Thailand College Summer Program | Pacific Discovery

I had wanted to go to Thailand for years and when I was finally given the opportunity, I wanted to explore the depth of the country in an environment that was safer than traveling alone, and gave me the benefits of a group. This program met all of my expectations and surpassed them. Each day is filled with group activities and the chance to explore individually, so you can make friends but also give yourself a chance to grow outside of the group. Our leader Rebecca was amazing, she was always fun and filled with excitement about our tour, and inspired me to keep traveling. I cannot believe we spent an entire month over there, we did so much. Each day was amazing, and I constantly reference my time with Pacific Discovery when people ask how my journey abroad was. This program is perfect for those who wish to grow and explore, for it gives you all the opportunities to do so, while making friends, and learning in depth about a new culture. I cannot give a higher recommendation.

This experience was quite possibly one of the best decisions I have made yet! The support of PD from registration to closing was extremely helpful and friendly. There's so much I could say about this experience but I'll highlight the most important things I got out of the trip. The program gave you just enough independence and free time mixed with structured time. It was the perfect way to dip my foot into experiential learning through traveling. I was treated as an adult and gained the confidence to navigate foreign places independently which has set me up for a new and exciting future! I can't stress how amazing this program is enough!

The support and administration before the trip was great to have as it eased a lot of stress of going on a month long trip on your own for the first time. They provided you with all the information you would need for planning your trip, from scheduling your flights to knowing what to pack. The support from the program leader during the the trip was also an amazing asset to have as it allowed you the freedom to just relax and enjoy yourself without feeling like you were missing out on something or being completely and utterly lost on foreign soil.

Traveling with Pacific Discovery never felt rushed or frenetic, but also never felt boring or like time was being wasted. There was a great mix of activities from caving and rock climbing, snorkeling and kayaking, Muay Thai and Thai cooking lessons, meditation retreats and nature walks, and the absolutely amazing week spent at The Elephant Nature Park. There was also enough free time to explore parts of Thailand on your own or with the small group of individuals you quickly become friends with on the trip.

The highlight of the trip for myself had to be the week we spent volunteering at The Elephant Nature Park. If I had not traveled with Pacific Discovery, there would be a good chance that I would not have known about this place or the plight of the elephants in Thailand. In fact, I could see myself having fallen into the tourist trap and chosen to support companies that treated their elephants cruelly. Pacific Discovery provides such insight into Thailand that many tourists may not understand or see if they were planning their own trips. Absolutely amazing experience that I would go back for in a heartbeat.

For individuals who have never experienced backpacking on their own, or have limited experience, Pacific Discovery is a great program to travel with that allows you to experience situations possibly outside your comfort zone in safety while also providing you with an opportunity to meet new people, and make new friends, with similar interests from around the world!

Going to Thailand with Pacific Discovery is one of the best decisions I have ever made. There was so much support available, before, during and after the trip, something I think we all really appreciated. I got to experience so many new things with P.D: caving, going to a meditation retreat, exploring the streets of Bangkok and Chiang Mai - I even got a tattoo out there! We went to some amazing places, ate so much delicious food and met some lovely people. Our accommodation was fantastic, too - my favourites were staying in the treehouses in the national park, and at Railae Beach - places that I never could have found or afforded if I hadn't gone with Pacific Discovery.
While the first few days were slightly difficult - as I tend to be quite shy at first and I was the only one from the UK - we all soon settled in and got to know each other really well. We had different roommates in each accommodation which helped break the ice so well with everyone.
My ultimate highlight, without a doubt, would be staying in the Elephant Nature Park. A truly incredible place, I learnt so much, both about elephant conservation and myself. Met so many inspiring people (and elephants) and had some of the best food of the whole trip.
Overall, an excellent way to spend the summer and introduce myself to Thailand. Would recommend Pacific Discovery to anyone.

This trip was amazing; I met so many incredible and fun people, spent a week at an Elephant Sanctuary, took an authentic cooking class, went on a rock-climbing weekend trip, explored many temples, and we all spent the last week of the trip at a couple gorgeous beaches. The other participants in the program were awesome and very friendly, and our trip leader, Rebecca, was so welcoming and helpful. I highly recommend this trip!!

I have nothing but amazing things to say about my Thailand experience and Pacific Discovery as a company. Going into the trip I had no idea what to expect. I loved that 15ish people that lived completely different lives all met up in Bangkok and by the end we were great friends and knew so much about one another. There were so many neat experiences that I know I would never have done without this program such as: work on an elephant reserve, go caving, go on a meditation retreat, and live with villagers. I learned how to go with the flow and be okay with not being clean all the time. The food was amazing and the street shopping is a blast since there were so many neat artifacts and it was so cheap! Although most of out time was planned, I enjoyed our free time and our leader, Rebecca, would help make whatever we wanted to do possible. Overall the trip far outweighed my expectations and I would recommend it to anyone!

I can say immediately that participating in this trip fundamentally changed the direction that my life has taken since. Prior to June 2013, when I took this trip, I lived a life that was very insular to the United States and places very similar - I had, up to that point, visited Canada and Israel.

This trip was the first time I had gone somewhere that was really fundamentally different than my own home, and I can't imagine a better way to have done it. The concept of traveling is very romantic, but when you pass through customs in a place where you don't speak the language or know anything about where you're headed, it's very comforting to have a spectacular trip leader waiting there for you.

Because of this trip and Ele's guidance during my month in Thailand, I have had full confidence in all the trips I've taken since to move from place to place and make friends independently, even across language and political barriers.

As someone who very much expected to have an office job before going on PD Thailand, I am now lined up to teach English for a year in South Korea, then hopefully work on an sustainable, organic farmstead in Hawai'i. Thanks to Pacific Discovery for making all that possible.

Such a fun trip!!! Traveled through Thailand. Learnt so much about the culture and how to travel alone!! Spent some time in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pai, Railay, Khao Suk National park. Volunteered with the Elephants, went skuba diving, visited night markets, made lots of awesome friends!