Thailand, Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia Gap Semester

My experience was wildly beautiful in all of the places we spent time in - from bathing elephants in the hills of Chiang Mai, trekking in the Laos wilderness, exploring the gorgeous beaches and caves of Vietnam to biking in the Cambodian countryside. It allowed me to grow through the discomfort of traveling, doing activities that I haven’t ever thought to do - such as hiking and rock climbing, and spending time in beautiful villages and guesthouses. Throughout its ups and downs, I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world.

I am so grateful to have experienced such a unique trip with an incredible group of people. Southeast Asia is one of the most incredible places from the culture, to the food, to the views! I feel as though I’ve grown so much as a person and am prepared to travel on my own all over the world. I feel that my sense of independence has grown, I’m much more confident in myself, responsible and knowledgeable about the world. This program travels a lot! which is amazing because you do so much from taking care of elephants, to visiting some of the worlds most incredible beaches, temples, and waterfalls, to a 4-day long trek, seeing incredible animals, and so much more. If I had to tell my pre-program self something it would be to soak up every moment because it is such a privilege to travel around Southeast Asia for 70 days and there is so much to take in. The program is over before you know it so go in excited, confident, and believe that you can do anything you set your mind to.

The experience I had was amazing! I feel like I have more confidence in my decisions and thoughts as a person. I feel better prepared to go to college as I feel I can better handle any stressors that it might give me. I would recommend this program, you get to see the world through experiences you otherwise might not be able to see in your lifetime.

I gained leadership skills in difficult times dealing with people who do not agree with another. The food is out of this world! Know that you went on this trip for a good reason and absolutely go for it!

This trip will help you learn about other cultures while also looking inward to learn about yourself, AND you’ll be doing this in incredible and beautiful places. This is an amazing opportunity if you’re up for adventure.

I grew into a much more confident, adventurous person. I became extremely close with everyone in my group, which helped me become comfortable with myself and be more confident. I went to all of our daily activities, some of which pushed me out of my comfort zone. Showing up each day and trying new things allowed me to discover what my passions and interests are. This program is truly everything I could have asked for and more! I would recommend it to anyone thinking about spending a semester overseas. The instructors are amazing and the program itself is so diverse! We do something new every single day— eating new food, visiting a new temple or starting a new service project. The cultural immersion this program brings is truly incredible and I will never forget the special memories I’ve created in the past ten weeks. I would reassure my pre-program self that I will make once-in-a-lifetime bonds with every single member of my group in the 10 weeks. I’d tell her that she’s going to enjoy every minute of it, even the parts she was nervous about. I’d tell her that she won’t feel homesick and instead will soak in every minute of the program. To sum up my experience in three sentences: This program brought me into the happiest time of my life. I’m extremely grateful for the special moments I’ve made with the members of my group as we’ve traveled to four different countries, immersing ourselves into different cultures and trying new things every day. This trip and the people I’ve experienced it with will always hold a special place in my heart.

I feel more prepared to take on the rest of my life. I have gained an immense amount of confidence in my ability to take care of myself and travel abroad. I would absolutely recommend this program to others. Southeast Asia is incredible and traveling with a group like this with structure and set plans but also free time to explore what you like is so great for young adults. I think I was pretty confident going into the program but I would want to tell myself to slow down and really enjoy every moment of it. In essence this program was traveling to beautiful places, having surreal experiences, and making lifelong friendships.

My experience in Southeast Asia with Pacific Discovery was definitely the trip of a lifetime. I got to explore parts of the world I did not know much about before and immerse myself in different cultures. Prior to the program start, I was very anxious about whether I would relate and connect well with my peers, but I ended up creating amazing memories and learning from everyone. Traveling is just as challenging as it is fun, but patience with yourself and openness toward new people and places is key! There are so many amazing things to embrace during and after the trip!

This program has truly changed me for the better. It helped me find a group of people, who all come from incredibly different backgrounds, that share many of the same interests. I fell in love with so many different places, foods and cultures. I was inspired to become a more environmentally conscious, self-less and low-maintenance person. This trip alone feels like a whole chapter in my life because of how much I grew and experienced in these last 10 weeks.

Do it. Even if you don’t know where you need to grow, you’re gonna grow one way or another. And so much. This trip is an overstimulation of your insanely beautiful surroundings, complex relationships, and time with self. You’re gonna have more time with yourself than you ever have. And it’s gonna be for the best.

We watched our outgoing, ambitious daughter fade to a mere shadow of herself during the pandemic. She spend her 16th year in her bedroom, staring at a screen. She lost a lust for learning which turned into a dread of going off to college right away. We began to look into other options. She wanted to go far away and, despite our anxieties, we wanted her to have the experience that would breathe purpose and life back into her. We could not be happier with her experience in Southeast Asia. She is thriving, and we have grown comfortable with the distance, knowing Pacific Discovery has done a great job with the preparation, planning, and communicating. We look forward to her return, but are also eager to see where she goes and what she does next.

I learned how to improve myself within a group setting and in one on one interactions. You’ll learn important skills like conflict resolution, city navigation, how to overcome language barriers, and so much more. The people on my program became such an important part of my life and I know I now have 12 new lifelong friends.

This semester gave me a new confidence and direction I would like to take in my life. I experienced and learned a lot on this trip, not only from the program core sessions, but mostly from meeting the locals and getting to know what they have done in their lives. I became very aware of myself and my actions and how they affect the world around me.

This experience has been exciting, challenging, and eye-opening. Traveling to Thailand has enabled me to step outside of my comfort zone and better myself regarding self-awareness and relationships. I return home a more traveled and motivated person.

I feel like I was able to find myself in a way I couldn’t have been capable of doing so back home. I feel like this program helped me especially at my age to mature and grow as the person I wish to become. If I would’ve been able to talk to me 10 weeks ago I would tell him to enjoy the people, because the experience is something I would’ve done either way but it is important to enjoy the people you are with. This program changed me in a way I like and in a way I hope will last. I’ve been able to grow and understand and see things that were blind to me before. I hope I can continue to be who I’m proposing to be and find self-enjoyment in life as I have on this trip.

Pacific Discovery is so amazing!!! My experience made me into a much more whole person and I changed in ways I couldn’t have predicted. I gained confidence in myself and my beliefs and learned about various things that I’m interested in, such as coral and forest restoration. I would absolutely recommend this program to others. I wish everyone could experience what I’ve experienced. I found lifelong friends and mentors and the memories will stay with me forever!

My son turned 20 years old during his time in Thailand, and like many in his cohort, had been uniquely crippled by the Covid pandemic. Every path normally available for the critically important growing, connecting, learning and changing that takes place during this time in young adulthood was blocked. During his time with Pacific Discovery, he gained innumerable interpersonal skills, as well as a deeper understanding of his strengths, challenges and his potential impact in a big, big world. The program has implemented past suggestions by both students and parents to create an intelligent, well-designed, communicative and supportive community that fosters maximum fun and growth in this age group. It made it easy, as a parent, to relax and let the time unfold as it was meant to; my kid, who in so many ways was lost, has come home found... and can't wait to get back out there!

Photos

Pacific Discovery was absolutely spectacular and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to take a gap year. I learned so much about myself and the world around me in ways I didn’t know I could. I had the best instructors and the best group members. So so so sad going home!

Photos

Pacific Discovery's Thailand program has been the shining part of a very challenging COVID pandemic year. PD did great in coordinating this program given all of the hoops and hurdles in meeting the Thai gov't requirements. While the 14-day quarantine was challenging, our son survived and is thriving. Thailand has much to offer and it has been great to see all of the pictures and to hear all of the stories about their experiences. Most definitely, the elephant preserve was the greatest! Rock climbing and getting scuba certified were also great. Experiencing the culture and Thai cuisine is awesome. Would definitely recommend the program to others!

This whole semester it seemed I was living on cloud 9. of course there were times when I was mad, or sad or just annoyed, but those are not the times I remember. The thing I remember was the long bus rides watching movies with my friends, the spontaneous adventure we would do when we got free time from the whole group, the amount of gut-wrenching laughing that occurred at all times of the day. These are the things I am going to remember, for me experiences are often not about the places, yes while Southeast Asia was definitely one of the most amazingly beautiful places I have ever seen, what made this trip so special was the incredible people who were on this journey with me. People make these places amazing for me and I was lucky enough to be surrounded by people who made our little group into a family. That is what is so special about this program is that it takes you so far out of your comfort zone that you learn how to be comfortable in your comfort. This experience has allowed me to open so many doors for myself because I am not afraid of the discomfort, in fact, I look forward to the discomfort because I know that's when I will learn and grow the most.

Photos