Travel For Teens: Thailand Elephant Service and the Islands

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.

I heard about TFT from my friend in the United States who had used TFT before, and he told me that he had a fantastic experience. He shared some photos of places he had visited, which were terrific. Upon arriving in Thailand, I met the TFT group counselor at the airport and headed to the hotel. On our way to the hotel, we stopped at the 911 shop, got some snacks, and continued our journey. After one hour, we finally arrived, and they showed us the rooms where we were staying. We later went to the village for community service, which was amazing because we learned how to cook Thai food! Then we went to the elephant farm, fed the elephants, and learned a lot. We went for a bike ride on the rice farm and saw how they plant rice, which was a good experience for those of us who had never seen anything like that. Later, we headed back to the hotel, and the TFT counselor called everyone for a meeting where they spoke to us about their expectations of our conduct, briefed us on the itinerary that had been shared with us before, and then proceeded to dinner. The following day, we headed to the island by a boat, and it took us around 2 hours. Once we arrived, everyone was so excited to see the beautiful blue ocean and forgot the long journey. We had an exciting time exploring many cities in Thailand, and I took lots of photos for memories. I never knew the beauty that existed in Thailand until I went there myself.

It was an AMAZING experience. I have made memories that will last a lifetime and friends I speak to daily. It was amazing to see 1st hand how all the community service you were doing genuinely meant to the community. This past summer, I taught English to children in Thailand- it was indescribable watching the children light up when my group would come to teach them. Leaving them was the most challenging part of all. I have been on 3 TFT service trips and hope to go on many more. My friends at home can testify how much I recommend them to travel with TFT. It was a fantastic experience that I think everyone should do at least once.

My experience with Travel for Teens in Thailand was unlike anything I’ve ever done. It felt like I was actually experiencing the country and not just visiting it. Not only do I now get to look back on the unique experiences I was able to participate in, such as working with elephants, but I also made strong and close connections within my group. Through my experiences with Travel for Teens, I have made friends around the world. The other campers, amazing counselors, and the exploration of the country itself all contributed equally to the memorability of my trip. I cannot wait for my TFT trip next year to meet new people and discover new locations and cultures!

This summer I had the opportunity to travel to Thailand! This was my first time traveling to Asia and if i'm being honest I was quite nervous, but TFT did an amazing job of making me feel welcome and showing me so many amazing things I will never forget. The bonds I made with campers on the trip will last for a lifetime and we are even talking about having a meet up in December! The counselors were very nice and were very helpful in helping us navigate the markets and getting us to excursions on time. Overall the trip was amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have the trip of a lifetime!

Traveling to Thailand with Travel For Teens was a once in a life time experience that I will never forget. It was very culturally enriching as the group toured various Buddhist temples and learned about the religion. The food was incredible and we got to take several cooking classes cooking delicious traditional meals. There was incredible adventurous excursions such as scuba diving and rafting down the Pai River. Every single day was filled with fun and adventure. The accommodations were lovely and very scenic. The counselors made everyone feel safe while being very fun and friendly. I highly recommend this trip as you get to experience such a beautiful country filled with amazing kindhearted people.

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.

This trip was amazing! The elephant sanctuaries were such fun and educational community service experiences that I know I will never forget. The first half of the trip really emerged us in the Thai culture within the inner cities and residential areas, and the second half allowed us to relax on the beaches and enjoy the islands. No matter where we were in Thailand, I always managed to find some delicious pad thai! Overall, I had a great time with such a fun group of people.

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!

I had the most unforgettable experience traveling with TFT to Thailand. Not only was I able to enjoy the most picturesque landscape of the country but I was able to become immersed in the Thai culture like never before. We took traditional Thai cooking classes, learned phrases in the language, and were able to interact with the locals. The service was so interesting as we learned more about the amazing creatures that elephants are. The travel around the country was also fascinating. Visiting beautiful temples and exploring city markets was so fun. The islands were gorgeous with light blue, warm water. I created so many unforgettable memories and met so many incredible people on this trip, I would definitely recommend.

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.

he year before I had an amazing time so before going on this trip I was nervous that it wouldn’t live up to the experiences from my last trip. However, this trip exceeded my expectations. Not only did we get to volunteer and help the elephants, we also had a cultural experience as we attempted the language by bargaining with vendors and constantly trying new foods as well as experiencing something new nearly everyday. During the trip I also experienced my first 4th of July away from my family, however we still celebrated it. To begin the day it was our final day of rafting so we were rafting and traveling back to the hotel for the first half of the day, but for dinner we went to a restaurant having a 4th of July celebration where we feasted on ribs. We then ended up watching old firework shows before singing the backstreet boys with the hole restaurant even when the power went out. Not only did I get all these cool new experiences, the people were awesome as well, I met some of my best friends on this trip. We bonded through rafting, being blessed by monks together, taking care of elephants, and more, which created a friendship that continues even now despite different timezones. The experiences, service, and people all made this trip unforgettable and as I much as I miss this one, I am super excited for my next TFT 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.

This trip was my first with Travel for Teens and I am hoping it is not the last! I had the best time of my life in Thailand, and it definitely gave me the travel bug! The staff was amazing and made sure we had the best time possible. And of course I made the best friends. The white water rafting and spending time with elephants were definite highlights but so was walking around the town and learning about the culture. I didn't know anyone prior to the trip and I really stepped out of my comfort zone to do this, but it was more than worth it! I would recommend this trip to anyone, especially if they are wanting an adventure that is new and exciting!

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.

This trip was truly the time of my life and an unforgettable experience. From swimming in waterfalls to riding elephants to sleeping in bamboo huts I was always having a great time. Not only did we tour the amazing temples in Thailand we also made an impact by helping out at two elephant sanctuaries by feeding, bathing, feeding, preparing food, and learning about the elephants. The community service was not only super fun it was extremely impactful.

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.