Thailand Summer Program

Not taking a gap year? With our Thailand Summer Program you can squeeze a gap year experience in to your summer holiday!
Get in touchOther summer destinations

Experience a Gap Year in Thailand in just 5 weeks!

  • Experience the true Thailand, be more than a tourist just passing through
  • Immerse yourself in the culture
  • Live, work and play with the local community
  • Be part of a group so you share your experiences with likeminded travellers
  • Volunteer in a local school and pass on your skills
  • Enjoy time to explore the surrounding areas at weekends
  • Our local in country team are just a phone call away 24/7
  • Enhance your CV or resume with invaluable experiences
  • Make lifelong friends and create lasting memories
  • Get all the benefits of a gap year without delaying your studies

Tell me more about the Thailand Summer Program

12 + 11 =

"A unique and incredibly enjoyable experience that made me look at the world in a whole new perspective"

R

Volunteer Project

Share your skills with the community and make a lasting difference.

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R

Adventure Travel

Go wherever you want after your project. We're here to support you.

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R

Cultural Immersion

Experience a new culture and way of life by being part of it.

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"My AV experience helped with my career choice"

Thailand Summer Program: Summary

 

Departs: Next group departure date is 6th August 2018 to 10th September 2018 – you can also customize your dates

Costs: £1,945 for our 5 week summer program – discounts available if you bring a friend

Destination: Maekok River Village in Tha Ton.

Accommodation: Self catered houses in the village.

Project work: Art, Music, Drama, Community Work, Sports Coaching, Teaching

Explore further: Kayaking, Hill Tribe villages, Chiang Mai, Temples

 

Tha Ton, Thailand

Register your interest in our Thailand Summer Program

8 + 5 =

At Africa & Asia Venture (AV) we believe in a different type of gap year travel.

Where there’s adventure and excitement but also where you find your second home.
Where you don’t just look at the scenery, you become part of the community.
It’s more than travel.
It’s a different way to see the world.

 

#seetheworlddifferently

About the Program

Welcome & Briefing

Your flight will need to take you all the way through to Chiang Rai via Bangkok, arrive by midday on the day your summer program starts in Thailand and you will be met by an Africa & Asia Venture representative. After leaving Chiang Rai, you will travel for a couple of hours to the Maekok River Village in Tha Ton, for an introduction to Thailand and a three-day briefing on your project.

It is a chance to settle in, unwind after the hectic few days leading up to your departure and get to know your AV group. The briefing is important to make sure you are fully prepared for the five weeks ahead. As well as covering the teaching and community work you will be involved with, the course will include the following:

  • History, customs and culture of Thailand and its people
  • Teaching techniques and lesson practice
  • Safety, health and security
  • Some Thai lessons
The Project

After your briefing you will travel to your new home; a rural school not far from Tha Ton – your base for the next five weeks. You will spend this time living and working in the community, teaching English and getting involved with other activities in the community.

The Thai schools’ English syllabus is entirely an exercise in writing, so neither teachers nor children get a chance to speak it. That’s where you come in! You will teach each class in your school two or three times per week, helping the Thai English teacher with pronunciation and giving the children a massive boost in confidence. You may be asked by teachers and villagers to run separate classes for them. You can also play sports with the children (each school has a pitch at its centre) or perhaps help with art and paint some murals, with your pupils, to brighten up school buildings.

Each day you will spend time socialising with the villagers; teachers will explain the Thai way of life and traditions and, perhaps, teach you some Thai dancing or Takraw (a sort of cross between volleyball and football).  This is a great chance to make new friends – they will be keen to talk about where you are from, your family and life at home, whilst you can practice your Thai!

In your free time you can do as you wish and explore the area. The Maekok Resort will arrange for you to enjoy some weekend activities like trekking in Fang National Park, cycling, archery, rock climbing, Chiang Mai, and kayaking on the Maekok River!

After your final night in Chiang Rai we will take you to the airport in time to catch your flight home.

Food & Accommodation

Your house will be situated on the school grounds, or nearby, giving you the chance to experience rural Thai life. An important part of the Africa & Asia Venture experience is living locally, shop at the markets, and help where you can.

The house itself will probably have a bedroom(s), a communal/cooking area and somewhere to wash. Electricity is intermittent at best, and your house will probably have a typical Asian loo. Wherever you will be staying, you will grow to love it and soon feel very much at home!

We encourage independence you will be doing your own washing, buying your food in nearby markets and prepare meals, a food allowance is provided by us. Lunch is normally cooked by the school.  This is the best way of getting to know people, being involved in the community and gaining an understanding of living there – you are not a bystander watching from afar.

You will need to boil water from a local source or buy bottled water.

What's included

Before departure:

  • Pre-departure information, support and advice
  • A nominated member of the UK volunteer support team
  • Advice on individual flight arrangements

In-country:

  • In-country representative
  • 24/7 in-country backup
  • Meet and greet at airport (if arriving with the group)
  • Airport transfer (if arriving/departing with group)
  • In-country briefing
  • Transport whilst on project
  • Accommodation whilst on project
  • Food whilst on project
  • Accompanied by a project leader
  • Management of emergencies, including lost passport, illness, etc. whilst in-country

Upon returning home:

  • Returning home advice
  • Full telephone debriefing

What’s not included:

  • Flights
  • Travel Insurance
  • Country visas
  • Meeting of non-group arrivals
  • Accommodation for early/late arrivals
  • Medical expenses, e.g. inoculations, malaria prophylactics
  • In-country medical expenses
  • Drinks, or bottled water
  • Tips/gratuities – No tips/gratuities for Africa & Asia Venture staff are necessary or expected
  • Spending money
  • Extra activities that you choose to do
  • Weekend activities, transport, food, accommodation away from the project
  • Independent travel

Dates & Costs

Create your own customized trip, or join a scheduled group departure – the choice is yours.

Next group departure:

6th August to 10th September 2018

5 Weeks (summer program): £1,945

Have more time?

You could try our Thailand gap year program.

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