Teaching Volunteer Programs Abroad with Volunteering Solutions

In July 2015, myself along with two friends travelled to Thailand to begin our program. At 16 and 17 we were the youngest participants there but this did not affect the bonds we made within our group. In total, our group consisted of fourteen people from all different walks of life, from all over the world and becoming more like a family with these people is definitely one of the main highlights of our time there. Many were traveling alone but by day two you would think we all travelled together.

Our trip was planned very well. We received information at the start of each day as to what we would be doing and when we would have time to explore ourselves. Immense credit has to be given to our appointed guide and other vol-sol guides that were more than helpful throughout the duration of the experience.

We decided to set a goal of trying something new each day. This consisted of trying new food -which included scorpions at one point- to trying to learn some of the Thai language and this made each day more interesting.

I was incredibly pleased with the content of the program. There was a very good balance of volunteering and leisure time. This was important as it was amazing to travel and explore the city and also the rural areas of Thailand, as well as teaching children, working on local projects and living in an elephant village.

Bangkok was our first and final destination. We were ideally located as the famous Khao San Road was situated less than a minute's walk from our hotel and the markets did not disappoint. The nightlife is also a must. There are misconceptions about Thai nightlife however, personally, I had no worries about venturing out as long as there was a small group of us to ensure safety. It is definitely a unique experience but in the best way. The locals are always more than happy to help and most will try to engage in conversation just out of pure fascination. We also visited temples and learned about the culture of Thailand. We also volunteered at the Wat Pho temple, teaching children some English as well as playing games they came up with.

After Bangkok we travelled by train to Surin. Trains can be busy and the journey was long (thankfully there was air conditioning), however, this was not a big worry as vol-sol pre-book seats for the volunteers to make the journey as comfortable as possible. - The long journey's are a good time to reflect on the trip so far and I would definitely recommend having a journal of some sort on hand to document the trip as you go -
Initially in Surin we stayed in the '' hotel which was the most luxurious accommodation of the program. We soon set off to spend 4 days in an elephant village. We stayed in a house and the facilities were basic but nothing was missed. We were fortunate enough to be up close to one of the most beautiful animals. We got to feed, play with and bathe the elephants in the river daily. It is impossible to not become immersed in the culture and fall in love with the sights of Thailand.

After returning to our hotel in Surin we spent the remainder of our time volunteering at a childcare centre. We played with the children and taught English in the mornings and worked on improving the facilities in the afternoon and returning back to the hotel with plenty of time to explore the city in the evenings.

We had a free weekend and were given the choice of visiting Cambodia or going to Koh Samet (a beach island). The three of us and three more opted for the island as we were not going on the extended beach week and could not turn down the white sands and clear seas Thailand has to offer. This was very well organised by the vol-sol staff and even though this was our own choice and there was no obligation from the staff to help they went that bit further to ensure our safety. - I would highly recommend the beach weekend if you are not doing the extended beach week- The weekend was fun and full of new experiences that make great memories.

Back on the mainland we travelled to Khao Yai and trekked through the national park where we encountered a variety of wildlife within the jungle.

Finally we went back to Bangkok for our final couple of days. Returning to where it all began was a nice touch to end our journey. It definitely made us realise how much we had experienced and how we weren't ready to go home yet. It was sad to depart from our group as we had all grown so close as well as leaving Thailand where the people as so nice, the culture is incredible and the food is authentic and delicious.

Overall, I would not hesitate to return to Thailand and the vol-sol program was perfect, especially for a first time traveller. I'm so glad I used volunteer solutions for my first trip and I would not hesitate to try another vol-sol program in another destination. The best way to learn about the different cultures of the world is through first hand experience and I cannot recommend travelling new places highly enough.

I was so nervous about coming because I was by myself and it was my first time travelling so far away. Turns out I had nothing to be nervous about. I had the best month of my life and I feel like I truly found myself. I definitely caught the travelling bug as we were able to do so much as well as volunteering, like touring Bangkok, visiting temple ruins, national park tour and a weekend trip to Cambodia (which was something we did ourselves but all the tour guides encouraged and helped us through the whole thing.) I also loved that we had so much variety volunteering from teaching in Bangkok to childcare in Surin to looking after the most beautiful elephants at the elephant village! I had the best tour guide there ever was. She really took care of us like a mother and she truly became a dear friend. I would 100% reccomend this program, Making dreams come true and meeting and making friends with people all over the world. The best month of my life!

I worked in a slum children education centre for 5 weeks and I loved it! First I planned to work there for 4 weeks, but I wanted to extend my stay.. and even 5 weeks were quite short. It was great to just be with the children, teach them and play with them and they were so happy that we were there. Another great thing was to see their life in the slums. They don't have much.. But they seem to be happy and satisfied with their life and proud that they have a home. I think I could learn a lot from that time and I will also try to be happy with small things in life!

Last summer I spent 4 weeks in India working in the Street Children Education Project with Volunteering Solutions.
Before my arrival all the members of the staff were answering and dealing with all my questions, queries and dubts which I came across during the preparation of my trip. They were always happy to help me and giving accurate and quick reply which was utterly helpful.

During my stay in India everything went smooth thanks to the staff members who were always working to ensure volunteers welfare and security. They helped us not only with the accomodation and our everyday life in the project but also they sorted out our trips, offering the best options to suit our needs and recommending us the best places to visit. In my case, I went to Agra, Jaipur and Varanasi, all my trips were arranged by Volunteering Solutions and they included all the things we asked for. We visited the most important monuments and other sights, ate in traditional and delicious restaurants with our oun guides and car, etc.

The programme itself was the best part of the whole experience. Being with the children doing all sort of activities was just fantastic. I taught them maths, English and some Spanish, we made handcrafts, played games, singed songs and danced Indian and Spanish dances, we talked a lot about our cultures, we got involved in the local and religious celebrations like the independence day and Krishna's god birth, among other things. I brought a lot of different material to do all kind of activities with them, which they enjoyed and learned a lot.

With regards to the accomodation, our house was located in a very nice and safe neibourhood, well communicated and all amenities were nearby. The housekeeper and coordinator lived with us and always made sure we were ok, enjoying the experience, being safe, and giving us the support we needed. He also cleaned the house and cooked for us. We really appreciated living with him because he also gave us good tips about places to visit and explained things about the Indian culture.

As I have said before, for me the time spent with the children in the programme was the most valuable and meaningful part of my experience in India. I loved being with them, talking about our countries, teaching and learning, singing different songs and dances, and all the different things we did together. I went there to give and I left with all the things they gave me.

Overall, It was a vital, rewarding, inspiring and challenging experience that I will never fordet and I would love to repeat again. I seize this opportunity to thank all the people who took part in my experience and helped to make it wonderful.

Thank you.

Judit

I got the opportunity last summer to spend 8 weeks in New Delhi, India working with the street children's program through Volunteering India. I had the best summer of my life and am so happy that I decided to go through VI! I had great support throughout my entire experience starting with a ton of information on how to best prepare for my trip before I left. I had such great support from the entire staff throughout my entire trip. The volunteering I did was amazing. I got the chance to work in a children's center teaching children english, math and getting to play and interact with them. It truly was a life changing experience for me that I will never forget. I loved that I was able to go through the experience with other volunteers from all around the world. We had so much during our off time exploring Delhi and traveling all around India on the weekends. I will never be able to thank the staff and people of Volunteering India enough for the amazing experience that I had with them!

I volunteered with the street children program in Delhi and used to work in Okhla with street children. The kids were amazing and I had a great time playing and teaching with them. The accommodation was fab and Shankar used to cook great simple food everyday for us.

Sunny was a great help in the office and I would recommend the program to anyone!