GIVE Laos: Community Empowerment & Wildlife Conservation

GIVE did it again with giving me a second 10/10 trip! The Laos team is nothing short of AMAZING, inspiring, and smart and I am grateful to have gotten to travel with them and learn from them all. Being in the village of Sop Chem was special as I became close to several locals and had the privilege of gaining knowledge of their culture. Beginning with breakfast and ending the day with “good vibes” this organization does one incredible job establishing a personalized and thoughtful itinerary for us travelers. It was an amazing experience working with locals while constructing a road and teaching English to the students of Sop Chem! I also appreciate the pay now, book later option making trips like these more accessible for college students like me! Thanks again GIVE, looking forward to Tanzania and Zanzibar!

This trip completely changed my outlook on life and what I want to do in the future. I grew so much as a person and did things that were out of my comfort zone. Teaching english left the most impact on me, as it was something I never thought I would get the opportunity to do. It was the coolest thing I have ever done and I cannot wait to go on another trip!

There truly aren’t enough words to describe my love for Laos. This trip has been life changing in so many aspects that I can’t even begin to describe. Arriving to the village after a 4 hour car ride and 2 hour boat ride, to see so many smiling faces eager to help you carry your bags is something I will never forget. I will never forget the children and ladies who remembered my name and would say hi to me as I walked through the village. I will never forget the smiles on the kids’ faces every morning as I walked into class. I will never forget the endless piggyback rides that were given to the kids, or the nights that were spent teaching the ladies in the village. I’ll never forget the laughs we shared as a group, the smiles we shared, and even the cries we shared. We shared so many memories that I wish I could go back and experience 1,000 times over again. We ate every meal together, hiked together, rice farmed together, danced with one another, cracked so many jokes together, checked in on eachother… the list goes on. We all endured so much together, and I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world. Without the help of any of my tour guides, none of this would have truly been possible. They gave us pep talk after pep talk and constantly encouraged us. If you were to have told me at the beginning of the trip that I would have been 8,000 miles away from home without service for 9 days and still had the best experience of my life, I probably wouldn’t have believed you, but I’m so glad I can look back at this trip with so much gratitude and love. To the cute kids who helped put a smile on my face when I was down, to the ladies who always uplifted my mood and gave me a laugh when needed, and to the other volunteers and guides who were there for me every step of the way, thank you. Khawp jai lai lai, Laos! You’ll always hold such a special place in my heart.