Volunteer Laos | Luang Prabang

Travel to Teach is located in the small UNESCO World heritage site of Luang Prabang. Situated on the banks of both the Nam Khan river and the Mekong river, the landscape is absolutely breathtaking. The scenery, combined with the old colonial French architecture and mixed with the beautiful Buddhist Temples makes Luang Prabang an easy town to fall in love with.

Travel to Teach's volunteer program is based in the library of Luang Prabang's largest secondary school.

Teaching

A unique opportunity to teach English

The library is set within the grounds of one of Luang Prabang’s largest secondary schools about 2 kilometers outside of the city center and a 5 minute bicycle ride from the volunteer accommodation.

The library is run as a separate enterprise to the school and is used by many other schools near by. The library is under the juristiction of the National Libraries of Laos and supported by the NGO organisation The Language Project. It is run by Laos volunteers.

Up until recently books were not been seen to be important to the Laos education system so it is only in recent years that there has been a revival within this area.

The library contains 4 computers which were recently donated, a number of word games such as Boggle, Scrabble, a CD player and a mixture of around 300-400 books in various states of repair.

The Luang Prabang volunteer project began at the library and it is still very much the heart of the program, volunteers working here will have the opportunity to assist with conversational English, reading, playing games and arts and crafts.

In addition to this volunteers will also be able to teach in the public school, in the temples and at free private classes established by T2T.

This is a unique venture where any input by the volunteers will be greatly appreciated.

2 Weeks	4 Weeks	8 Weeks	12 Weeks	24 Weeks	Extra Weeks
€550	€750	€1050	€1350	€1950	€75

Read how your fees are spent or compare our prices with other volunteer organisations.

View our prices in other volunteer locations's or combine your stay in with stays in other locations as part of a combination stay.

What you receive

Orientation upon arrival
24 hour support
Accommodation
1 hour of Laos language class (more available on request)
Choose between Laos cooking class, adventure tour or 1nights village home stay.

Apart from our fees, you must pay for:

Your travel to Vientiane
Vaccinations
Airfares and all transportation to your project location
Health insurance

Our application process typically takes two or three weeks, but can be speeded up if there is a need for that. When we receive the initial application from you, we will send you our full application form.
(1) Complete the Initial Application Form:
The first stage of the application process is to fill out the brief initial application form. Upon receiving this we will send you the full application form.

(2) Complete the Full Application Form:
Fill out the application form. After receiving this we will assess your suitability and place you on one of our programs.

(3) Placement info:
We will return detailed placement information and an invoice. If you accept the placement you should clikc the link to say so. The fee can be paid with credit card through PayPal or by bank transfer.

(4) Communication:
Once you have made your traveling arrangements you should mail your time of arrival and the means of transportation and we will confirm pickup.

For the majority of our Laos programs, you can join us for any amount of time from 4 week to 6 months. However, some projects have minimum time restrictions.

We recommend a trip of 3-6 months since it offers the best value. Regardless of the length of your stay, you will be able to learn some Laos and you will have time to get to know a new culture, come to know its people, and form relationships that will outlast the duration of your stay.

Dates for the Year 2013:

May: Sat 25
June: Sat 1, Sat 8, Sat 15, Sat 22, Sat 29
July: Sat 6, Sat 13, Sat 20, Sat 27
August: Sat 3, Sat 10, Sat 17, Sat 24, Sat 31
September: Sat 7, Sat 14, Sat 21, Sat 28
October: Sat 5, Sat 12, Sat 19, Sat 26

November: Sat 2, Sat 9, Sat 16, Sat 23, Sat 30
December: Sat 7, Sat 14, Sat 21, Sat 28

Dates for the Year 2014:

January: Sat 4, Sat 11, Sat 18, Sat 25
February: Sat 1, Sat 8, Sat 15, Sat 22
March: Sat 1, Sat 8, Sat 15, Sat 22, Sat 29
April: Sat 5, Sat 12, Sat 19, Sat 26
May: Sat 3, Sat 10, Sat 17, Sat 24, Sat 31
June: Sat 7, Sat 14, Sat 21, Sat 28

July: Sat 5, Sat 12, Sat 19, Sat 26
August: Sat 2, Sat 9, Sat 16, Sat 23, Sat 30
September: Sat 6, Sat 13, Sat 20, Sat 27
October: Sat 4, Sat 11, Sat 18, Sat 25
November: Sat 1, Sat 8, Sat 15, Sat 22, Sat 29
December: Sat 6, Sat 13, Sat 20, Sat 27

Volunteers will stay in a family run guesthouse.

This Laos guesthouse was one of the first guest houses in this area. The owners, Sy and Somphone are very friendly hosts, and their manner is typical of the Laos style of hospitality, offering free water and bananas and sharing their food with you at every possible opportunity.

The rooms in the guest house are comfortable and equipped with fans and have en-suite bathrooms with electric hot water showers and western style toilets. There is a simple but well equipped kitchen where volunteers can keep some small essentials in the fridge, there is also a menu where the volunteers can order food from the family and they will cook for them (meals costs between US$2-US$4) .The kitchen is also equipped with an automatic washing machine where volunteers can do their own washing for just over US$1 per kilo.

The guest house is a short ten minute walk away from the shops where you can buy most every day essentials and also from the library where you will work. Popular bars and restaurants are only a 5 minute walk away from the Guesthouse. There are internet cafe’s within the town center that cost just over US$1 per hour for access. Should volunteers wish to rent a bicycle this is a most effective way of getting around town and costs only US$2 a day to rent from our in-country coordinator. Any revenue generated from this is donated to the library.

It is easy to see why, in 2008, the New York Times put Luang Prabang top of their "Places to Go" list. The city, a UNESCO heritage site, is charming enough by itself but there are also many excursions available within the surrounding area.

There are many Western and Laos restaurants around the town with prices varying from US$2 to US$20.

There is a great food market only ten minutes walk away from your accommodation, and a nightly all you can eat vegetarian street buffet for just US$0.75. (€0.50)

There are many Western and Laos restaurants around the town with prices varying from US$2 to US$20.

There is a great food market only ten minutes walk away from your accommodation, and a nightly all you can eat vegetarian street buffet for just US$0.75 (�0.50)!

Luang Prabang Weather Chart
Volunteer Luang Prabang Weather Image

Luang Prabang is situated 425km north of the Laos capital Vientiane along the Mekong river.

By far the easiest way to get to Luang Prabang is by air. Thailand's Bangkok Airways flies almost daily from Bangkok to Luang Prabang. For domestic air travel, Lao Aviation is the only carrier, and flys to Luang Prabang from both Vientiane and Phonsavan.

There are regular VIP buses (coaches with toilets) that run between Vientiane and Luang Prabang costing 100.000-125000 kip (US$12- US$15) please note this bus takes a minimum of 9 hours. There are also regular buses that run between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang.

Boats up and down the Mekong are an increasingly popular mode of travel. You can travel downriver from Thailand to Luang Prabang as well as upriver from Vientiane. Although speedboats can make the trip from the Thai border in just a few hours, this is probably a trip best taken slowly. Various operators offer two and three day cruises between Chiang Kong in Thailand and Luang Prabang.

Hamish

Hamish hails from Tauranga, New Zealand and has been living and working on and off in Nongkhai, Thailand for the last 10 years. Hamish has been a friend of the Travel to Teach family since we first started in Nongkhai and has now gone on to set up our Luang Prabang program in Laos. With his extensive knowledge of the Lao and Thai culture and a background in hospitality he makes for a fantastic coordinator! Hes a real people person and loves socialising, watching movies, and see and experiencing new things!

30 Day Visa On Arrival ($30 -$40)
You can get a 30 day visa on arrival in Laos. The fee for this will vary accoriding to your nationality but typically you can expect to pay between US$30 and US$40. Should you wish to extend your visa you can do so at the Luang Prabang Immigration Office. Your coordinator will help you with this process. Visa extension fees cost $2 per day and must be paid by the volunteer.

If you are planning to work in Cambodia then you will need to obtain a police records background check before starting your placement. For details on the application procedure in your home country please take a look at: www.travel-to-teach.org/CRB-information.php

At all other locations you will be required to abide by the Travel to Teach Child Protection Policy.

Courses or boosters usually advised: hepatitis A, typhoid; diphtheria; tetanus. Vaccines sometimes advised: Japanese B encephalitis, rabies, tuberculosis, hepatitis B.
Malaria: You cannot be vaccinated against malaria. Malaria precautions are advised in all areas. Avoid mosquito bites by covering up with clothing such as long sleeves and long trousers especially after sunset, using insect repellents on exposed skin, and sleeping under a mosquito net (nets will be provided by Travel to Teach)

You should tell your doctor that you are likely to go on a jungle trip in Laos. Keep in mind, Vientiane is considered to be an urban area and one need not worry about malaria pills if for staying exclusively in Vientiane. Prophylaxis with Lariam, Malarone, or chloroquine is recommended for all areas except the city of Vientiane.

Also visit the WHO's (World Health Organisation) Travellers health information .

One of the conditions of entry onto our programs is that volunteers have travel insurance. Most importantly the insurance needs to include medical treatment and repatriation in case of unforeseen accidents or illnesses. Volunteers should purchase insurance independently and bring a copy of their insurance certificate with them for their local co-ordinator to check before starting their program. Read our terms and conditions.

You will get a Travel to Teach certificate stating the time and place you have been teaching.

All volunteers are required to read and agree to our terms and conditions before being accepted onto one our programs.
Read our Terms & Conditions
Download our Teach Terms and Conditions as a PDF File

See more photos in the Luang Prabang Photo Gallery Photo Album