Projects Abroad Volunteer Programs in Thailand

For 4 weeks, I took part in Project Abroad’s Diving and Marine Conservation Project. As soon as I arrived, there was someone waiting for me at the airport, ready to take me to the accommodation. All the Projects Abroad staff were helpful and friendly, making me feel welcome.

Within a week of arriving, I received my PADI Open Water diving certification, allowing me to go diving with the volunteers three times a week (with two dives on each day). When I went diving, I did coral and anemone surveys, which was a fantastic way of experiencing the colourful and beautiful reefs. In addition to scuba diving, we also did beach clean ups, mangrove relocation and visiting turtle and elephant rehabilitation centres.

I highly recommend this experience to those looking to do scuba diving in a beautiful location, meet people from all around the world and to learn more about the world around them.

For four weeks in June/July, 2016 I volunteered with the Diving and Marine Conservation Project with Projects Abroad. The entire experience was incredibly eye-opening, fun, and left me wanting more; from the moment I met the Projects Abroad staff to the moment I said goodbye, it was an experience I'll never forget. During the drive from the airport to the placement, I had all of my questions answered by the staff member and felt completely comfortable in my new surroundings. When I arrived at the placement, I met the other volunteers, was shown my room, given my dive book, and was introduced to everything on site. All of the volunteers were extremely friendly, welcoming, and made me fit right in.

On my first day, the volunteers and I went kayaking through the mangroves, a little drive away from our placement, which was such a fun experience and allowed me to get to know some of the other volunteers better. Over the weekend, some of the volunteers and I went hiking in town and did some other adventurous activities such as zip-lining. Since I arrived on a Friday, I received my official induction into the program on the Monday with another staff member that showed the other new volunteer and I around town, and it gave us the opportunity to purchase anything we may have needed, in addition to having lunch at a local restaurant. The staff at Projects Abroad were incredibly knowledgeable about marine conservation, diving, and life in Thailand. Not only did I get to learn more about marine conservation efforts in the country, I got to learn more about the country and culture itself which only added to the experience.

During my time in Thailand, I had the opportunity to learn how to scuba dive according to the PADI regulations, which then allowed me to learn how to survey the coral reefs we were studying. In addition, we learned how to properly identify various fish and marine life and how to differentiate coral, all while cleaning up the Andaman Sea by collecting any debris, nets, and garbage floating in the waters. 3/5 of our volunteer days comprised of diving, either at the Phi Phi islands or at local islands, with the other volunteer days engaging in other activities such as conducting shoreline cleanups, educating students at local schools, transplanting mangroves trees, planting trees, etc. Each day we were fed delicious and plentiful meals by the staff at the placement and everyone highly enjoyed the food as we would all eat our meals at the table together! On our weekends, we often embarked on day trips within the local area to sight-see, and participate in various excursions, such as attending a Thai cooking school, visiting the famous Railay Beach, and hiking the steps of Tiger Cave Temple for example.

Overall, I had an amazing experience with Projects Abroad. From the friendly and welcoming staff, to the volunteers I met and became friends with from around the world, to the meaningful and fulfilling volunteer work we engaged in, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I'm incredibly thankful to have learned as much as I did and to have met the staff and volunteers I volunteered with in Thailand, and now have memories to last a lifetime!

I spent 4 weeks taking part in the Conservation project in Thailand with Projects Abroad. From the moment I arrived, I found a staff member waiting in the airport. On our way back to the volunteer complex, she explained many sights that we passed, and gave me clear expectations for what would happen when I arrived - we will go over some paperwork, I'll take you to your room, here is your PADI instruction booklet to learn by this day, etc. My diving instructor couldn't have been more helpful. He demonstrated a variety of skills, and helped coach us through the more challenging skills if we struggled. He provided immense support so we could experience diving in the beautiful water and help continue the mission of the project.

The work we did each week felt meaningful, though I wish I could have stayed longer than 4 weeks. Our weekly tasks always involved dives and data collection, but alternated between beach clean-ups, tree planting, school visits, animal excursions, and so on. The staff members were knowledgeable before, during, and after each activity by providing integral workshops to prepare us, testing us and answering our questions during, and reflecting on our performance and brainstorming new solutions to the problems we faced.

I always felt safe walking around the town, and we had an easy time finding transportation. Many people in the towns spoke English, and many restaurants had English menus as well. We had plenty of free time on the weekends to go on our own excursions together, which helped bond all the volunteers. The staff encouraged us to have fun during both work and play.

Amazing, fantastic, gorgeous, wonderful.... there are not enough words to describe how much I loved this trip!

I travelled 37 hours from Toronto to Krabi, Thailand to volunteer on Projects Abroads Marine Conservation and Diving project in Thailand - and it was SO worth it! As soon as I arrived I was welcomed by the Projects abroad (PA) staff at the airport. I took my first tuk tuk ride (how exciting!) back to the accommodations and had a day to myself before I would begin volunteering the following day. Within the first week I had already made great friends, certified with my PADI Open Water Scuba Diving Qualification, volunteered at a school, did a beach clean up and explored the local Ao Nang beach strip! I did and accomplished so much in the month that I was in Thailand - yet never felt overwhelmed, stressed or too busy... everything happened at a perfect pace.

We had 3 dive days a week and had 2 dives on each of those days, so 6 dives each week in total. DIVING WAS AMAZING!!!! I saw so much of marine life - its literally a whole new world down there. I loved that we weren't just diving for fun, we had a real, valuable purpose for each dive like garbage collection, fish identification and reef surveys. The dive staff is FANTASTIC and always made me feel super comfortable and safe, yet always having fun. At the beginning of the trip I had trouble equalising my ears, but my dive master Marius spent extra time with me to help fix that right away. I was also really interested in Fish ID, so one of the researchers Andy spent extra time with me on the boat ride to dive sites reviewing the different species and helped excel me through the program. I learnt so much about the environment, conservation and marine biology - especially sea turtles. Volunteering at the Phuket Turtle Rehabilitation Centre was one of the most incredible moments of my life - yes we were on our hands and knees scrubbing turtle tanks, but we also got to interact with these fascinating creatures and know that we were really helping them.

Would 100% over and over recommend this project to anyone and everyone of all ages... honestly there is something for everyone and I have no complaints whatsoever about projects abroad!

As someone who traveled and studied abroad in Europe for 10 weeks, I was looking for an entirely new travel experience. Thailand presented just the opportunity. I loved every minute of my time in Southern Thailand. The people, food, lifestyle, and overall culture were incredible. I spent the majority of my time outside hiking, swimming, and exploring different areas of the Krabi region. The staff were super helpful in assisting me and helping me coordinate different activities on the weekend. One of my favorite nights involved climbing 1,250 steps up to a Buddhist temple on a hill, followed by an evening at the local food market. There were always other volunteers interested in joining me on excursions as well.
The work during the week we did for the land and marine conservation program was a lot of fun, too. The scuba dive days were incredible. Thailand has some world-class scuba sites, and it was incredible to be there surveying the coral reefs and seeing all the marine life. If you’ve never been scuba diving before this is a great program to help you get into the sport. And if you are an advanced scuba diver this is a great trip to go and learn new skills and see different underwater ecosystems as well.
Overall this trip was a life changing experience that I would highly recommend to anyone looking at it. It felt great to join a community and give back to the people/land. I also experienced fun adventures and met new friends along the way.

This summer I spent four weeks in Krabi Town, Thailand. I was part of the care program where I worked at a daycare. The kids were between 3-4 years old and were the highlight of my trip. With a Projects Abroad member waiting for me at the airport I was never unsure of what to expect during my stay. The staff is beyond welcoming and you truly feel like you are part of a family! I was brought to my host family and my 3 roommates who quickly became my second family. The family was amazing and welcomed us all with open arms. The food our family served was delicious! Perks of living with a host family is definitely getting to eat authentic Thai meals! Two of us in the house did not like seafood so they made sure to steer clear of that for us! My orientation the next day included a tour of the town (showing me where important places were such as the bus stop, atm, doctor, pharmacy, supply store, markets, etc) and an explanation of what was expected of me in the classroom. The next day a Projects Abroad member stayed with me in the classroom to help out. Instantly the kids came running over to greet me! Although we spoke different languages a strong bond was created between the kids and I. The teachers were absolutely incredible. They were so nice, helpful, and thankful for our help. At the school I taught crafts, english, morning exercise, and helped with lunch. Thai people are by far the nicest people and culture I have ever experience. I look forward to returning to Thailand to visit my students, teachers, and fellow Project Abroad members! I recommend Projects Abroad to everyone! I have made life long friends and memories that will always be with me!

I volunteered for 2 weeks and suggest that others stay a little longer. The staff is committed to the mission, responsive, available, knowledgeable and fun. The accommodations were perfect, even with the occasionaly frog visit in the bungalo. The dive trips (Tuesdays - Thursdays) were the highlight for me. The Monday and Friday ventures were educational and supportive of the mission. The overall experience was magical.

Thailand, a country far away from Europe, 14 hours of plane and you will "have a culture shock".
What does a day in Projects Abroad looks like? The are the days you go diving, the depart time is at 7.15, direction the islands next to Ao Nang to discover the submarine world. Even as a beginner you will enjoy the fishes with beautiful colours and you will alsow learn to reconize the different types of corals, fishes, invertebrates during the reef check.
Other days you will do the beach clean up, 2 or 3 hours to work under the sun, but you will feel helpfull. Even thai people will thank with a smile and giving you fresh water or helping you to collect the garbages.
Somedays you will go to mangorves sites, to plant mangrove seeds or just to cut the grass to clear the area. This days you will feel like you have done something for the earth, even if it's a little thing.
After the work you will also have freetime to enjoy the beabch, to have a massage, to visit a temple or one of the wonderful Iland that are near ao Nang.
At the end you will feel like you have done something for the people, for the earth and also for yourself. Thailand is an experience that can change your life.