Since Thailand is probably much different than your home country, here are a few simple recommendations on how to make your transition to Thailand as smooth and comfortable as possible.
Cultural differences :
Get ready to experience cultural differences. Different ways to behave and to communicate with each other, different gender relations, different ways of eating and drinking, different ways of cooking and cleaning. Your bed may be different from what you are used to and you may find out that you miss the food you are used to. On top of it you will share your life with people from all over the world and they will also bring part of their culture to the local project. Experiencing cultural differences is one of the most exciting part of any work camp.
Group life:
You will need to share accommodation and food. Get ready to share your bedroom and toilet with the rest of the group and in some cases to sleep with boys and girls in the same room. Very often organizers can only guarantee a common accommodation for the all group. Get also ready to clean together with the others and to take care of the hygienic conditions of your camp base. Work camps are about communal like and voluntary service, you will rarely have somebody to take care of daily chores
Read about the country you will go to and the culture you will meet:
Buy a travel guide and read about the country you will visit. Go to the local library and find out what they have about the place you will visit. This will help you to acquire knowledge but also to technically organise your trip. A guide will contain information on how to go from the terminal to the center of the city and will provide you with info about the climate, the temperature and all the details you need to know to prepare your luggage and to get ready for going. The guide will especially be useful if you plan to arrive before and to stay after the work camp.
Prepare a copy of your documents:
Before leaving make several copies of your passport, visa, flight ticket, travel insurance and any other important document (passport of international vaccinations, etc). Put them in different places (your luggage, your hand bag, etc) and leave one copy at home (your family will be able to send you the information if ever you lose all the other copies. If you travel with travel cheques or credit cards make sure you know where you have to call if you lose them or you are stolen.
Cash/exchange money before arriving at the meeting point:
Some work camps take place in small villages where there is no ATM or bank. Make sure you have some cash with you before arriving at the meeting place; you may need some money for your free time or for personal expenses.
Bring special medicines with you if you need any:
If you regularly take specific medicines, you are allergic and you may have allergic reactions, bring the medicines along with you. You may not find the same medicines you usually take in another country or you may need them in a moment where the pharmacy is not closed by. Put them in your luggage, they may not be accepted aboard of the aircraft.
Security:
Keep your valuables (money, tickets and documents) on your person at all times – never in your luggage or in shared rooms. Make copies of each of them. Sometimes local hosts provide volunteers with a safe or lockers, ask if there is any of those facilities or otherwise organise yourself to keep important documents and money with you (a little bag may be perfect). There are risks everywhere, use common sense and remember that a travel guide and the local host may help you to avoid
