Candace volunteering at rural Thai school
Mundo Exchange helps bring high quality volunteers and interns to Thailand to work on various cross cultural projects and programs designed for seniors, gap year travelers, retired volunteers, interns, families and travelers. Whether or not you plan to volunteer with us, the following information on what to bring and wear may be helpful when packing up to come, visit, volunteer or live in Thailand. We welcome all volunteers, travelers and tourists to stop by and visit and talk with us about life and volunteering in Thailand.
The following info is written by a group of volunteers and interns who come from many different countries for future Mundo and Lokgatat volunteers. It is their ideas and suggestions for all to consider when traveling working in Thailand. We recommend incoming volunteers write or call Mundo and Lokgatat past volunteers who are eager to help you as you prepare to help children, adults and eco projects in Thailand.
What to Bring and Wear
What to Wear
Thais are usually conservative and neat in their appearance and appreciate it if visitors and volunteers dress the same. They change their clothes daily, sometimes twice and so should you. The rule of thumb is to watch and observe the cultural ways of a region and then do as the majority of Thais do. In our smaller towns it is even more important to show respect for Thai ways and culture. We recommend clothing be loose fitting not tight; that you avoid wearing clothing that reveals your shoulders or shorts that are not at knee level or below when at businesses, projects and at schools. For temple or Buddhist wat volunteer projects bring loose fitting white cotton long pants and shirts. Dark clothing seems to attract mosquitoes and heat so you may want to bring light color clothes.
Pinky; volunteer in Thailand learning how to cook at the temple.
Shoes are easy to buy if you have smaller sized feet. You may want sandals for hikes and flip flops for much of the day, shoes that are closed toed for schools, government offices and such. Larger size shoes are a problem for our volunteers who come to buy them in Thailand. If you are working on one our eco or environmental projects, appropriate foot wear has been a problem for our volunteers with 12 and above sized feet.
What to Bring when volunteering in Thailand
Travel Attitude and Ways
- Flexibility, openness to new ways, a great sense of humour, an interest in learning and being part of a different culture.
Linda, watching and learning from a Thai Musician Demonstration.
- At guest houses and restaurants asking for discounts is usually not the best way. Groups and individuals that seem to do this are often looked at as rich farangs that have no empathy towards others.
- Bring the ability to curb your anger and frustration when life and ways are different from your own. Travel is travel, remember you have made the choice to visit new countries where life will be different from your own.
- Bring the ability to take feedback, resolve cultural differences and problems, and look and speak about the good, not the negative of others and their ways, their life.
- Bring the ability to enjoy differences, new ways, new cultures and the desire to learn during your cross cultural orientation, and how to work and volunteer successfully during your stay.
Volunteer Adrian, teaching at the Buddhist College
- Bring the ability to not constantly criticize people, institutions, the infra structure and life of the country you are visiting, or to act as if you know all, are the expert at everything in the world. In Thailand it is best not to yell, or speak loudly. These are usually not Thai ways. Be straight forward about your beliefs and ways but truly understanding of others. Thais will not usually yell back, talk about you or respond negatively if you do lose touch. They just will try to stay away from you and think you have a long way to go in working with different cultures.
What to Bring or Pack for Thailand Asian Trips
- A small inexpensive gift for your host family is nice to bring with you. This could be something like a small book of your country to a picture of you that could be framed in Thailand. There are many ideas that past volunteers can give you prior to your departure.
- We recommend you bring pamphlets, pictures and info about your country, work, family, community, friends, animals and the like to show and exchange. You can use these with people of all ages who want to practice English and get to know you better.
- Also bring ideas for English learning games, educational CDs and other lightweight and helpful materials if you want to volunteer or just help your new Thai friends and families.
- A cotton sleep sack is great since top sheets are usually not provided. We provide volunteers with blankets, a Thai pillow and a mattress, which is usually on the floor.
- A towel that dries easily
- Light weight clothing that can be worn to government offices, schools and night family parties where people dress up.
- Light weight clothing for biking, cultural outings, hiking and walking along the Mekong.
- Passport with at least a six month validity
- Extra copies your passport name page.
- Passport or visa sized extra photos if you plan to visit Lao or other nearby countries.
- Contact information sheet with phone numbers of friends and family.
- Blood type information card.
- Travel, medical and other insurance policies and phone numbers of each company.
- An international driver’s license if you plan on renting a motor cycle or driving.
- A letter of acceptance for volunteering with us if you plan on volunteering more than one month. This letter is used to extend your visa at the Thai Consulate in your home country for the time you plan on volunteering. If you enter via land you will probably get a 15 day visa; if you arrive by plane a 30 day. If you commit to volunteering with Mundo and Lokgatat and have completed the process to volunteer a letter will be sent your way and you can most likely obtain a longer visa for both volunteering and traveling. For our volunteers staying for 2 months to a year this saves both money and time.
- Copies of important papers tucked away in two different places.
- ATM / credit card or cards that can be used at ATM’s Some have lost their card to nasty ATM machines and were glad they had brought another along. Keep a copy of your number and phone numbers for the financial institutions with your important papers.
- Some volunteers have contacted their countries Thai Consulate to let them make record of the fact they are in Thailand.
- Laptop or computer access phone if you want to connect via internet at one of our volunteer or learning centres.
- Camera
- Padlocks to lock up your belongings in your hotels rooms.
- If you wear glasses a copy of your prescription.
- Copies of your medicines you are taking and are allergic to.
- Earplugs for getting use to Thai night sounds. For some of us we are use to the sounds of industry and cities, not chickens, temple bells, and dogs barking. After a week no problem, but those first few nights some of us stay awake and laugh and cry.
- Although easily found in many Thai cities a Voltage Convertor is nice. You will need a 220 volt at 50h.
What you can easily buy in Thailand
Thai Sim Cards for your phone, plus pay as you go accounts.
Rain Jackets and umbrellas
Mosquito repellant
Sometimes clothes for volunteer placements, projects, school and wats depending upon your size
Volunteer Henry experiences stay at the Thai Buddhist Temple
What to do when you get to Thailand
- Make a copy of your visa, passport information page, and entry stamp from Thailand. This stamp, no matter how long your visa states you can stay, is what the Thai government examines. Check upon entry that your stamp is for the same time as your visa. If it is not and you are volunteering with us then talk with the Thai official and show him your letter written in Thai. You can also call us if there are problems and ask the Thai official to talk with us.
- Get a Thai SIM card for your phone. If you are coming to Isan it makes life much easier and only costs a Euro; sometimes they are free.
- Rest up and drink lots of water for a day or two, then travel.
- Talk with your guest house or hotel people to find the best way to travel around Thailand. Reread our volunteer and intern pre-departure information and Thai phrases for phone numbers and contact information. Call us if you need some help or just want to say hello.
- Enjoy the ways of Bangkok, take a river boat for a few baht and relax.
- Warmer clothes and warmer sleep sack if coming in November or December, sometimes even January.
Again bring or develop an attitude of flexibility and cultural understanding. In Thailand you might be scheduled to teach or work with a group and find out at the last minute that you’re going somewhere else with the group for that day. This is Thai life and no matter what we think, do or say this is what will happen. What you will need to do is bend with their ways, adjust your Western perspective and smile the Thai smile. As a volunteer take the time to talk with your hosts when and if you become frustrated with the changes that occur so often in Thai society. We will give you more information during your orientation and throughout your stay to help you with integrating into Thai culture. We all experience culture shock and find it is a great means of developing long-lasting personal growth and international understanding.
Orientation, Volunteer training and ceremonies with volunteer Ryan and Thai host Oum
Related posts: