Asia Travel Program

LanguageCorps understands that travel - both during your training and throughout your stay in Southeast Asia - is an essential part of your overseas experience. Our programs include travel opportunities that are integrated with the joint training in Cambodia along with independent excursions throughout the year. Details of both travel programs are described below.

Training-based Travel

For all TeachChina, TeachTaiwan, TESOL Plus, Flagship, and Volunteer Program participants, a tour of Phnom Penh is included on the Sunday before classes begin.

Phnom Penh - Cambodia

Phnom Penh is Cambodia's Capital City and home of LanguageCorps' Cambodia training facility. On the weekend you arrive, you will be joined by other trainees from our Cambodia, China, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam programs. On Sunday we do a tour of Phnom Penh and visit the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, Wat Phnom and other sites, and on Sunday night LanguageCorps hosts a "Welcome Dinner."

For all program participants, two weekend excursions are included at no additional charge

Angkor Wat & Siem Riep - Cambodia

After the first week of class, we take three days off to go explore the wonders of Angkor Wat. In order to better understand Cambodia, it helps to know some of its history.  One could easily spend a week exploring the many temples and ruins that were once the glory of Angkor. You'll find yourself in the same site as Angelina Jolie in "Tomb Raider," wandering through ruins of temples in a jungle setting. There are also waterfalls to play in and an interesting night market. The nearby town of Siem Reap provides lots of good accommodations and many great places to eat.

The second excursion varies by country:

After the second week of class, you will participate in another weekend excursion.

Ko Chang - Thailand

For Thailand students, there is a three day trip to Koh Chang Island, which is situated about half way between Phnom Penh and the next destination of Pattaya. In addition to breaking up the trip between sites, Koh Chang offers a great chance to relax. In addition to beach time, the trip includes traveling through the jungle to a waterfall, a visit to a fishing village built on stilts over the water, fire shows on the beach and some great seafood. For small additional amounts, students can ride elephants, scuba dive, or take ocean sightseeing trips.

Sihanoukville - Cambodia

For participants in the Cambodia, Vietnam, TeachChina and TeachTaiwan programs, this weekend is spent in Cambodia's beach resort town of Sihanoukville. This town, about four hours south of the capital, offers some great white sand beaches, great and cheap seafood, and a really interesting and rapidly developing resort. Vietnam participants then travel to Ho Chi Minh City at the end of the weekend.

The code word for this weekend is beach, with lots of time to relax and unwind before starting teaching practice on Monday.

Annual Excursion Program

During the year, staff and teachers often get together to plan excursions around the area. These trips are reasonably priced and often include the following:

Andaman Sea Scuba Diving, Ranong, Thailand

(Best diving season is December to May)

Thailand and the Andaman Sea have a world class reputation as a dive destination. This trip includes a multiple day boat trip (the only way to reach the really spectacular destinations), with 10 scheduled dives. Crystal clear water with visibility often over 100 feet, plus all the tropical fish you have always wanted to see. This is a great dive adventure.

This trip typically originates in Bangkok and includes RT transportation to Ranong.

Songkran Water Festival, Pattaya Beach, Thailand

(mid April)

This Thai tradition started hundreds of years ago, when, on the hottest day of the year, towns would set up arrival points at the town entrance, where locals would wait with flowers and cooling water, and would sprinkle water on incoming travelers to offer welcome. This tradition has changed a bit. Welcome to the annual, nation wide water fight. Adults, children, Thais and tourists all participate in trying to get each other as wet as they can. Put on shorts and a t-shirt, put your cell phone in a zip lock bag, and prepare to take part in a massive water throwing event. Everything from water guns, to buckets of water, to pickups driving around with 55 gallon drums of ice water, waiting to be thrown on anyone getting within range. This is a once in a lifetime experience definitely not to be missed. Other activities during Song Kran week will include a trip to the local island for swimming, sunbathing and great seafood. Also tours to local Chinese and Buddhist temples, trying your hand at feeding crocodiles and playing with tigers will fill your days, while the possibilities of filling your nights include great international food and endless dancing and partying options. If you only make one trip to Pattaya Beach, this is the one.

This trip originates in Pattaya Beach.

Vientiane - Lao

Typically there is a trip to Lao every month)

We head to the Northeast on the Thai railway system and find ourselves in Nong Khai, a preparatory stop for the border jump into Laos and the capital city of Vientiane. Once a French colony, the remnants of French culture are everywhere, from sidewalk cafes to great architecture to really excellent French food. While in Vientiane we explore cultural sites and temples before heading North to Vang Vieng. In Vang Vieng our groups ride kayaks down the river, explore caves, play on a river water swing and get to explore some of the most beautiful country imaginable.

Rocket Festival, Vang Vieng Kayak Trip, Vientiane & Vang Vieng, Laos

Once a year, Vientiane is host to the annual rocket festival. Locals build rockets over 20feet long and have competitions for design and distance. The launch site comes complete with prepared mud pits. If your teams' rocket doesn't fire, prepare to be wrestled into the mud. Since the rocket festival is only one day, we also include a day of local site seeing in Vientiane, as well as a three day excursion to Vang Vieng, famous site for white water kayaking, caving, mountain bike treks and rock climbing. The geography is pristine and breathtaking, and the activities are the thrill of a lifetime. This is a trip people go on over and over.

This trip originates in Bangkok and includes pickup and overnight train trips to and from Nong Khai.

Fire & Ball Festival, Vang Vieng Kayak Trip, Vientiane & Vang Vieng, Laos

For centuries, Lao and Thai people have reported a strange natural phenomenon that takes place at a certain time each year. Near the night of the full moon, legend has it that the Naga (a sea serpent creature) comes near the surface in the Mekong river near Nong Khai and breathes balls of fire into the sky. Strange as the rumor seems, every year, thousands of people flock to the river banks lining the area a wait for the event, and……. It happens. From whatever source, flaming balls of fire do erupt from the surface of the river and fly into the sky. The exact cause of the event has been explained from everything from balls of methane "swamp gas" to the great Naga itself, but whatever explanation you choose, the event has turned into a major party each year. Along with the Naga watch, this trip includes a trip to Laos for sightseeing in the Vientiane area, a trip to Ngam Ngum dam for a huge fish eating fest and boat trip on the lake, and a one day whitewater Kayak trip down the Nam Lik river.

This trip originates in Bangkok and includes overnight train trips to and from Nong Khai.

Christmas & New Years in Pattaya Beach, Thailand

What to do with your holiday time away from family and friends? Get together with family and friends here! Every year we have the annual Christmas and New Years party week. The week starts with a major Christmas dinner on the 25th. Turkeys, hams, mashed potatoes & gravy, dressing and cranberry sauce, topped by Rick's famous egg nog in huge quantities. On Christmas we do a fun gift exchange. The week between Christmas and New Years starts with all the Pattaya activities. Visit Million Year Stone Park and get to hold and feed a baby tiger. Get picked up in an elephants trunk, fish for crocodiles (but try not to let them get your bait), hug an Asian Bear, and just walk around and enjoy the parks natural beauty. We visit a Chinese temple filled with bronze statues and some of the famous terracotta warriors from China, which are on permanent display nowhere in the world except China and here. Spend some time on Larn Island enjoying the Christmas holidays on an island beach.

For New Years there is a great party on the roof, with a 360 degree view of great fireworks, a dinner party and a totally great time.

This trip originates in Pattaya Beach.