Katie Rose Fitch, Thailand 101

Lambton College

Thailand 101 equaled to be the best two weeks of my life! From the beginning of applying to saying our sad goodbyes at the airport, I have never been affected by so many things in my life, in just a short period of time. So far everyday after coming back from Thailand I have found myself daydreaming about my experiences and how badly I want to go back.

Going to Thailand would never be the same without Loop Abroad though! I applied really late to the program, but when I contacted them they went out of their way to make the application process as smooth and easy as possible. Especially being from Canada it could have been so much more complicated, but they were there every step of the way. They helped me get set up with other girls that needed to stay in New York for the night and already it was so incredibly easy to make friends there! Almost everyone there doesn’t know anybody and are very keen to make friends.

In fact the girls that are were with me in my Thailand 101 group are some of the best friends I have ever had in my life. I have never connected so easily and so quickly to people before! These girls are quality friends and will be dear to my heart forever and some of us even have plans to travel together for the following year. Besides the immediate people in my group, all of the staff was absolutely incredible! They invested everything that they could for us and did their best to make sure that we had the safest but most incredible journey. As soon as we showed genuine interest in the trip they would go out of their way to help us experience and learn as much as we could.

Another thing that was amazing about the trip was the food! Thai food is absolutely incredible and your leaders will take you to the best places! The Elephant Nature Park has a lot of food as well, but it isn’t usually people’s top choice as it is vegetarian and didn’t always taste the best. I found it helpful saving a bit of money for the Elephant Nature Park to be able to buy some American snacks.

Throughout the trip we were never bored! There were always so many activities to do. Our leaders took us to the waterfalls, zip-lining and hiking through the jungle, white water rafting, visiting different temples, meditation classes, shopping in the markets, taking a Thai cooking course, etc. We were always having so much fun!

The elephant nature park was a different vibe completely though! There were so many things to do all of the time, but we had a lot more relax time and it was the perfect way to finish off the two weeks and really reflect. Our breaks could never come at a better time though! While we were at the Elephant Nature Park we worked incredibly hard to help out. It was some of the hardest work I have ever done, but was very rewarding to see how it helped. We were always very proud of our work after!

Tip: Drink tons of water throughout the day!

Since our days were so busy and packed full of different activities, we would come back to where we were staying very exhausted. Luckily our accommodations Loop Abroad set up for us were far better than what I expected. The hostel we stayed at in our first week was very quaint and comfortable. Adjusting to the heat and humidity can be very hard at first so the air-conditioning during our breaks in the day and at night going to sleep came at the perfect timing. In-between Chiang Mai and the Elephant Nature Park we stayed in a really nice, air-conditioned hotel.

Once we arrived at the Elephant Nature Park I was dreadfully picturing little huts crawling in bugs and mosquitoes. Thankfully to my surprise we stayed in types of cabins with very pretty mosquito nets wrapped around our beds and I was never more thankful for them!

Overall this trip was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life and completely changed me for the better. I could not thank Loop Abroad enough and for the life-long friends I have made for making this the most incredible experience and journey ever! If you are looking for change and adventure then you should definitely sign up for this. You won’t regret it!