Overview
A two-week service trip in Thailand for up to 24 teens, with about 25 hours of volunteering and a letter of completion afterwards. The group visits several elephant sanctuaries to learn how mahouts care for rescued Asian elephants and what makes a sanctuary truly responsible, and helps prepare the elephants' food, plant crops for future meals and run enrichment activities. There is no elephant riding.
In Kanchanaburi the teens float down the River Kwae, meet an eco-village inside a nature reserve and help build a house from mud bricks, learning to lay bricks and apply mud plaster. In Chiang Mai they repaint playground equipment, replace ropes and restore chicken coops at an under-funded school, then spend time playing and learning with the children.
Between projects: a tuk-tuk ride, the Grand Palace and Wat Pho in Bangkok, a swim beneath Erawan Falls and a campfire in Kanchanaburi, and in Chiang Mai a zipline, Doi Suthep, a Muay Thai class and a professional match, a cooking class, a night market and a bike ride through rice paddies. The group travels in chartered air-conditioned vehicles with a professional local guide; the operator books the flights (see the flights FAQ).
What's included
The itinerary
- Start Bangkok — An introduction to Thai customs, a tuk-tuk ride through the city, the Grand Palace and Wat Pho with its giant reclining Buddha, and the Mae Klong railway market.
- Stop Kanchanaburi — Service: a float down the River Kwae learning about the jungle ecosystem, a visit to an eco-village inside the reserve, and a mud-brick eco-building project — laying bricks and applying mud plaster to a house under construction. Adventure: a swim in the pools beneath Erawan Falls, sunset at Wang Dong and a campfire.
- Stop Chiang Mai — Service: elephant sanctuary days — preparing food, planting crops and enrichment activities alongside the mahouts — and a school project repainting playground equipment, replacing ropes and restoring chicken coops, then games with the children. Adventure: a forest zipline, Doi Suthep temple, a Muay Thai class and a professional match, a Thai cooking class, the university night market and a bike ride through Sri Lanna National Park to the Wat Ban Den temple.
- Finish Bangkok — A traditional Thai massage and time to reflect before the flight home.
Where teens stay
Hotels and lodges in rooms shared with other teens: a central Bangkok hotel with a rooftop pool, an eco-friendly resort with a pool and its own organic farm in Kanchanaburi, and a central hotel with a pool in Chiang Mai. There are no homestays.
Meals
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included every day. Thai food is fresh and often spicy, with Western options usually on the menu too. Vegetarian, kosher-style, gluten-free (coeliac) and lactose-free diets and most allergies can be catered for if you tell us in advance. The group refills bottles from containers of clean water.
More photos
Frequently asked questions
Which departure is right for my child?
Groups are put together by US school grade, so each departure has teens of a similar age. Grades 9–11 (roughly ages 14–17): Jun 28–Jul 12. The grade is the one your child is in during the 2026–27 school year — we'll help you match it to your school system. Dates are the operator's official start and end dates.
What does the volunteering actually involve?
About 25 hours of hands-on work, done together as one group, with a letter of completion listing the hours and projects afterwards. At the elephant sanctuaries teens prepare food, plant crops for future meals and help with enrichment activities, while learning about habitat loss and the 'Five Freedoms' test for a responsible sanctuary — there is no riding. In Kanchanaburi they help build a mud-brick house in an eco-village, and in Chiang Mai they repaint and repair a school playground and chicken coops, then play and learn with the pupils. Exact projects are confirmed in late spring and are similar to these.
Is there a fixed day-by-day schedule?
The operator publishes the projects, stops and activities rather than a day-by-day plan, and confirms the final schedule closer to the summer. The order shown above is indicative; we'll send you the detailed itinerary once it's out.
How do flights work on this trip?
On this trip the operator books all the flights, and the airfare is charged on top of the tuition. Normally the whole group flies out together on a chaperoned flight from New York or Los Angeles to Bangkok, with the leaders on board from check-in. For teens coming from Europe the operator agrees the flight plan case by case — for example connecting to the group flight in the US, or meeting the group on arrival — so please talk to us before you book anything; we'll get the options and the airfare quoted for your child. The internal flights cost US$485 on top. At the end the operator offers a chaperoned flight back to New York — or your child can fly home directly from Bangkok, with the leaders helping at check-in and staying at the airport until flights in the set window have left. Whether teens arriving on their own can come a night early with the extra hotel night included isn't stated for this trip — we'll confirm it with the operator for your dates.
What exactly is included in the price?
Hotels and lodges, breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, all the service projects and activities listed, the local guide, ground transport, airport transfers for flights within the set time windows, tips and local taxes. Not included: the flights to and from Bangkok and the internal flights (US$485), booked through the operator, snacks, spending money, laundry (a wash-and-fold service), the operator's application fee, and travel insurance — optional, but we strongly recommend it.
Is there a discount for enrolling early?
Yes — at the moment the operator takes US$300 off the tuition for early enrolment, so the 15-day trip costs US$5,399 instead of US$5,699 (flights are charged on top either way). It's a limited-time offer and the operator can end it at any point, so ask us whether it still applies before you decide. The price shown on this page is the full tuition.
Does my child need a visa?
Families arrange travel documents themselves, and the passport should be valid for at least six months after the trip. Thailand lets EU citizens in visa-free (currently up to 30 days), and every visitor fills in the free online Thailand Digital Arrival Card in the three days before arrival — use the official site only. If your child joins the group flight from the US, they also need an approved ESTA. For any other passport, ask us and we'll check what applies.
Who else will be in the group?
Mostly American teens — on most programs around 85% of participants come from the US, and the operator tries to limit how many teens from any one other country join each group. For an international teen that means a genuinely English-speaking group, which is a big part of the appeal.
How good does my child's English need to be?
At least a confident beginner level — the operator recommends A2 or above, since everything on the trip happens in English. Your child can ask for an English-speaking roommate, and one-to-one English conversation time with a staff member can be arranged daily or a few times a week.
Can my child come on their own?
Yes, and many do. The first days are built around icebreakers and getting-to-know-you activities, roommates are assigned and rotated, and the staff actively help everyone settle into the group.
Are phones allowed?
Yes. Teens can bring their phone, so you can call or message them directly. The operator also runs a communication centre that's staffed every day of the summer, with someone on call around the clock for emergencies.