CISabroad Thailand

While there were a few things about the program that I would have tweaked, my overall experience in Thailand, and as part of the program, was fantastic. Mahidol University had a great variety of classes to choose from, and they all transfer over fine for all of the students I've talked to. I took 3 classes for my major - Wine Studies and Wine Tourism, Consumer Behavior in Tourism, and Tour Package Management - in addition to taking Intro to Thai Language and Culture. CISabroad also led us on a variety of trips that I believe showed the diversity of Thailand. We went up north to Chiang Mai, where we had an elephant encounter at a sanctuary and took a cooking class. We went south to Koh Chang, a beautiful island with a day-trip on a boat. CIS also brought us to the old capital of Thailand, and showed us around Bangkok. Mahidol is located about 30 minutes outside of Bangkok, which makes it easy to go into the city and the airport, but allows you to be out of the craziness of the city. I stayed at Baan Suan, which was one of the two living situations provided, and could not have been happier with my choice. The manager and security guard there were so so friendly and there is a restaurant right downstairs with the kindest couple running it (and their food was delicious and cheap!). The food in Thailand is AMAZING, so make sure to try more than just fried rice!! There are so many cool places to go on the weekends, and the pricing there is awesome if you want to do a lot on a small budget. It's definitely not your typical Europe destination, and can often push you outside of your comfort zone, but that's what makes the experience so fulfilling. Some must-see places would be Pai, Chiang Mai, Chatuchak Market in Bangkok, Khao Sok, the islands, and Krabi (there are so many more!). It's also relatively cheap to visit surrounding countries, so take advantage of that (overnight buses and trains are also available for those if you don't want to pay for a flight). Thailand is an absolutely beautiful country filled with the most amazing people, so if this is an option you're considering, I would urge you to go here.