Sometimes I look back at our travels and wonder: How did we do that?! We set out for full-time travel in 2018 with five young kids ages one to 10 and didn’t look back. While we are not traveling full time now, we are living abroad in Portugal and still loving a life of adventure. That’s why we decided to make a different trip this time and stayed in a local Thai house!
Having new experiences and seeing a way of life other than your own builds a kind of character that nothing else does. I celebrate all family travel, be it full time or not, because it changes who you are. The experiences gained through both difficulties and joyful moments of travel are unlike any other.
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Now that we have teenagers (two full-blown ones and a pre-teen), I am even more grateful for travel! I feel like I get more time with these teens in a week of travel than I get in an entire summer of “normal” life, not that our life would be classified by many as normal.
One particular experience often stands out in my mind when I review these last more than seven years of an unconventional life: our overnight stay in a local Thai house with my three oldest kiddos. My husband stayed in our Airbnb with our youngest two (just three and one years old at the time). He’s not one for new adventures that involve trying new food and sleeping on the floor. However, I’m always up for an adventure!
We randomly made an American friend in Chiang Mai while we lived there. Dani founded the company Travel for More, running humanitarian trips to Chiang Mai, especially for teens. Dani had a local friend, Aitid, who offered this as a paid experience. We stayed in his house with his small family. He cared for elephants as a job, and we were also able to visit his elephants as part of the experience. This was our third elephant visit during our stay!
I honestly had no idea what to expect, but I knew it would be memorable! And it surely was.
Note: I do not think Dani’s company is still operational, unfortunately. I think Covid shut down this business and Dani now lives in the States again. However, some similar options include:
Rustic Pathways offers a variety of teen travel and service programs in Thailand, from remote village projects to elephant conservation. They have established a strong, long-term presence in the country.
Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) features leadership-focused service trips such as the Thailand: Elephant & Education Initiative. In this program, students take part in community projects in northern Thailand while learning about leadership and cultural exchange.
GoBeyond Student Travel offers a Thailand humanitarian trip where high school students can volunteer with at-risk communities in Chiang Mai and enjoy the natural beauty of the northern countryside.
These programs combine cultural immersion, community service and adventure. They give teens the chance to make a real impact while experiencing Thailand’s rich heritage.
Our experience started with a visit to the elephants, which I was not complaining about! Three times was not too much for me; I could visit elephants many more times and never be sick of it. These majestic creatures are spectacular.
Unlike some of our other elephant experiences in Chiang Mai, this one included a visit with a baby elephant! He was only a few days old, and it was a much different experience. The mamas (you only visit female elephants, as the males are in the hills roaming around) were very protective of the baby. In fact, at one point, the baby made a strange noise, and the energy shifted very quickly into protection mode.
However, it was such an incredible experience. We rode in the back of a truck to get there, which the kids all loved. Sometimes in places like Thailand, you have to let go of your US safety expectations and go with the flow. It’s hard to do, but if they are riding scooters with their babies daily, I can handle a truck ride.
After our elephant visit, my husband and two youngest kids headed back to our Airbnb, and I went with our three older kids and our guide, Aitid, to his hometown, about 45 minutes away. Once again, kids in the bed of the truck!
When we arrived at Aidtid’s home, we had some time to relax. We were there with other teens having the same experience (although I think they spent multiple nights), and it took some time to adjust to life at a slower pace. Time to leave the cell phone behind (there was no service at all or wifi) and settle into a different lifestyle!
Aitid had one of the nicest homes in the area, but it was still a simple, concrete building raised above the ground. We didn’t enter his home, but I am fairly sure it was just one room for the entire family (grandma included). He also had a large sleeping room for the trips organized for this purpose. This room was spacious, accommodating approximately 15 sleeping mats and sleeping bags.
As we settled into the room with our simple pack, we saw a giant spider on the wall. My kids were immediately freaked out. Haha! I was also a bit nervous, but Aitid came in and helped us. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep well that evening as I constantly thought of that spider and what else might be visiting us at night!
We went for a walk to a local school yard and played on the playground. The teens found some frogs and named them for fun (we actually ate them for dinner later). We relaxed for a while.
After some time, Aitid took us on a truck tour. He showed us around the village, including the community pig, and the convenience store (the only store in the entire village). We bought some imported chips and headed to a waterfall to explore.
Out of respect for Aitid and his family, I did not feel comfortable taking many photos at the time. I certainly did not want to be the annoying tourist who is always putting their camera in your face!
Aitid was caring for some elephants and helped to get them into their enclosure near the waterfall we visited. The kids got into the waterfall with Aitid’s son, who they immediately loved, and had a good time. I was a bit wary, especially when Aitid told me there are many venomous snakes in Thailand, but we were all OK.
After some outdoor time, we headed back to Aitid’s house for dinner. His wife made us dinner, but did not eat with us. She ate with her children in their main house. Aitid ate with us, perhaps due to the language barrier. We enjoyed a meal of fruit and frog stew! That was a new one, but not bad at all. My kids were not very adventurous, but they had a few bites.
Once the sun set, it was clearly time for bed. There was nothing to entertain us after dark. Aitid was lucky enough to have electricity, but the one single bulb in the sleeping room was attracting a lot of bugs, so we quickly went to bed.
Aitid was really happy to provide a “western” toilet for his guests, which means the kind of toilet we are used to. Traditional Thai homes only have what I call the “squatty potty”, a hole in the ground. However, neither had running water, so a bucket was required to grab water and flush.
We didn’t shower, and I’m guessing they go to the river or waterfall for that.
After a fairly poor night of sleep, I woke to my kids playing with Aitid’s kids and their chickens. We had a simple breakfast of bread and eggs and Aitid took my kids on his scooter (along with his kid, so four kids!!) for a fun ride.
This is common in Thailand to have an entire family on a scooter and they thought this was perfectly wonderful. My mama heart was glad for no injuries and glad they enjoyed it. Aitid was truly so kind, as nearly all Thai people are.
After their return, my oldest daughter and I had a weaving lesson with Aitid’s wife and made a scarf. It was much harder than it should have been for me, but with help we got it done! Aitid’s wife sold these for extra income and she was lightning quick at it. We had a lovely time in this “female” world for a while with multiple generations combining into one.
We only spent about 24 hours in Aitid’s village, but it was an impactful experience. I know the kids benefited from seeing how other families live, but it wasn’t impactful only for them.
I appreciated not only what we have, but the desire for Aitid and his family to share their space in order to bring income to their family. This is not easy for most of us “westerners”, but the Thai people welcome guests with open, loving arms and hearts.
I have much to learn from them and how to continue to give back. Getting the real feel of how many people live in a local Thai house was priceless. I love the glitz and glam of Bangkok, but I really appreciated the quiet, humble goodness of this family.
I also love to show my kids that we can be happy in ANY circumstance. Happiness is a choice and has little to do with our circumstances. Instead, it is determined by our focus.
I’d absolutely repeat it and think it’s valuable for teenagers especially!
Check out your travel necessities from a comprehensive list of all the 7Wayfinders Travel Must-Haves. Click Here!
Find a nice hotel near Chiang Mai from Expedia, or Vrbo, (we also love Tripadvisor and Hotels.com)
Discover more of Chiang Mai while having fun through exciting activities from GetYourGuide, Airbnb Experiences, or Viator
Need to rent a car to navigate the city? Visit Rentalcars.com.
Get insured while traveling with World Nomads / SafetyWing
Want to have a photo shoot while traveling? Check out flytographer!
Capture your best memories in Chiang Mai as we do with a GoPro, Sony camera, or our favorite drones: DJI FPV, Air, and Mini
Check out your travel necessities from a comprehensive list of all the 7Wayfinders Travel Must-Haves. Click Here!
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