Travel for Teens - Thailand Photography and Service

  Thailand

• Bangkok: 
Bangkok
• Chiang Mai: 
Chiang Mai
• All Other Areas in Thailand: 
Ayutthaya

Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Dates: July 20 - July 30, 2010

Description: Thailand's visual buffet provides a feast for the eyes and every traveler's camera. Join us this summer as we journey from Bangkok, up the Chao Phraya, over the mountains and into the heart of North to discover the awesome cultural and physical beauty of the kingdom of smiles. Our photography component can be enjoyed by students of all photography skill levels. Our service project will connect us with those in need in Chiang Mai. This journey will feed your eyes and nourish your soul satisfying every part of your character.

Our trip begins and ends in Bangkok where we will float on the Chao Phraya, visit floating markets and ride tuk-tuks though the streets of this bustling capital city. The day after we land we will set sail on the Chao Phraya river north towards Ayuthaya, one of the ancient Thai capitals. En route we will stop at Bang-Pa In palace. During our time in Ayuthaya we explore the picturesque Khymer ruins and temples and begin our photography course with our first lessons on landscapes and artistic composition. Next we board a sleeper train headed north to Chang Mai. All participants will have plenty of room to get a good night's rest before our morning arrival in Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai, Thailand's second biggest city provides exciting discoveries around every bend in the road. We will spend three days here exploring the city, swimming in waterfalls, biking past rice patties, strolling the walking markets and night bazaars as well as perform fifteen hours of community service. The service portion of our trip will involve partnering with a local relief organization providing support for refugees and the hill tribes of Thailand. Two full days will be spent working on an impact project which will benefit their local community center. Projects may include reading to the children, playing games with them or assisting with a structural improvement project. The best part... you will be working side by side with the people who need your assistance.

After the project is over, we will bid Chiang Mai farewell for two days of fun and adventure in Pai, tubing on the rivers, swimming in hot springs and trekking through the mountains.

Our final day brings us back to Bangkok for one final round of sightseeing, photography lessons and souvenir shopping before we board the plane home with memories and photographs to last a life time.

Highlights:
- Learn the art of travel photography in one of the most beautiful countries on Earth.
- Float up the Chao Phraya river, visit floating markets, and ride tuk-tuks through the streets of Bangkok.
- Explore the Buddhist temples of historic Ayuthaya.
- Participate in a valuable community service project with the hill tribes near Chiang Mai.
- Go river tubing, hiking, and swimming in hot springs in Pai.
- Prowl the incredible markets in Chiang Mai and Bangkok - you won't believe the deals!
- Marvel at the Bang Pa Palace near Ayuthaya.

Cost in US$: USD 2,485

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European and Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Thailand in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Other

Travel For Teens's Mission Statement: Travel for Teens believes that teen travel should be both fun and enriching. Our programs feature choice in what you do, see, and experience, a dynamic that sets us apart from superficial tours that herd large groups from one site to another. We visit the best of the mainstream attractions while offering the opportunity to explore the culture from a less touristy perspective. We interact with our host cultures, taking cooking and dance lessons, performing valuable service work to help local communities, and conversing with the people who have spent their lives living in the places we journey to. We have crafted our unique programs to engender love for travel, hunger for learning, curiosity about differences, appreciation of similarities across cultures, and an understanding of what it means to be a global citizen.

Year Founded: 2003