Flying & Aviation Programs Abroad

My Adventure Tour to Thailand was filled with some of the richest and best memories I will ever make. I got to meet so many amazing people, both locals and friends I made on the tour. When I try and decide a favorite part, it's always impossible. From the time at the school, volunteer work with the elephants, visiting the temples, exploration of the islands, and so much more, each time a moment of the trip pops into my head, it brings a smile to my face. TFT staff did an exceptional job organizing the itinerary and engaging with the students, helping to create a fulfilling trip that will no doubt stay with me forever.

Thailand. We have all heard of this incredible country before. It’s your perfect tropical Southeast Asian paradise. Everything from encounters with amazing wildlife to some of the best beaches on the planet put this country on everyone’s bucket list. Unfortunately, with this being such a popular tourist destination, it has become overrun with foreigners in recent years. I realized this when I signed up for Thailand Elephant Service & The Islands trip, and I was quite worried that my trip would not live up to the “Thailand paradise” expectations. Fortunately, Travel for Teens understood this as well, and the only time I saw large amounts of foreigners throughout my entire vacation was at the airport, as you would expect. Outside the airport, I was blessed with what I can confidently say is my absolute favorite trip I have ever had the pleasure of going on (and I have been to 30 countries and 6 continents in total, including Antarctica). Travel for Teens seeks out activities to participate in that your standard teen tour group will not do. Nearly all other Thailand “adventure programs” listed on this website will in fact not be much of an adventure at all. They will instead take you to major tourist destinations, and that’s it – that’s where Travel for Teens sets itself apart from the crowd. Of course, one of the major highlights of this trip were the incredible few days up in Northern Thailand where we had the privilege to work with elephants in their retirement parks. Here, elephants rescued from the lumber business and street performing in Bangkok were provided a safe haven to live out the rest of their days in peace. Being able to get up close and personal with these creatures allowed my group and I to see how gentle they truly were. There was a sense of kindness in their eyes that I haven’t seen before – anywhere. It’s truly an incredible experience. We were quite a ways away from the city and in an area where there were more elephants than people, and in this situation we were able to escape the “standard Thailand vacation”. We helped bathe the elephants alongside feeding the baby elephants – they were very cute. We learned a ton about these massive creatures: everything from how they only sleep 4 hours a day on average to how it costs upwards of $300,000 per year for food for each elephant to how riding an elephant for a prolonged period actually gives them back problems later on in life. All of this wouldn’t be possible on a standard Thailand vacation where you may actually ride an elephant yourself, or just see them briefly perform. Travel for Teens gives you the unique experience to work with the elephants themselves and that is something I truly treasure. Another incredible experience this Thailand Elephant Service & The Islands trip provided me was a two-day rafting trip out in the remote Thailand jungle. For nearly two full days, we saw no trace of civilization: no roads, no houses – nothing. This is a true Thailand adventure, given we traveled over one hundred miles downriver between the towns of Pai and Mae Hong Son in far northwestern Thailand close to the border with Myanmar. We camped overnight alongside the river, and despite it perhaps not being your “luxury” overnight stay, it was the time when everyone bonded the quickest. Being in a raft for many hours amounted to great conversations and before long, I realized just how incredible the group I traveled with was. They made the trip fantastic as much as the trip itself did, and that’s saying quite a lot considering just how amazing the itinerary was. Everything else from scuba diving in some of the most pristine reefs imaginable to trying some of the most delicious food you could possibly fathom summed this trip up to be my absolute favorite I have ever been on with Travel for Teens. I have participated in nine trips in total with the company, and this is number one on my list. Do not miss out on an incredible opportunity to see and experience things you will be unable to see anywhere else on Earth. This trip is the trip of a lifetime.

I traveled with TFT the summer of 2016 and have not forgotten a moment of it. From the beautiful site seeing to adventurous white water rafting, I had loved every minute. Travel for Teens did something to me that no other experience has been able to do: Give me the travel bug. I have such a love and yearning to travel and experience new cultures and have TFT to thank! The staff was incredible and I can honestly say that they were the ringmasters to making the trip as wonderful as it was. The travelers with me were kind and funny and I still think of them often! I went on the “Thailand Elephant Service and the Islands” trip and although I had never been on a trip like this before, I felt completely safe and like I had been traveling to countries like it my entire life. We experienced swimming in a serene waterfall, feeding and bathing gorgeous elephants, and relaxing on the beach. With a perfect mix of calmness and adventure, there isn’t a trip I could recommend more!

This trip was beyond amazing! I’m so glad I had the opportunity to go to such a diverse and beautiful country. The culture is as rich as the meals and the people are so kind and welcoming. I never expected elephants to have such an impact on me but they are such amazing animals. I think everyone should interact with them and learn more about how similar they are to humans. TFT was wonderful and so was this trip.

I was really nervous about going on a trip with no one I knew. However, after calling the TFT office hundreds of times and speaking with all the staff, their reassurances finally convinced me to go on this trip. And let me tell you it was a life changing experience. Keith was an incredible counselor, always joking with us and teaching us Thai language he learned from living there for a few year. Mel was the other counselor and she is a professional photographer, taking breath-taking photos of us while we wash and rode elephants, scuba dived, and visited gorgeous temples. The itinerary is so much fun, but not jam-packed, so we could take our leisure time to take in everything. The food is so delicious and our counselors picked out some really great restaurants, one being a table right off the beach at sunset. The people on the trip were so friendly and became some of my close friends that I still talk to today, two years after I went on the trip. The accommodations we stayed at were very comfortable and we even stayed at a resort at one point in the trip that was spectacular!! Travel for Teens did a phenomenal job on this trip!

From Chiang Mai to the islands of Thailand, I was never bored for a moment. I was able to bathe and play with elephants one day, then take a two-day rafting trip and sleep in bamboo huts by the Pai river the next day. I could not believe that we were able to work with retired elephants and help care for them. One of my favorite parts was going to all the temples and learning more about the Thai culture. I was also able to test my bartering skills (which I’ve found are not very good) in the markets while shopping for souvenirs. Next, we went to Ko Tao and Ko Samui and got a taste of the islands life. It was relaxing to do yoga, lip sync competitions, and swim in the Gulf of Thailand. Not to mention, scuba/snorkeling in the crystal-clear water, learning to cook traditional Thai food, and so much more. Our last stop in Thailand was the capital, Bangkok. I loved the city and all the sites. We went to the Grand Palace, the largest Buddha in Thailand, and got to see the famous Muy Thai fighting. I didn’t think that my second trip could live up the first trip I took with TFT but I was quickly proved wrong.

The Thailand Elephants and the Islands trip was absolutely incredible. The itinerary was fun and constantly enjoyable with perfect pacing. Working with the elephants at the sanctuaries was educational and informative, and we all found the service work to be meaningful and rewarding. One of the highlights of the trip is the two day rafting trip through Pai. Overnight, the group sleeps in bamboo huts along the side of the river which were made by some of the guides. The rafting was exciting but felt safe at the same time, and it provided a great opportunity for the group to bond. After the trip, we returned to the beautiful hotel in Pai and finally got to clean up after getting covered in mud over the two days. The time in the islands was very relaxing after the previous adventures, and it was a nice break from the business of the trip. Returning to Bangkok was a great way to finish the trip as we explored the city and discovered the many beautiful temples with a plethora of Buddhas. Of course, the food was also a huge highlight of this trip! The staff at TFT is always incredible, and this trip was no exception. My parents loved the humorous and informative emails the trip director sent nightly, and we got some incredible pictures from our resident professional photographer. I would not change a single thing about this trip and would sign up to do it again in a heartbeat. I highly recommend this trip to anyone looking to see the world and have the best summer of their life!

I took this trip after going on three other TFT trips (all of which were great) but this one topped them all. This trip includes playing in rivers with elephants, white water rafting, and relaxing on the beach, all of which take place in different areas, so you get a more compete sense of the country than is possible in Bangkok (though we went there as well). The counselors were well-versed with the areas we went to, ensuring that we had the best time possible, and the local guide was extraordinary. Thailand is a breathtaking country that can sometimes be overwhelming, so having local knowledge and a structured itinerary greatly enhanced the experience. All of the staff made the students feel at home and the whole group was extremely close by the time we left. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone interested in Thailand or Southeast Asia in general.

My trip to Thailand with Travel for Teens was the best 3 weeks of my life. I was given the opportunity to intimately learn about elephants, experience true Thai culture with the natives, test my skills at not-so-white water rafting in the Pai River, observe the beautiful temples of Bangkok, adventure into the clear blue waters of Koh Tao, and relax on peaceful beaches and with wonderful Thai massages on Koh Samui. While the activities were incredible, what truly made my experience special were my wonderful trip director, fabulous counselors, and lifelong friends I met on the trip. Before the trip, I was extremely nervous to travel on my own for the first time at 15 years old. But as soon as I met the TFT crew at the airport, my nerves vanished and I knew I was going to have a blast. The counselors and trip directors respected us as friends rather than treating us like immature children. They constantly made sure we were safe while still having fun. My mom was especially grateful for the daily email updates from our trip leaders. The trip would not have been the same without our trip director Keith. Within the few weeks we were in Thailand, I became extremely close with Keith, along with all the other students. Everyone shared plenty of stories, which made us all both laugh and cry, and countless memories that will last me a lifetime. I would give anything to go back and relive my Thailand excursion so I could spend another 3 weeks growing as an individual, while spending plenty of time with the people that quickly became my second family. I truly believe this trip made me a bigger and better person with an increased awareness of the world around me.