Cambodia Trip 2026 – Applications Now Open

The best way to define Cambodia was an adventure. An adventure with a very meaningful goal. It’s a country that is both breathtaking and heartbreaking, where beautiful landscapes mask the scars of extreme poverty.

This hardship traces back to the devastating genocide of the 1970s, which took the lives of nearly three million Cambodians. When the tragedy finally ended, the nation and its people were left to rebuild from nothing. Learning about this devastating history gave me no other option than to go and make real change, witness everything for myself.

After some lengthy flights and little sleep, our journey began in Phnom Penh, where we prepared meals and had the chance to care for sun bears. One bear in particular named Tristan, stole our hearts as he playfully chased us up and down the fence line. We explored the city, and with every new experience the 14 of us grew closer, our excitement and nerves intertwining. We had elaborate dinners and visited memorial museums, everyone found their Cambodia sea legs.

Next came a six hour bus ride to Siem Reap, the heart of Cambodia. The long journey was filled with views of endless rice fields and flat countryside, with a memorable stop at Spider City. There, children no older than ten held giant tarantulas in the palm of their hand, offering us the chance to do the same for just one U.S. dollar. They laughed at my fear, and I shed a few terrified tears to Mr. Hayse. Meanwhile, Dave Wilson decided that just three days into the trip, it was the perfect time to eat a fried tarantula, describing the experience in one word: “crunchy.”

Siem Reap dazzled me with its vibrant nightlife. Markets bursting with colour, motorbikes weaving through the streets, and children as young as six holding signs, selling whatever they could to make a living. It was chaotic yet captivating, overwhelming yet beautiful.

For me personally, my favourite part of our trip was every moment spent in a small community called Trey Noar, where I met a little boy named Rhett. I will get to that in a minute. Looking back to these early moments, I find it funny how none of us realised just how rewarding, emotional, and life changing the coming weeks would be. In Trey Noar we split into two teams. One building a chicken coop for a family of four, the other constructing a playground for a local school. It was exhausting. The heat was relentless, our bodies ached, and spending hours running after playful children drained every ounce of energy. Every night, we slept like rocks, but I wouldn’t trade a single moment.

Over the following days, we rotated between projects, pouring our efforts into both structures. But more than just building, we were connecting. Each of us fully embraced the culture: Eating, dancing, and playing the way the locals did. The bonds we formed, the lessons we learned, and the moments we shared left an irreversible mark upon me. This experience didn’t just change my perspective, it changed me entirely. Rhett was a two year old boy living in Trey Noar. A 13^th century poet once wrote “Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words” and this perfectly describes the bond of Rhett and I. We spoke two completely different languages, however we found common ground making construction sites out of sand and sticks alongside lengthy games of chasey. Every morning my day would be brightened by this trouble making boy who lived happier than anyone I’ve ever met, yet he owned so little. No one I have met would cope under the conditions Rhett lived, but in the community you quickly learn it is the bonds and companionship that keeps the wheels turning.

After a week working in trey Noar, the team moved on to our final projects, building a house and painting a local school’s classrooms. Due to health issues, I was placed inside a classroom to teach primary school kids guided by a lovely teacher who brought me coffee in the mornings. Teaching was extremely rewarding as I taught the children simple English phrases in exchange to learn basic Khmer words. We danced and played sports and sang nursery rhymes. I cuddled the tired children when they cried for mum or fell over and scraped their knee. The passion, love and excitement these kids shared about the privilege of learning was incredible to witness.

Nothing has ever fulfilled me more than the 2024 Cambodia trip. I will never be able to fully capture the experience through words or photos, nor thank everyone enough who donated and organised the trip. I simply will continue on through life never forgetting the smiling faces, play dates with Rhett, delicious food, the Khmer language, gorgeous landscapes, making a difference and seeing undying hope in the eyes of locals. I have been permanently changed and I could not recommend the experience of volunteering enough. It was truly amazing.