My experience travelling to Thailand

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.