Why visit Bangkok?
Explore the capital of Thailand
Colourful, vibrant Bangkok is the obvious choice for any school trip to Thailand and also works incredibly well as the initial base for school expeditions to Thailand including social responsibility activities!
Your students will enjoy exploring the city’s ancient temples, each one more magnificent than the last. And you’ll find out how Hinduism has left such an important, lasting impression on this Buddhist country.
You’ll explore the city’s geography, as you discover its network of canals. The city grew from a small trading post in the early 15th century to the centre of the modernisation of Siam in the late 19th century.
Bombed by the Allies in 1945, it was the city’s later role as a favourite R&R destination for the US military that really established its tourism industry. Nowadays, Bangkok is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
Bangkok is actually known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, or Krung Thep for short, and it’s thought that Bangkok was actually a colloquial name for the city that continues to be used by foreigners. The city’s full ceremonial name (of which Krung Thep Maha Nakhon is just the start!) is listed in Guinness World Records as the world’s longest place name at 168 letters!
Give back to the community
If you’re keen for your students to gain a deeper understanding of life in Thailand and the issues facing the local population on your school trip to Bangkok, then you’ll be pleased to know that there are several opportunities to take part in community-based volunteer work in Thailand.
At Singburi, you’ll be able to help renovate the local temple school. This temple school is incredibly important to the local community. Not only does it provide education for the local children, it also provides housing and food to those who have no family or whose family cannot afford to take care of them.
Your students can also take part in a sustainability workshop. You’ll be able to help collect litter from streets, canals or rivers, which might otherwise end up in the ocean. You’ll then find out how this project cleans and recycles the plastic recovered, to make new products.
Take part in conservation efforts
Thailand’s national symbol is the elephant, but the population has fallen dramatically over the last century. Poachers still hunt them for their ivory, hides and meat, while young elephants are often captured to work in tourism or other work.
On your school trip to Thailand, your students will have the unforgettable opportunity to visit an elephant sanctuary in Kanchanburi, where you can find out how the centre is helping these animals. You’ll also be able to have some really meaningful interactions with these beautiful animals, by helping to wash them and prepare their food.
Case Studies
