Thailand Summer High School Programs with Rustic Pathways

I went on the Thailand Come With Nothing trip this summer and it was literally the best experience of my life! I loved that we were truly able to immerse ourselves in the culture and live with the locals. I loved that we saw parts of the country that were not normally seen by tourists and that we were able to serve each village separate depending on their needs. I do wish thought that each service project in the villages were a little bit more organized. in our first village, we built something that resembled a bridge for the community and i felt that the community need something much more worth while. I also wished that we were educated a little bit more on each of the places we visited so that we could make every new experience worth while. I also spent 2 weeks at the Hill Tribe Orphanage! I loved that we were able to live amongst many amazing karen children from the surrounding villages and chat and hang with them in close quarters. the group dynamics were great and we were truly able to connect through team building activities. I don wish though that we had less down time and more scheduled activities with our Thai buddies, although I had a great friendship with my Thai buddy after the two weeks, it did take some time and since many kids are only at the orphanage for one session, it would be worth it to add some other activities to help everyone get to know each other. While I was at the orphanage, i was able to teach tap lessons to the kids at the school. That opportunity truly meant the world to me and I cannot thank David Elbot and the teachers at the Bann Rai School for helping me make that dream happen.

My trip to Thailand was the greatest experience I could have ever had!The Rustic Pathways staff were so funny and I felt welcomed by them. I made so many friends from all over! Age, size, and color did not matter on this trip. We were able to express ourselves.I've never laughed as much as I did in Thailand. In the program we did a whole variety of different things to greater the community.We helped plant rice in a rice field, helped deliver food to local Thai people, went to the local schools on many occasions to help teach English like signs on a road and little sayings. We also helped teach swimming and helped the school by painting a mural! The most exciting part was in the boys orphanage. I have never seen so many happy little boys in my life! They were right when when they said Thailand is the land of smiles.I learned a lot about myself as well as others and a lot about Thailand, the land of smiles.

For my Sweet 16 present, I got to go to Thailand with Rustic Pathways for 10 days and train elephants! It was the most amazing experience and I would recommend it to anybody! My goal in wanting to travel to a different country was to learn a new way of life and see how other people in the world live since I feel like we take many things for granted here in America. I got exactly when I was looking for when I got to Thailand and I loved every single minute of it. From the amazing new food and culture, to the elephants, which were absolutely amazing, to the living arrangements, which were cabin-style dorm rooms, I had the best time ever. I made lifelong friends and the counselors that were with us were all amazing and they all had great stories to tell. At the Elephant Conservation Camp in Lampang, we would wake up every morning at 7am, put on our mahout suits and go into the mountains to get our elephant and then would would ride them down into the lake to bathe them. This was my favorite time of the day because it was refreshing for us and you could tell that the elephant absolutely loved it too! We would then ride them to the main camp and we would do a different activity each day whether it was going to the elephant nursery or hospital, or even the elephant show to watch them paint and play music! Each day was a new adventure and it was the most fun I have ever had! I would do it again in a heart beat!
If anyone has any questions about the program or anything, feel free to email me at julz0896@aim.com! :)

I believe that RP has changed my life forever and those two years that I was able to experience the beauty of Thailand were the best summers by far. I'm proud to have gone on these trips and will cherish them forever. I would also like to add that our groups leaders, and our local staff were incredibly amazing. I was with Go Tha for both summers and he is one of the most funny and helpful people I have ever met. Also Kevin Connelly has been such an inspiration!!!!! Because of him, I've dedicated my time to taking pictures, mainly portraits, of people from all over the world. I would like to some day work at National Geographic and he is someone who will definitely have helped me get there. Thank you Rustic Pathways!-Eva Olaya

I traveled with Rustic all through my high school years and it shaped who I am today. Although, at times, I found it difficult to mix with other students, got bored of tourism, and wanted to interact way more with the locals, this program is amazing.
You will meet people from all over the world, and if you just listen they can teach you so much.
Chose your program carefully and make sure if fits to what you want and ask other people who have done the trip about their opinions.
Overall an experience that will change your life if you let it.
:-)

The program I went on was simply amazing. There are no other words to describe it. It changed my life truly. I got to meet so many people and got to explore such a different culture than mine. It just blows you away to see what life beyond the tip of your nose is. Yes, they are pricey, but compared to other High School Summer programs, they aren't at all. Plus, they have scholarships available. And in all honesty, the VALUE of this trip is way beyond a couple thousand dollars. It teaches you to be grateful and gives you a sense of global awareness. I'm so glad I went on a Rustic trip and I am so excited to go on one again this coming summer.

My daughter went on a Rustic Pathways to Thailand. Before the trip, I called to be sure it was safe & the owner called me promptly to reassure me. Subsequently, my 17 year old was on an excursion to visit a remote shrine & the 2 vans left without her!! They neglected to do a head count, and did not know she had been left behind. They had never given her any info on how to reach her group leader in an emergency. She did not have her passport with her nor even more than a few dollars. It was only because she kept her wits about her and found someone to take her to the police station in the next town that she was able to log on to their computer and ultimately re-connect and have someone come get her. They never even realized she was missing! This is absolutely a true story. As a parent, I was horrified when she called to tell me. Please note that when I called them to complain, the owner never returned my call. I counted the days until she was safely home, let me tell you.

My trip to Thailand impacted my life forever, and made this summer the most memorable experience of my life yet! The Rustic Pathways staff, along with the students I met throughout my trip had the greatest impact on me. I've never laughed harder, or met so many great people in one place. In the program we did a whole variety of different things to greater the community, as well as meet many of the locals! We helped plant rice, (they don't call it the rice fields base for nothing!), helped deliver food to local Thai people, went to the local schools on many occasions to help teach english some "head, shoulders, knee's and toes!" is always a good one! We also helped teach swimming and also helped the school by doing some much needed painting! One of my favorite projects with the village health, we gave diabetes test to locals. I felt that our group made a big impact! Not only that but it had a great impact on me. I learned a lot about myself as well as others and a lot about Thailand, the land of smiles, and in my opinion one of the best countries to visit, and go make a difference! Awesome program I'd recommend it to anyone who's open to try a lot of new things!