each program, students reflect on their experiences and the issues they engaged with, and talk about how to apply this new understanding to their own worlds.

Your Program Leaders will take you to the airport for your flight home or to your next Rustic program as you say goodbyes and reflect on your adventure.

If you’re staying in Thailand, your Program Leaders will take you to your next accommodation to meet your new group. If you’re continuing on to another Rustic Pathways destination, you’ll board a connecting flight to that country.