Your Complete South East Asia Gap Year

Spend up to 5 months discovering the best parts of South East Asia in India, Thailand and Malaysia. 3 amazing countries and 3 unique projects! Experience the culture, religion, meet new people and help under privileged communities & help protect wildlife. Explore fantastic places; relax on gorgeous beaches and be part of exciting adventures. This programme provides all the structure you need, with lots of activities, detailed orientation meetings and help when you need it. There are lots of opportunities for you to “do your own thing”. We can book your projects so they run consecutively or you can do some of your own travelling before or after each one.

Project Age Limit
Minimum 18 years, maximum decided on potential participants health.

Part 1 - Your Programme in India
You have the choice between three 8-week programmes in India, with meals, accommodation and activities all included.

Option 1: Himachal Pradesh Programme
High in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, is our very rewarding volunteer programme. Schools and day care centres in India are understaffed and help is needed to look after these children and to enhance their opportunities after school. You can choose what sector to volunteer in: education, orphanage, special needs school or childcare.

As well as taking part in fun and challenging work, you will experience the real Indian culture.

This programme includes:

Volunteer Options
Wherever your volunteer placement occurs, the general pattern is to work five days a week for approximately three to five hours per day. Most work occurs in the morning before lunch. But some placements require afternoon work as well. You will have the option between volunteering at a School, Child-Care Centre, or a School for mentally challenged children.

Extra Afternoon Volunteer Options in Himachal
There will be afternoon activities available to you so that you can do more work during your stay, if they wish. These include:

Accommodation & Meals
You will stay in a large stone house that overlooks a stunning landscape dominated by glaciers and peaks of the Himalayan mountain range. All meals are included. The food is amazing and there is plenty of it!

Option 2: Rajasthan Programme
This is a unique opportunity to help disadvantaged children in the Indian desert. Rajasthan is one of the driest regions in India. Resources are limited and communities live in very basic conditions. There is a real need to encourage children to attend school and a bigger need to educate them. Education is possibly the only way to enhance their opportunities after school.

Volunteers help teach English, play games and encourage creativity skills through painting and drawing. If teaching isn’t your thing then you can help at a day care centre. Volunteers are needed to help care, feed and play with children. This gives the children’s parents the opportunity to go out and work.

Highlights of the programme include:

Volunteer Options
Wherever your volunteer placement occurs, the general pattern is to work five days a week for approximately three to five hours per day.

Most work occurs in the morning before lunch but some placements require afternoon work as well. You will have the choice between volunteering at a School or Child-Care Centre.

Extra Afternoon Volunteer Options in Rajasthan
There will be afternoon activities for volunteers to take part in during their stay, if they wish. These include:

Accommodation & Meals
Your accommodation is unique – a comfortable and clean mud hut! It even comes with en-suite bathroom! All meals are served in the restaurant area – buffet style.

There is Internet, telephone, DVD/TV facilities. For the active volunteers, there is volleyball net and other outdoor games.

All meals are included. Breakfast is served at 08:30, lunch at 13:30, Chi tea at 16:00 and dinner at 19:00. The food is amazing and there is plenty of it. There are opportunities to buy food and drink in between meals. For example there is a selection of crisps, chocolate, sweets, cookies, water, coke, orange juice and beer.

Option 3: The Goa Experience
The Goa Experience offers you the chance to sample life in India giving invaluable help to children and adults in deprived communities. You will live close to an Ashram for a three-day course on yoga & meditation and experience the wilderness through a 3-day adventure program including trekking through an unexplored area, climbing hills and rocks to an altitude of 3500 metre, you will also stay in a tribal village for 1 night.

When you arrive in Goa you will receive a full orientation on India, your volunteer options and cultural differences. For the next 2 weeks you will be based right next to the beach whilst doing volunteer work in education, childcare or ASRO shelter.

Programme Highlights

Volunteer Projects
Wherever your volunteer placement occurs, the general pattern is to work five days a week for approximately three to five hours per day. Most work occurs in the morning before lunch. But some placements require afternoon work as well.

Your volunteer options are:

Morning volunteer work

Extra Afternoon Options:

Accommodation & Meals
Accommodation depends on location. While you are at the Ashram you will live close by in a hotel sharing with 2-4 people per room. Bathrooms will vary from European flush toilets to bucket baths. When doing volunteer work you will be living in purpose built accommodation right next to the beach. Accommodation in India is basic, you will be in bunk bed accommodation sharing with up to 4. You will have simple bathrooms attached - European toilets and showers with a bucket bath in case you want to use hot water, this is seldom required as it’s so warm.

Meals are all included and are mainly vegetarian, they will consist of vegetable curries, Indian breads, rice and fruit. You will sometimes have fish or chicken curry.

Please Note: Monsoon season is during the months of June, July and August. You will need to take wet weather gear with you and be flexible as your itinerary may change due to weather
conditions.

Part 2: Your Programme in Thailand
Fly from Delhi to Bangkok where you will have a 3 day/2 night stop over before travelling to base camp which is located 142kms North of Bangkok in Sing Buri province.

The camp is situated about 10 km from the town of Singburi and takes about 15 minutes from the Eco Houses you will be staying in. This part of you trip gives you the chance to learn the language, experience the unique opportunity of living with monks at a temple, trek through jungles, or help the locals with community development projects.

Relax on the beautiful island of Ko Samet and if you want to stay longer you can volunteer at an orphanage, teach children English or live with a hill tribe in Northern Thailand.

Week One – Orientation Week

Week Two – Temple Stay & Outdoor Activities

Week Three
For week three you have 2 options:

Option A - Community Project
During this week you will have the opportunity to help the local community by teaching children English and Maths.

You don’t need to have any previous experience. This week is about being as creative as possible to make learning English fun for the children.

Past volunteers have taught through:

Please be aware of the following school holidays:
Mid-end of March until mid-May
12 – 17 April – New Year
End of September/Beginning of October – End of October/beginning of November

If you are on the programme during this time or during any examination periods you will be teaching English to the local village children rather than in a school/classroom environment. You will teach the children at either one of the Eco Houses or an alternative camp.

Option B - Trekking (3 days)
For the next 3 days you and all other participants will go trekking in the jungle & rainforest of the Phutoei National Park.

This will be a unique experience, you will be roughing it in beautiful surroundings, sleeping in tents or hammocks and generally surviving on the basics whilst at the same time having a lot of fun! The guides are very friendly and you will really enjoy yourself!

Please note: The trekking is not for the faint-hearted and the itinerary is subject to change depending on seasons, weather conditions etc.

Week Four –Beach time and Final evaluation (6 nights)
Travel to Ko Samet Island for beach time and relaxation

Please note: This 4-week itinerary is subject to change depending on weather conditions, seasons
etc.

Accommodation and Meals
Your first two nights accommodation will be at a hotel in Bangkok. When in Singburi you will be staying at one of 3 Eco Houses.

The houses sleep from 20 to 50 people. All houses have single sex dorm rooms with the number of beds ranging from 3 to 12. All houses have western style toilets and one even has an Asian toilet! Each bathroom has a shower and the water is always cool – nice and refreshing in the heat.

All houses have a communal area where you can eat, relax and meet.

All meals are included. Breakfast and dinner will be served at the Eco House. Lunch is either provided at the school or you will receive a packed lunch.

Whilst on Ko Samet Island your accommodation is twin share and is always in resorts close to the beach.

Weeks Five to Eight - Three Additional Projects:

(1) Thailand Orphanage Project
Help children in a Thai Orphanage and motivate, enrich, and give hope and direction to young people. If you are patient, caring and compassionate, and have a real desire to give joy, happiness and education to Thai children then this is the project for you.

Duties and activities that you may be involved with include:

Accommodation
Accommodation will be at the Eco House about 10 km from the orphanage and transport will be arranged each day for you.

(2) Thailand Hill Tribe Project
This volunteer project gives you the ideal opportunity to really get to know the Thai culture and people. You will meet local rural communities, whilst having the chance to really experience the culture and traditions of this fascinating part of Thailand.

Week One – Orientation week, introducing you to the Hill Tribes, the culture and language.

Week Two - Continue to help and teach in the School. Take a trip to the highest village in Thailand – Mae Serong, visit the Golden Triangle and also the Burmese hill border. Visit a Temple viewpoint to see the border between two villages in Thailand and Burma.

Week Three - Spend the week in one of the first AKHA tribe settlements, living in a village called Saeng Chai and staying with a traditional Thai community. You will learn how to produce your own chopsticks and drink from homemade bamboo cups and cook food AKHA style.

Week Four - Depart Saeng Chai to trek through forests and over hills, along the way you will learn about the use of the forest by the AKHA tribes for building food and medical use and also meet the hill tribe elephants. During this week you will be staying at homestays and in tents or hammocks and perhaps again be able to visit the Burma border.

(3) Teaching Children English Project
This volunteer programme provides an excellent opportunity to work with Thai children and contribute to the local communities in a positive way. The children are really keen to learn English as this enhances their future employment opportunities.

Most teaching projects are based in villages near and around the town of Singburi. By this time you will already be familiar with the area as you spend most parts of weeks 1-3 in the surrounding areas.

As well as teaching English you can help with other classes and activities such as maths, sports and games.

School Holidays
Please be aware of the following school holidays:
Mid-end of March until mid-May
12 – 17 April – New Year
End of September/Beginning of October – End of October/beginning of November

If you are on the programme during this time or during any examination periods you will be teaching English to the local village children rather than in a school/classroom environment. You will teach the children at either one of the Eco Houses or an alternative camp.

Accommodation
The accommodation is basic but comfortable. Due to the culture, the accommodation is in single sex rooms. There is no hot water, however you really won’t want a hot shower. The shower is warm and very refreshing in the humid conditions. There will be limited laundry facilities so expect to wash your clothes by hand. All participants are expected to be environmentally aware and to use all resources with restraint, especially water, paper and electricity. You will be expected to clean up after yourself, and to play your part to keep the accommodation neat and organised.

Part 3 – Your Programme in Malaysia
The country of Malaysia offers some amazing contrasts. Whilst Kuala Lumpur is a rapidly expanding, modern, and hi-tech city, the world’s oldest rainforests can be found in the countryside. There is a vast abundance of jungle and wildlife for visitors to explore. As well as the stunning beauty of the peninsular and Borneo Malaysia, the country also boasts perfect deserted beaches and awe-inspiring mountains, making it an amazing place to travel. You have the choice of two 4-week programmes in Malaysia.

Option 1 - Orang-utan Experience Programme
This programme offers an insight into the behaviour and interaction of people and cultures with the only great ape outside of Africa. You will be based in 3 different places during your project in Malaysia. You will stay for 1 night in Kuala Lumpur, 15 nights in your zoo accommodation, 3 nights in Kuching, 7 nights in Batang Ai before spending your last night back in Kuching.

The highlights of the programme include:

Duties and activities that you will be involved with during the Zoo Section:

Duties and activities that you will be involved with during the Jungle Section:

Accommodation and meals
You will be based in 3 different places during your project in Malaysia. You will begin the project in Kuala Lumpur where you will spend your first night before moving to your zoo accommodation. You will spend 15 nights at the zoo, before travelling to Kuching for the next 3 nights, then 7 nights in Batang Ai, before returning to Kuching for your final night.

Kuala Lumpur
After being met by a member of staff at the airport you will be transferred to a guesthouse in Bukit Bintang in the Heart of the Golden Triangle in Kuala Lumpur to relax and recuperate. You will have a welcome lunch or dinner on arrival with the other volunteers and supervisor plus your orientation.

Zoo Section
You will be transferred to Zoo Negara in Kuala Lumpur or Taiping Zoo in Taiping to settle into your accommodation, meet the programme mentor and have your orientation at the zoo.

If you stay at Zoo Negara you will be based in a 3-bedroom house in the grounds of the zoo. If you stay at Zoo Taiping you will live in a hotel and will walk through a park each morning to the zoo – the walk will take between 20-30 minutes.

Meals cannot be provided due to the nature of the work but a weekly allowance will be given.

Kuching
In Kuching where you will stay in a boutique hostel and visit the animal wildlife Centre. Here you will see Orangutans before they are rehabilitated into the wild. (Breakfast only included).

Batang Ai (North West coast of Borneo)
You will settle into your wooden lodge accommodation next to a traditional Iban village in an idyllic spot. Your accommodation is a basic longhouse – your room will consist of a mattress, clean bedding and a mosquito net on rattan raised mats. You will have western-style toilets.

The meals are prepared in the lodge and feature fresh jungle vegetables and other local delicacies. Food will contain chilli, fresh jungle produce and will be rice-based. There are no alternatives, no restaurants out in the jungle - volunteers must eat what they are given. (All meals included – except on travel days).

Option 2 - Turtle and Dive Malaysia
The programme is situated several miles from the mainland, on a remote cove on the Perhentian Islands on the East Coast of Malaysia off the state of Terrenganu. This remote cove is a natural nesting area for green turtles with excellent coral reefs and marine life for snorkelling, shore and boat diving. The project is ideal for dive enthusiasts and dive wannabies who want to help protect the endangered green turtles.

The Volunteer Programme
You can choose to undertake PADI training for scuba diving courses with our professional team of dive instructors. You will be involved in Turtle conservation, beach care and resort maintenance for at least 4-6 hours a day as a group or individually.

It takes a turtle 1 hour to reach a suitable place to lay their eggs after swimming up to 1,000 miles, they then spend 3 hours laying their eggs before having the return 1 hour trip back to the sea. After all this hard work it is disheartening to know that turtle eggs are considered a delicacy in Malaysia and have been for many years. The high price of sea turtle eggs has many locals collecting them to sell to local markets.

You will be working approximately 6 days per week – 4-6 hours per day made up of reef check training, turtle conservation and beach care.

Duties and activities that you will be involved with include:

Accommodation and Meals
The accommodation in Perhentian is a fan room in a wooden chalet for single or up to 4 persons sharing. There is running cold water, which is refreshing as it can be hot and sticky there. The toilets are western style and bathrooms are attached to chalets. Linen and pillows are provided. The chalets sit less than 20m from the beach. There is an open-air restaurant dishing out Malay and Chinese cuisine.

Flights
Once you have booked, we will talk through the best flight options. The airlines will depend on your departure dates. The inclusive price covers the airline ticket and the tax. The flight sectors are:

You must book your flight sectors with dates, but these dates are changeable for a small fee once you have left the UK.

Insurance
Our Gap Year comprehensive insurance policy is with Endsleigh. You will receive a policy document in your final pack, which outlines exactly what you are covered for. Full details of coverage are also available on our website www.realgap.co.uk/Insurance

Programme Support
Throughout your programmes you will have the support and guidance of the programme coordinator and team. You will be provided with competent assistance and help with any questions or advice you may need during your stay.

You will be assigned a personal travel advisor who will coordinate your programme with you. Feel free to contact them at any time before you go, or when you are on your travels.

In addition, you will have access to a 24 hour emergency contact number so you can contact one of our UK staff at any time should you need to.

Programme Cost
Prices start from £5289

Start Dates
You choose when you want to go. We’ll plan your trip around what you want to do. We will need to have set dates for the volunteer projects. However you can plan to do your own thing before or after each project.

School Holidays
Please be aware that there are lots of school holidays throughout the year in which you won’t be able to volunteer. Please ask us for the holiday dates so that you are able to avoid the school holidays should you wish to.

If you are interested in Complete South East Asia Gap Year package then please feel free to contact me at lisa.fiddimore@relgap.co.uk or call me on 01892 516164. We can also tailor make a similar itinerary just for you to fit in with your budget, time scale and ideals to make this your trip of a lifetime!