Location
  • Thailand
    • Chiang Mai
Length
2 to 7 weeks
Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships, Payment plans
Health & Safety

Program Details

Age Min.
16
Timeframe
Short Term Summer Winter
Housing
Guesthouse Hostel
Groups
Small Group (1-15) Medium Group (16-30) Large Group (31+)
Travel Type
Solo Women

Pricing

Starting Price
2795
Price Details
What's included:
-All accommodations
-Group and ground transportation, including airport pick up and drop off
-All meals and drinking water
-Epic adventures and cultural immersion activities
-Funding toward volunteer projects
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Meals Transportation
What's Not Included
Airfare Travel Insurance Visa
Nov 05, 2024
Jun 16, 2025
53 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Travel to the hill tribe villages of Thailand. GIVE's transformative Thailand trip includes elephant trekking, reforestation, English education, permaculture & bamboo rafting. It's the perfect introduction to Thai culture and community.

Our Thailand trip is two weeks but you can extend your trip with 3 unique add-ons in Southeast Asia. These destinations include Thailand, Laos Scuba (in Krabi), and Elephant Experience!

Video and Photos

Impact 🌎

GIVE's mission is to inspire growth, empower global citizens, and ignite sustainable change worldwide. To truly inspire growth and achieve sustainable travel internationally, GIVE has adopted the Asset-based community development (ABCD) model, a set of proven best practices in sustainable development that mobilizes a community’s assets and resources as the basis for development. Furthermore, through providing hands-on and eye-opening learning experiences that foster authentic connections between participants and host community members, we can empower global citizens who will continue to spread GIVE’s values and ignite sustainable change worldwide.
Exploring the world with GIVE is all about responsible travel, but what does that really mean?
Mindful Tourism + Community Partnership = Economic Growth & Community Empowerment.

Part of what makes GIVE trips so special is being fully immersed in the cultures and communities we visit. However, we take extra steps to ensure we minimize our influence and always respect local cultures. We prepare all participants before travel and ensure they understand the culture and how to dress appropriately.

Program Highlights

  • Plant the seeds of change with reforestation projects
  • Embark on a bamboo rafting journey
  • Thai cooking classes
  • Trek for elephants in the jungle
  • Be a teaching assist for local schools

Program Reviews

5.00 Rating
based on 75 reviews
  • 5 rating 100%
  • 4 rating 0%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 5
  • Support 5
  • Fun 5
  • Value 4.9
  • Safety 5
Showing 1 - 8 of 75 reviews
Default avatar
Loralei
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing Trip in Thailand

This summer I had the chance to go on the Thailand experience with GIVE and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I learned many things about Thai culture, Karen culture, other people from different parts of the US, and myself. Between teaching children English in the village of Mueang Khong to doing permaculture at different locations to visiting the tribe villages of Ba Kao Lam and Pong Ngen, I was able to grow so much as an individual and see other people grow. I was able to get really close to my fellow volunteers, but also my amazing guides. Each of the local guides brought something special to the trip and taught me many new things. They were very open and willing to share their culture with us and learn about ours in turn. Everyone in my group bonded together and created a family; each and every one of them made a difference in my life and made me a slightly better person. Thanks to GIVE for having these opportunities to travel and visit local places to immerse ourselves in new cultures.

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
I tried many unfamiliar things, but a lizard that one of our guides shot down on the way to the village was probably the most exotic.
Pros
  • Great guides
  • Amazing, fun experiences
  • Beautiful accommodations
14 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Natalie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My Amazing Thailand Experience

Traveling to Thailand with GIVE was an unforgettable experience. Building meaningful connections with the guides and local community allowed me to truly immerse myself in the culture and gain a deeper sense of perspective and appreciation. Some of my favorite moments included participating in cooking classes, attending ceremonial dinners, and both teaching and learning in local schools. The adventure didn’t stop there—bungee jumping and bamboo rafting added an extra thrill to the journey. I wholeheartedly recommend this trip to anyone looking for a life-changing experience.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
Learning that some villages used bamboo rafting as their main form of transportation. It was eye opening to experience bamboo rafting and learn the history behind it.
Pros
  • Pushing my comfort zone
  • Taking risks
  • Bonding with the natives of Thailand
6 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Mikayla
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

You need to take this trip

This trip is an amazing experience you definitely need to have. You learn new things every step of the way and the guides are so much fun and amazing people to meet and know. Your heart will be left with the kids in the villages, your knowledge of permaculture will be expanded, your view of the world will be opened and you won’t ever forget this trip and experience. It might be scary to go all the way across the world, especially if you do it by yourself but take the adventure learn something new about the world and yourself. Give trips are definitely the way to travel!

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
If I did this all over again I would definitely change how much I really immersed my self in everything we did and I would definitely try harder to make better connections with all the people along the way.
Pros
  • Amazing people
  • Great food
  • So many new experiences to have
Cons
  • Bugs
16 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Sofia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Travel With Give!!!!

Going on a give trip was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!! Between the connections I made and the amazing experiences that I get to take home with me. This trip is so diverse. One minute you will be teaching students in local schools and the next you will be in a remote village learning dances and embracing the beautiful culture Thailand has to offer. You also get to trek with an Elephant which is super cool… I truly can say I’ll never forget this experience and plane on going on many more give trips!!! TRAVEL WITH GIVE!!!💚

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
Definitely the Bungee Jump!! I was extremely scared to take the step and do it but I did and I have no regrets!! I wanna go again!!!!
Pros
  • You get to meet amazing like minded people
  • You get to try different foods
  • You get to meet a real elephant!!
Cons
  • Saying goodbye (it’s super hard)
12 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Ciara
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

I dont wanna say goodbye

This trip is truly an amazing experience, I never thought I would learn so much from all the guides and they always make sure to keep us safe and having fun. I have created a community here that I will never forget and these people have pushed me to grow and pushed me out of my comfort zone in many ways. I can't wait to come back to visit the guides, all the beautiful people and places I met throughout this trip, and my fellow volunteers who have grown to be my family. I just want to keep doing the trip over and over again. I'm gonna miss it.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Go into this experience with an open mind and open heart and you will have the time of your life
20 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Ava
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best experience of my life

Traveling with GIVE was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Being welcomed into the communities in Thailand and having the opportunity to truly immerse myself in their culture was an experience I’ll never forget. The connections I made—both with the locals and fellow volunteers—were genuine and meaningful. Working on projects that directly benefit the community gave me a real sense of purpose and showed me just how much of an impact you can have, even in a short amount of time. It was inspiring, humbling, and incredibly fulfilling. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.

What was your funniest moment?
the funniest moment had to either be P’Boka singing “No Money, No Honey” at a Lahu hill tribe accommodation. Or, when teaching the younger children, there was a dance break and a little girl knew every move to the dance and did it with a strait face-it made all of the guides and volunteers laugh!
Pros
  • Getting outside of your comfort zone
  • Traveling ethically
  • Getting to make connections/friendships with people all over the world
Cons
  • Jet lag
  • Adjusting to their way of life (it takes time!)
  • Learning to live with just the essentials
19 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Angela
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My review of northern Thailand GIVE experience

This was an inspiring, unforgettable, and life changing experience. I had so many amazing experiences with the guides, the locals, and my fellow volunteers that I will treasure for a lifetime. I went to Thailand expecting to meet fun people and go on cool excursions, like caving and elephant trekking, but I left with so much more than that. I was given the opportunity to live among locals and experience their culture in a way that I had never imagined. I learned that where many Americans think people live difficult and unhappy lives, people are actually much happier and able to support themselves just using the world around them and living sustainably. This trip did contain hard parts, like farming and building a greenhouse, and enduring difficult weather conditions like extreme heat and rain, so if you are not up for it, it might not be the best fit. However, if you are willing to look past few inconveniences, it is worth it to watch the communities you visit benefit from your hard work and use these experiences to improve your own life. I would 100% recommend it to anyone searching for an incredible experience.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
Bungy Jumping on the last day was the most nerve-racking moment and I overcame it by not looking down before the jump and reminding myself how cool it is to say that I bungy jumped in Thailand.
Pros
  • Amazing cultural experiences
  • Super fun activities like bamboo rafting and Pad Thai cooking class
  • Lifelong friendships with fellow volunteers and guides
Cons
  • Not a lot of food variety
  • LOTS of bugs, especially at night
  • Hot and rainy
28 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Amy
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A piece of my heart lives in Mueang Khong

Wow this trip changed my life! From the amazing people that I met, the beautiful towns and villages we visited, the delicious food, and to the connection forged between mind, body, soul, and nature; Thailand made me feel alive again. Days were filled with laughter, learning, and exploring. The itinerary is perfectly balanced between volunteering and going on adventures. I didn't think that I was going to be very good at teaching English, but our guides Chelsea and Hailey gave us all the resources we needed to be successful! Spending time with the students was one of my favorite parts. I also loved getting to connect with and learn about the nature around us. P'Krit and P'Daves' expertise in plants and permaculture was astounding. I would do this trip over and over if I had the chance!!

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
Definitely bungee jumping!! I had never done something like that in my life. I'm not even necessarily scared of heights either, but when I got up there I was terrified. But once I heard all my fellow travelers down below cheering me on (and after asking the bungee master to push me, there was no way I could jump myself) I took the leap of faith! And oh man was it worth it! There's nothing like plunging 50 meters into the jungle!
Pros
  • Nature education
  • Cultural immersion
  • Giving back to communities visited
Cons
  • Christmas away from home (although Christmas with GIVE is SO special)
66 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers