Most Affordable & Best Rated Volunteer Programs in Thailand from $320 with IVHQ

As part of my project, and unique to date with IVHQ, I get the option for a 24 hour homestay visit over the weekend and take it along with fellow teaching volunteer, John! Aaron goes into Chiang Rai for evening overnight in hotel. This is an opportunity to see local culture up close and personal, and the best, I soon observe, is it's totally unfiltered. The family we are placed with, just go about doing their thing. No frills, no acting for tourists. We are just two more mouths to feed.

I'm shown my mattress on the floor and will share a room with the gals of the house. John gets his own room. Perhaps the most interesting, is his reaction. As an urban Chinese kid, he's never been to a village like this and asks me "what is a homestay" followed by, once he sees his room and the kitchen, "when do we leave"? Fortunately, I downloaded Google translate - Thai - to use off line and get to chat with the ladies in the kitchen. Food is fantastic. They have everything they need and yet, it's so simple. Actually, elegant in a way..... Rooster 🐓 hourly wake up every hour after midnight is another story!?!?! In case you are wondering, no stove, toilet, shower except what you see in pic, but yes, internet and electricity!

The following day, a guide meets us for a bamboo forest hike to waterfalls, followed by a BBQ lunch all made from or cooked in bamboo! I take my annual birthday waterfall plunge while John marvels at his ability to hike (says he's not in shape) and our guide's skill cooking with bamboo. He no longer is asking when he can leave, but how long can we stay! Great to share 👍

My experience in The Mirror was amazing. I got much more than I was expecting.
I decided to join this adventure 3 weeks before it started, so I didn’t have much time to organize my own trip. So, I decided to look for a platform that could help me be more efficient with my time. A friend of mine told me about IVHQ and how easy was to volunteer with them, because they provide almost all the information you need to just GO.
I never traveled alone, so I was looking for a safe country that could give me something new. I read a lot about the culture of Asian countries and, as my first time in Asia, I choose Thailand because it is safe, cheap and is so beautiful.
I followed all the steps in IVHQ training guide and I’m glad I did it because I felt that I was well prepared to participate in the program. I didn’t feel that anything was missing, and I didn’t bring unnecessary things. I had the help I needed before going and after being there.
When I arrived, there were some intern volunteer girls waiting for me. They welcomed me like I was family. The girls (that’s what I called them at the beginning… at the end they were “My Girls, My Daughters, My Friends”) were so excited to meet the new volunteers that they were giggling and jumping around like they knew me. I absorbed they excitement with joy. It was so good to feel welcome.
Two other volunteers came to The Mirror Foundation with me and everyone received us very well. They show us around and accommodate us. At night the intern volunteers made a big fire and we had a chance to get to know each other better.
On next day we met all the coordinators and we had the welcome session, explaining all of The Mirror’s work to the community and sensitizing us for the importance of our work.
In Outdoor program we learned about cleaning, construction, agriculture, gardening, landscaping, painting, repair and maintenance of buildings, construction and repair of roads. But it was not extensive because in such a short time they used the “Learning by doing” technique.
But our coordinators gave us the most important lesson of all, that it’s how important volunteering is, and they did such a good job mentoring us. They create such a good bond with the volunteers that we really made the effort to not disappointing them. Their knowledge of the tasks, their explanation of the purpose of the job and their awareness of our abilities, transmitted us confidence, commitment and gratitude for doing them. Best of all was their sense of humor, I laughed so much during the work hours, that time just passed by flying.
I felt that I learned and really enjoyed myself during all volunteering program. Three weeks was too short and if I knew that I would try to stay longer.
I will never forget this experience.

I did my volunteering in Thailand - Hua Hin, Hill Tribe Support. It was a great experience teaching kids English, and learning Thai from them at the same time. I enjoyed how to program is designed for many other things (i.e. hiking activities, going to the local market), and not only teaching. It was a very enjoyable experience getting to know other volunteers from around the world and getting to learn tons of the things about Thai culture, and Karen tribe culture as well. It was my first time volunteering abroad and it is definitely not the last.

Had the best trip to Thailand Hua Hin with ivhq. I had never travelled so far or by myself and at 30 years old was a little apprehensive. From the off ivhq were supportive and answered all my questions. When I went I was unsure how many people would be there or how the accommodation would be but how over the moon I was. I had the best week making life long friends from around the world and seeing lots of beautiful places. Accommodation and food was excellent the the green lion team couldn’t be more helpful. It was a laugh a minute! The school itself was fantastic, the pupils were so friendly wanting high fives And always smiling. It really puts life in to perspective! I would highly recommend doing a program if you get chance to, it will be the best thing you do! Thanks so much!

I traveled with IVHQ on my first trip to Thailand this summer. Being a young adult on the other side of the world from everyone I know and in a brand new place, I still never felt like I was alone. The support was fantastic and the program was incredible. Teaching English to the local children was a very meaningful and fun experience. When the volunteers weren't teaching English, we had the opportunity to explore temples, markets, beaches, shopping malls, and other local attractions. It's a great program for anyone who wants to experience a new culture, explore nature, and help the community. I will definitely consider volunteering with IVHQ again, as they have an incredible variety of programs all over the world for an affordable price.

I had a great experience volunteering in Chiang Rai, Thailand and I would recommend IVHQ's programs! I volunteered for two weeks, and I wish I had been able to stay longer. The local team was amazing and the volunteer projects were well organised and meaningful. The childcare and indoor teaching programs were valued by the community and the students and teachers are engaged and wonderful to work with. Thailand is an amazing location and I would suggest planning extra time before or after your volunteer project dates to see more of this amazing country. The Mirror Foundation, which is an NGO where volunteers can be placed, is a longstanding organisation doing important work, and it was great to see how they are recognised and able to continue growing and developing to meet the needs of the people and other organisations they work with.

I chose to go on this trip in order to cleanse my soul. I’ve been on trips where the focus was on my own interest so I wanted to do something for others. In return for my service I was rewarded with an experience that you wouldn’t get from any travel agent, delicious food that you would never be able to find through an online review and new found friendships I will cherish.

Outdoor work can be hard at times, from working on a rice field to digging a fish farm for a village, but the hospitality and gratitude that are shown by the people you are doing the work for is priceless. They welcome you into their homes with such love and warmth. Sure there are some aspects where you are “roughing it a bit” but I believe this itself is also part of the charm of doing a volunteer program.

If you want to experience new adventures in life and step outside of your comfort zone, I highly recommend doing a volunteer program through IVHQ as you will have a long list of memories to fondly look back on. And to have fond memories, isn’t that the reason why we choose to travel in the first place?

Volunteering with IVHQ was one of the best things I’ve done. I found them just through google and leaned towards their site because the prices seemed reasonable and they offered many programs in many locations. After I had decided I would probably use this program I ended up meeting 2 girls at my school who had also used IVHQ and loved it, so this confirmed my decision.

I ultimately chose to volunteer in Thailand although there were so many that caught my interest. There I taught English and stayed for 3 weeks. They give you tons of information about where you'll be staying and are really quick to reply to any email or calls with questions. Also, any meals or housing provided is really great and the pictures and information given is all accurate which I was grateful for.

With the Thailand program, I felt like I was actually making a difference and fulfilling a need within the hill tribe communities. You will meet so many awesome locals and get very close to all the other volunteers as you take on the new journey together. having gone by myself, this sense of community was really comforting and made the trip so much better. I would definitely use IVHQ in the future if I have time to volunteer again.