Explore the Cultures of India, Nepal, and Thailand

I took this gap tear program in the fall of 2012! My life has been forever changed. It provided me with experiences I never would have imagined. I was able to learn through experience, through workshops and lectures, and through practice. I feel that I was able to provide a meaningful impact to the communities we visited. My heart, soul and mind have been forever changed by this trip, and it has absolutely shaped me into the woman I am today! Since this trip, I have taken two solo trips: 5 weeks in Central America, and 9 months in SE Asia (even revisiting some of the communities I had visited through YI!). This program gave me the skills, confidence, and the passion to create this life of living my passion for this world and these other cultures! Hands down the best thing I could have done with my gap year.

Youth International has given me opportunities that I would have never imaged was possible. It's been a few years since I was went on this journey and I'm still drawing upon these experiences. From hiking in the Himalayans in Nepal, to teaching English in India, and swimming with tropical fishes in Thailand. During my time I had no idea how much of an impact it would have on me. Youth International is a very unique program where, you get what you put in. Meaning if you fully dive into each culture and put yourself out there, the reward is even more than anything one could imagine. This trip has truly shaped who I am today. It has taught me so much about who I am and what I want to do with my life. For example: I am an Environmental and Stability major with a minor in Entrepreneurship. I am the director of social media for a nonprofit. Without my time spent with Youth International I would not been where I am today. From this program I have a better since of the world because I was able to experience so many different lifestyles and cultures.
One of many things Youth International has taught me is... Treat each day is an adventure, it doesn't matter what you are doing or where you are, it's an adventure. A little cheesy. But it's true, there is no better way to explore this life than to fully dive in and take charge. When I look back at my time with Youth International I smile and think of all the times I stepped out of my comfort zone, all the times I was faced with a challenge, all the times I was doing something for the first time. Those are the moments and memories I will hold on to for the rest of my life. To you the reader or someone thinking about traveling with Youth International. DO IT!

These 3 months were so incredible, it is hard to put into words. The greatest group of 16 young adults I have ever been surrounded with. From day one of orientation, I knew I was in the right place. Two fantastic, inspiring, and helpful leaders lead us through the craziest, scariest, most rewarding and exhausting times. Through sicknesses and new experiences, I never felt unsafe. We were educated before take off of the basic principles, but I quickly learned, there is only so much you can teach. I learned so much about myself and the world during these three months. Experiencing new cultures first hand by living with these families, emerged in all of the different cultures Asia has to offer. Words can't even describe my appreciation for these three months of my life, I would give so much to be back out there with those people. I faced some pretty interesting obstacles along the way, but never got completely lost, which could have been very easy to do out there. I recommend this trip to anyone from anywhere, any age, and any reason, as long as there is an open mind involved, this will undoubtably be a trip of a life time with a great program running it.

I have tried many times, and there is no way to describe how amazing my experience was. I highly recommend this program. Every day we learned so much; culture, religion, society, and so much more. I could not have asked for better leaders. I truly felt like we were in control, not being led around by a tour guide. my confidence grew immensely and I feel highly capable of traveling solo. One of my favorite parts was staying in a village in northern India. I learned how to communicate without language and felt like I was truly making an impact on the lives of the students. The trek taught me so much about myself and I am extremely thankful. Now that I am in my first semester of college I am finding that the time I spent studying traditional Tibetan Buddhism and meditation in silence was extremely worthwhile. This trip is priceless and worth every second of your time.

When looking at gap year programs post-graduating high school, I wanted to travel and be with a group of people my age to learn and experience new parts of the world together. Youth International was promising due to its constantly moving schedule and even though we were never settled in one place for weeks on end, the variety of cities and villages we visited has left a permanent footprint on myself and the future I want to make for myself.

I am now CEO and Co-Founder of an tourism company. But 10 years ago when I went on Youth International to Asia, I was a very different person. Youth International changed my life for the better, even though I thought I was already on the right path. It opened my eyes, mind, and soul to experiences and a way of life I had never walked in, and I am forever grateful for the positive impact this has had on me since. The program is extremely professionally executed, and while I have traveled to over 60 countries in the past 20 years, Youth International has been by far the best-run program I have been involved in. I feel like one of the luckiest people in the world to have found, and gone on, the Asia trip with Youth International, and I enjoy sharing details of the experience, even to this day, 10 years later, about this trip of a lifetime, this learning experience I am forever grateful for.

YI was instrumental in shaping my priorities and worldview by giving me the opportunity to challenge myself and my ideas about the world and my place in it.

A few key features drew me to this program over other programs:
- homestays: I lived with a teacher for part of this program and assisted in her classroom
- educational opportunities: I took Indian cooking and music classes
- physical component: I took yoga classes and we did a several day meditation retreat (no talking!)
- community service component: I liked that this program doesn't advertise that you'll 'change the world' because Brad and the program staff know that what you learn is so much more than the otherwise feeble work we can offer (besides lots of awesome cross-cultural understanding and some lifelong friends... made all the easier now in a tech world!)
- small group that is responsible for itself: this program is great if you can't find buddies to travel with, but don't yet want to travel on your own
- program coordinator Brad has longstanding relationships with country organizers and logistics folks which allows for greater impact and learning
- that we traveled to many places, but spend a few days to a week (or more) in each place (at this point in my life I didn't want to stay in one place for a long time but sample lots of new things)
- ecotourism: halfway through we took a week 'holiday' in Thailand and went scuba diving and relaxed... it was a welcomed break before India

The couple that led our semester were wonderful leaders who had worked for the Peace Corps and other organizations, as well as traveled extensively on their own. We had much independence on the program, this being a program for youth who want something more than traveling on their own, but don't expect people to do all the travel work for them (eg. we'd know where we need to get our train tickets, but we'd have to get there and get the tickets as a group... so awesome to have this support and team atmosphere when traveling in Asia for the first time).

One strength of this program is that they're small, but have also been around for awhile. I went on the 2002 program (I think it was that year... it was definitely awhile ago)! In the decade-plus since I've completed my undergraduate degree, thesis-based masters program, teachers college and worked for several years around the world, but with focused work in remote fly-in communities in the Arctic.

This program is a great stepping stone to independence, exploration, and adventure...

This program launches you into new situations and cultures-- I got to understand and make bonds with locals. I now feel that I could go anywhere in the world (and have since travelled throughout many countries, including South America and Europe). My favorite part of the program was the silent meditation retreat in Dharamsala. This was over three years ago and I have yet to encounter a more expanding and enlightening experience, as cliche as that may sound.
My leaders were incredible, I still have occasional contact with both of them.
The greatest aspect of this program is that it is truly authentic. It is a small organization, and therefore each of us got the chance to meet the head honcho, Brad Gillings. He is a great guy and an incredible facilitator. He has travelled to each of the locations and has set up healthy and constructive relationships with small communities in each of the countries. I appreciate this more and more as I learn more about the way that other programs are set up.