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How did you feel before you joined the programme? I was nervous about booking with a company because I thought I'd probably book with someone who didn't actually exist and they would take all my money. I knew however that I wanted to go with a company so that I met new people and wasn't travelling by myself. As a first experience this seemed like a safe option so that I had a point of contact at all times. I liked how Real Gap enabled us to all talk before we went so we kind of knew each other before we got there. This also allowed for me to meet people at the airport and fly with them.
What was the accommodation like? The accommodation was great. It's a very different way of living - having an outdoor dining area; which was nice and cool to sit under away from the sun. The Brown House was in a very quiet area surrounded by a beautiful garden. The local town and pool was only 20 minutes away so reaching amenities was easy enough by taxi. The hotel in Bangkok was very nice, far better than I ever imagined and the 2 resorts we stayed at were equally as great, offering everything I could ever need. The food at the eco house was great too. Fresh pineapple and melon everyday, it tasted amazing and I still miss it! I didn't even like rice before I went; now I love it. What did you think of the programme? Brilliant. It offered me everything I wanted to do, volunteering, sightseeing, and experiencing Thai food and culture.
The school also took us for a meal, gave us flowers and a certificate. It was hard leaving in the teacher's car as the children waved us off. Did your programme and destination meet your expectations? YES! It was far better than I could ever have imagined it to be. Being there and seeing the most beautiful temples that I never knew existed, riding elephants, staying with monks and playing with tiger cubs, it felt so amazing being there, better than thinking about doing it. I would go back any day. You had to pinch yourself everyday checking to make sure it was real. I didn't expect half the things that happened. One thing that was great was that there were a couple of things I wanted to do that weren't actually in the programme, as did some of the friends I met, such as the floating market and the weekend market, and the coordinators were happy to organise for us and go and see them.
How have you benefited from your experience? Volunteering will be useful for my course at Uni; I think it helped me get my place when I put it on my application. Gaining confidence as already mentioned, will help me a lot in my future, as well as broadening my general knowledge. I could talk for hours about Thai culture. What advice could you offer to someone considering this programme? Don't hold back. I was nervous about doing it but I knew that if I didn't make myself book on it I would never go. Everyone you meet is in exactly the same boat as you so you will make friends quickly and easily. Thailand is a beautiful country with so much to see. This programme allows you to see it all and do everything there is to do there. I can guarantee you'll come back wishing you were still there and you'll definitely catch the travelling bug- it won't be long before you're jetting off somewhere else! Hope this is of help to you. I will send some photos in a separate email. Thanks Amber  Further information on the Thailand Experience ProgrammeReturn to Asia Travel Stories |
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