Adventure + Service

Meaningful service plays a valuable role on a Bold Earth trip, and we incorporate it into as many of our adventures as possible. While our adventurous activities nudge students out of their comfort zones, service takes our students from observers to active participants in the communities and environments in which we visit. Whether it’s helping build trails on a 14,000-foot peak in Colorado or caring for rehabilitated primates in Thailand, our service projects offer students a chance to give back in a small way—and broaden their perspectives in the process.

A crucial aspect to meaningful service is making sure it benefits the communities we visit; you won’t see us doing a project that isn’t truly beneficial and within the skillset of our students. That’s why not all of our trips offer service.

These short-term projects deliver an opportunity to teach stewardship and a chance to expose our students to different ways of life in an authentic setting. Service lets us engage directly with locals in a way that’s more than just tourism. While our projects are not a replacement for long-term service aid provided by trained and skilled professionals, we can still offer the chance to develop a contribution mindset.

All participants receive a certificate from Bold Earth recognizing their service upon completion of their program. Hours stated for each trip are expected minimums.

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Example Service Projects

Thailand’s Best

Elephant sanctuary: Bathe, feed, clean up after the elephants.
Gibbon Sanctuary: Feed, clean, and educate others on the Gibbons and why they are being rehabilitated.
Helping with homestay families cook, clean, etc.
Planting Mangroves as part of a shoreline conservation effort.
Replanting seagrass for Dugong wildlife habitat.

Epic Africa

Help weave and bead in local Swazi village for women to sell at market.
Work with local school communities to do need-based service; i.e. paint school, build a playground, cook for the local community, build homes, etc.

Fiji Dive Service

Coral Planting: Snorkel to replant coral in areas that have been killed by human interference.
Teaching English in the local school and assist in hurricane recovery efforts.
Lavena Village: Help local families cook, clean, fish, etc.

Ultimate Costa Rica

Life Monteverde: Building houses, repairing schools, working with local students.
Green Turtles Project: Beach clean up, egg rescue, hatching fence building, etc.
Siempre Amigos: Build houses, repair schools, etc. (over a three-day time span).