Summer High School Programs in Thailand with Rustic Pathways

My trip with rustic pathways to the ricefields base was absolutely incredible. It was an adventure of a lifetime and a trip that will forever stay with me. The base house was such a luxury place to stay, with good showers/bathrooms, beds and even air conditioning! The people who work at the base house were so incredibly kind and I grew very connected with much of the Thai staff who came on many of our adventures together. The service programs were oh so fun but also rewarding. We did lots of manual labor, which was a big workout and many of the service programs revolved around kids! My personal favorites were teaching kids how to swim at the basehouse and teaching them English during a class at their school. These kids were so bright and lively and brought lots of happiness to my heart. We had many hours of service but also many hours of fun! We really got to explore Udon Thani with a tour of the amazing city and we also did lots of fun activities such as going bowling, to the mall, waterpark and the night markets. The food was also so tasty here, probably some of the best I have had. They always provided us with delicious meals and tropical fruit, and I loved any meal time since I got to enjoy the food with my friends. One of my favorite parts of this trip was the people I met here. These teens from all over the globe and states were so kind hearted and adventurous and I grew so close to all of them. This program let us have free time and I felt like I really got to know all of my fellow group members. It was the hardest thing to say goodbye to them, but I know that we will all forever cherish our time together in the most incredible place. I cannot reccomend this program enough! Please come to the land of smiles with rustic pathways to experience this adventure of a lifetime for yourself! Here more about my experience on my personal blog: https://littlelinnbigworld.wordpress.com/2018/07/10/travels-to-thailand/

My trip to Thailand is something that I will never forget. The Land of Smiles is truly that. The smiling Thai people are the most amazing, kind hearted and fun people I have ever met.

I have had the pleasure of traveling to many places in the world with my family but Rustic Pathways gave me the ability to see places and experience things my parents wouldn't have been able to find. It is a different kind of trip when you travel with Rustic. During my trip we traveled around to different cities. Some of my favorite experiences from this trip were riding on an elephant, swimming in a beautiful waterfall, seeing Muay Thai fighting, and staying in a treehouse. These experiences were unique to Rustic Pathways trips and helped to learn about the culture of Thailand.

The group leaders consisted of people native to Thailand and other leaders from around the world. The leaders were connecting with the kids like they were one of us. During car rides everyone would we talking, laughing, singing, and telling jokes and riddles.

My group and I became a super tight knit group and cried when we had to part ways at the end. I still talk to my group of kids and even making plans to hang out with them! I was lucky to have such an amazing experience with Rustic Pathways and can't wait for my next trip!

I had the most amazing time on my trip to Thailand this summer. We stayed at the Rustic Pathways Children’s Home, where students can stay if they don’t live close to good education. In Thailand, we spent time teaching English at local schools and workingg to build new classrooms. I think one of my favorite parts of the program was meeting my Thai buddy. Upon arrival, I got paired with a Thai student staying at the children’s home to talk to and show me around. We became friends quickly and still talk today. My experience in Thailand was incredible and I couldn’t recommend it more.

My trip to Thailand was extremely meaningful, and despite how corny this seems- it truly was life changing. In two short weeks in Thailand, the relationships I made were with people I would call my best friends, and even family. We disconnected from technology, and that combined with how fun and beneficial the trip was, and the study of Buddhism- I returned home a truly different person. Service anywhere can be very gratifying, but to work with children and have the instant satisfaction is a feeling unlike no other. Except working for elephants- this was truly magical to work with these majestic animals. To learn about our impact on the earth to and how we can help conserve and protect is truly something I couldn’t learn anywhere else. The service, fun, friends and learning all combined could not have taken place in anywhere better than Thailand and have as rewarding of an impact.

My trip to Thailand was extremely meaningful, and despite how corny this seems- it truly was life changing. In two short weeks in Thailand, the relationships I made were with people I would call my best friends, and even family. We disconnected from technology, and that combined with how fun and beneficial the trip was, and the study of Buddhism- I returned home a truly different person. Service anywhere can be very gratifying, but to work with children and have the instant satisfaction is a feeling unlike no other. Except working for elephants- this was truly magical to work with these majestic animals. To learn about our impact on the earth to and how we can help conserve and protect is truly something I couldn’t learn anywhere else. The service, fun, friends and learning all combined could not have taken place in anywhere better than Thailand and have as rewarding of an impact.

This past summer I went on the trip of a lifetime to Northern Thailand. I had been eyeing this trip for 2 years, but my parents wouldn't let me go because of their concerns about safety. They weren't comfortable with me going alone to the other side of the world, with a group of people I had never met before. Although this intimidated me, I'd been eager to travel somewhere farther and more unique than anywhere I'd ever been. My parents eventually decided to let me go on this trip with my older sister, and tears of joy came when they surprised me with the trip! We began our travel journey of 35 hours and halfway through I began to wonder if I had picked the right trip or if I was stepping way too far outside of my comfort zone. I didn't know any of the people in the airport and everyone was very anxious about their next 3 weeks traveling. After a very very long day of traveling, we arrived late at night at the base house where I would be staying for the next week. Everyone was very apprehensive and nervous when we arrived, but after a good night sleep, we began "orientation" the next morning. By learning everyone's names and walking around to meet the staff, I knew my next couple of weeks would be incredible! The friendlyness of the staff made the homesick feelings go away almost immediately. Over the next 2 weeks in Thailand, I had the best time of my life. I met people that I would've never thought I'd be friends with and made friends that I am still very close with 3 months later, and I know they will be life long friends. The service experience we did there was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it gave me a new look into how other people live outside of the bubble that I live in at home. This brought me new and important experiences, and teaching english was so humbling to do to children who need to learn it in order to get a job to feed their families in Thailand. Everything we did over the weeks I was in Thailand made a huge impact on how I view the world and how I see different situations. I would not trade this experience for the world, it made such an impact in my life. The friendships, people, and experiences I had on this trip will continue to shine through my actions in my daily life and I will never forget them. If you are apprehensive of going on a trip through Rustic PAthways, don't be! I felt completely safe the entire time and the whole trip was wonderfully put together. If you get the chance, definately go through Rustic Pathways, as they made my experience in Thailand absolutely unforgettable.

I went on this trip because I received a magazine in the mail about a similar travel organization, I looked more into student travel and I came across Rustic Pathways, everything about Rustic Pathways was so great, the website was so easy to use, the people who work there were so beyond helpful and sweet, and the programs all look so incredible. I finally chose the program that stuck out to me the most! I was so excited and I couldn't wait for the trip, I was also extremely nervous as well. I had no prior experience with being away from my family for that long so I was not sure how it would go. When time came to get ready for the trip, the packing lists were so helpful, everything you need is on it and when they say don't over pack, I wish I listened to that more because I re-wore clothes and we were constantly buying souvenirs and elephant pants so I had so many clothes at the end of the program. I would recomend bringing an extra bag though for souvenirs and other things because it will be very helpful at the end when your packing. Anyway when I first arrived at the airport it was very organized and it was really easy to meet new people, especially when we were waiting for our bags to get checked, it was so easy to start conversations with people! This boosted my confidence and it made the long travel, layovers and flights much better. When we arrived, I was nervous at first about being away from home, and started questioning myself asking if i had chosen the right program, shortly after we arrived at the base house though I had the opportunity to meet some of the local staff, program leaders and other students who were so sweet and really great in making others feel comfortable. Whenever I felt anxious the program leaders were there for me and really helpful in making me feel better. Once the service trips had started, all of my worries had washed away, I had so much fun in the markets buying food, teaching the kids English and swimming lessons, and helping to build the house and playground! The service trips are split into smaller groups so I was able to meet some really awesome people and get close to them fast, I honestly had such a blast on the service projects and it was so rewarding to know that you were helping to make someones life better! Each and everyday after that I had so much fun, learned so much, and meet such amazing people who I got so close with. Every activity we did I learned something new about the Thai culture and we got to see such beautiful parts of Thailand wherever we went. Words can not describe how incredible this trip was, it truly was life changing! Going to the "land of smiles" made me smile every second I was there. We had so many opportunities and I was grateful for every second. I loved how the program also ensured that we had rest time, side trips, and other fun excursions alongside the incredible service projects. The side trip to Laos was so much fun and such a great opportunity to get closer to the other students on the program. Each second was such a fun adventure filled with breathtaking sights! The hard work that we did whenever we went on a service project was so amazing and rewarding, I had never sweated so much and loved every second of it before! I learned how to build a house, teach kids to swim, make thai curry, and so much more with those projects, I also got to learn Muay Thai boxing, meet monks, go to a thai waterpark, save and release turtles into the pond at Ricefields, get massages, visit a cave and China Town. There were so many activities, places we saw and things we did that there are too many to mention! When it was time to leave I was actually heartbroken, I could not believe how much fun I had and how close I had gotten with people I did not know at all in 2 and half weeks. It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone especially the incredible staff! I got so close to the local staff, program leaders and other students and I still talk to them everyday even after leaving the trip! To sum this experience up, it was truly life changing, I came back with a sense of how other people in this world live, I thought it was so incredible how people with so little can be so grateful and happy with what they have, which made me happier and grateful for everything that I have! I truly am so grateful i faced my fears and decided to travel with Rustic Pathways because it has open the doors up to new possibilities in my life and I now know that I want to travel the world and work for Rustic Pathways when I am older. If you are questioning whether or not you should go on this trip for any reason, the advice I give you is DO IT! Considering I only went on one trip with rustic as of now, and I loved every second of it, imagine how amazing it would be for someone to start when they're even younger than I am and travel to even more places and see the incredible world we live in! I wish I discovered Rustic sooner because I only have one more summer left before I graduate and I hope that next summer will be as amazing as this summer was and I already Know it will be!! I hope you decide to change your life and do a rustic pathways program because if you don't I'm telling you, you'll regret that decision for the rest of your life!

My first summer with rustic was definitely one for the books. Thailand itself was fantastic and the elephants there were amazing but the true memories were made with the people I met through the organization. I owe rustic everything and I am so thankfully that they exposed me to an experience that allowed me to see the world and discover other people and how they live. It was truly and amazing experience and I have already booked my rustic trip to Australia for next summer!

This was my first trip with Rustic and the overall experience was amazing. The people ofThailand are some of the most genuine people I have ever met. They always have smiles on their faces! The friends that I made on this trip are amazing and we still keep in touch. We are planning to do another trip next summer and are excited to explore another country and culture together. My experience in Thailand is one that I will remember for a long time. From building homes, to teaching children English, to walking on the beaches of Phuket. This program has a wide variety of activities and is a great way to do community service.

I had an amazing time! I could tell safety was a top priority which I appreciated. At no point did I ever feel unsafe and if that was the case our leaders always checked in on us and made sure we were feeling our bus. Whether it be something a simple as a headache or the stomach bug, rustic staff was very aware and caring to all my needs. The service was hard but very rewarding. It was so much fun and all the girls on my trip were awesome and made the service so much more fun. The elephants and the thai school kids were so adorable.

The Rustic staff is incredible: from the flight leaders, to the group leaders, and down to the local staff, everyone is so enthusiastic to learn about you and to share a bit about themselves and their culture! The trip was very organized and although it may seem daunting to travel to a new place alone, it was the best decision I ever made; I met so many wonderful people and made so many friends. Through activities and service I was able to truly become a part of the community in Udon Thani and learn more about the culture firsthand.

I have been on a program similar to the programs that rustic pathways offer prior to my trip to Thailand. I went to Costa Rica, which was basically all fun with very little service. I was not sure if I would enjoy going on such a service-centric trip like the rice fields program. Little did I know that this trip would be the most life-changing experience of my life. I grew to know people on this trip that I will never forget. I have closer bonds with people on this trip than I have ever had with my best friends at school. I must admit, I was very nervous to travel across the world knowing no one. Even on the plane rides there, I thought that I would never make friends with these strangers. My advice to anyone that is considering going on one of these programs, is to not go with anyone, no matter how scary it seems. The friendships that you will form will WAY outlast your rustic trip!! With these friends, I participated in 9 equally impacting service projects. Each project had such a good purpose and I truly felt like I was helping the community with these projects. My favorite service project by far was "Hands in the Dirt", where we started building an organic farm for a local school. Many Thai farmers get severely sick because of the pesticides they spray on the food because they do not wash their food well after it is grown. Organic gardens eliminate the need for pesticides. The garden we are building at the school will also be a source of income for the students of the school. This is the third organic farm that rustic pathways has built in the small community of Udon Thani. Another service project that really impacted me was the hospital meals project. For this project, we cooked food and brought it to a local hospital. In Thai culture, when a member of your family is sick, you drop everything that is going on in your life to go stay with them in your hospital. This includes your job, which means the family is not receiving money while the person is in the hospital. This service project provides a source of food for the family members. The day I went there was at least 430 people in the line, and all of them were so grateful to us. That was one of the most empowering things about Thailand: everyone was just so grateful. Even though some of these people have no running water, not enough clothes, and not enough food for their family, they were still so grateful for everything. This trip to Thailand is by far the best experience of my life, and I will be taking another Rustic Trip next year!!! My favorite memory is when 4 other people and I went on a side trip to Chang Khan. I became such close friends with these 4 people in this short time period and I know that our friendships would not be the same without this trip! I recommend this trip to anyone who wants a unique experience!

I feel that people seem to like the phrase “life-changing” a lot, and use it to describe just about any experience that they really enjoyed. Sure, I have had many amazing experiences that I will never forget, but none that I would label truly “life-changing”. This mindset of mine completely changed with my first Rustic trip in the beautiful country of Thailand. First off, the people you get to meet are amazing. Whether it be your fellow students, the staff, or the locals, everybody is so open and friendly. I think it’s safe to say that nobody really felt alone on the trip and that everybody was able to form some great relationships. Also, this trip really allows for so many fun activities, all while immersing us in the local culture. One awesome thing that we did was try a bunch of unique local Thai cuisine, and it was really great to be able to try new and different things together with an equally inexperienced bunch of people. We even got to eat crickets, which were surprisingly tasty! Lastly, the service on this trip was great and so meaningful. I’ve volunteered at my local library shelving books before, but that can’t compare at all with what we got to do on this trip (of course, working at the library was/is still a good thing). We got to do inspiring things such as building a house for a struggling mother with epilepsy, teaching Thai schoolchildren English and how to swim, preparing meals for hospital patients, and starting an organic farm at a local school. It was motivating to know the backgrounds of all the service projects and it provided us with some insight on what the situation is like over there, regarding various aspects of life. One of the best things about the service for me was that I got to do a lot of physical exercise and help out the community at the same time. Back to the “life-changing” aspect of this whole experience: After I’ve returned home, I’ve been exercising a lot more, and I actually owe that to all the outside work we did on this trip. Also, I feel like a more open person, more open to new things and to meeting new people. I am honestly looking forward to starting school again and trying to make some new friends. All in all, my first Rustic trip was such an awesome experience, and today I will be signing up for another one for next summer!!! Thank you so much Rustic Pathways!

My trip to the Rustic Pathways Children's Home was fantastic. I made strong connections with not only the other people travelling with me, but also the local children who stayed at the children's home. On our trip, we also spent time teaching English at a local school, which I though was an incredibly rewarding experience and really fun. I had such an amazing time and would recommend it to anyone interested in a global trip.

Honestly I have never been a sleep away kid who has ever wanted to go away from my family for more than a day. It took every ounce of courage for myself to explain and convince my parents why it was necessary for me to travel 29 hours around the world to do service that could have been done within the United States. For me Thailand had always been on my bucket list and I needed to have an extremely that I could keep to myself. As open as everything is now I have so little that I can do and not have everyone knowing exactly what I'm doing. But when I first got on the plane to Thailand I was already starting to feel homesick from my parents and I convinced myself that this was the worst idea ever to go on a trip with a bunch of people I didn't know completely across the world. Everyone told me that I needed to go alone but I regretted it so much as I was sitting on the 29 hour plane. After we got there we got our room assignments and thats when my whole perspective changed. Everything started to fit in place and I finally started making friends but never would I have ever guessed that I would form closer bonds with these people that I had gotten to know for two weeks than my friends from home that I had known for 13 years. I cannot tell you enough GO WITH NO ONE YOU KNOW. It lets you form the relationships for yourself and have something that you can always cherish and keep to yourself. These kids were so amazing and I feel so blessed to have gotten to know so many amazing people in such a short span of time. Additionally Rustic pathways completely changed my perspective on countries seen as inferior to Americans. I very much saw my culture as above other culture but as I began to actually emerse myself I began to realize their culture is not better nor worst than ours; its just different. I always thought that not having running water is so horrible, not being able to flush toilet paper down the toilet, and using "bum guns" was such a horrible idea but as I began to really look at the cold hard fact if their was of living were so awful, then why are so many Americans (many of which are my best friends) struggling with depression, yet these people who had so little were always smiling? One experience that really struck me was bringing food to the hospital. American hospitals can be busy but I can guarantee there is no hospital as busy as the one we brought food to. The line was out the door and when I asked how people were in line to get food or to get inside the hospital someone said about 500 people. The reason we brought food to it was because many of the Thai family members could not work while their family members were in the hospital, so as a result they were losing money while trying to pay expensive hospital bills. This stressful situation leaves many hospital experience starving because they don't have the money to buy food. As one can imagine this is an extremely stressful situation, yet when they came in lines to get food they were very patient and everyone always said thank you in english and we responded in Thai. Everyone gave me a smile and most either shook my hand or hugged me. This relatives opened my eyes because it showed me how appreciative they are even when they are in appreciative tough situations.