Soaking up the Sun!
July 6, 2026
Today was our first day of scuba training!! We started by getting fitted for all of our gear and then taking a quick refresher test of our knowledge of the elearning. Everyone passed with flying colors! Next, we headed down to the pool where our long day of training began. Meredith kept everyone laughing, even throughout the most boring lessons, always keeping it fun and exciting. Kenzie soaked up all the sun she could on her lunch break, and Evelyn was ecstatic about the fact that we were about to spend 3 days on a boat! Payton, Anna, and Elise spent the day joking around with their guide, Thomas, and we heard them giggling constantly. While the new divers were doing their training, the advanced girls spent most of the day hanging by the pool. Kate and Chloe told us all about their friends from home and we loved hearing their stories. Lainey, Baylie, and Lucy played Cabo which is our new favorite card game, ever since Lainey taught us all how to play. Once they were done with their training, Payton and Anna joined us and made a new furry friend with one of the dogs hanging out by the pool. As we headed back to the hotel it started to rain, so we decided to surprise the girls with takeout pizza, ice cream, and face masks! We went around the table sharing the highs of our day and our hopes for the next few days, as well as our “angels” (someone who made our day easier/brighter). We ended the night with a great moonup, led by Anna and Lucy, and went to bed excited for what the next few days on the water will bring!
First day scuba diving in the ocean on the Fourth of July, LETS ROCK! Our girls woke up to some holiday themed songs, had morning breakfast at the hotel and took off to our transportation where the final destination was our dive yacht. The girls all dressed in their red, white, and blue, prepared and checked all of their gear, got a boat debrief, and a dive debrief with instructors. Chloe, Bailey, Kate, and Lainey hopped in first for their first training exercises to become advanced. Kenzie, Evelyn, and Meredith laughed their way through all of their dives while Anna, Elise, and Payton made their instructor laugh the whole time. In between dives the girls were given amazing banana muffins they raved about the rest of the day. Lucy, Payton, Bailey, Meredith also played a card game “We’re not really Strangers” where you get to connect to who you’re playing with on a deeper level through a series of questions. The girls also had a huge reading circle including Elise, Lucy, Kenzie, Payton, Chloe, Kate and Lainey all giving each other updates about their books along the way. Lainey and Lucy are now both really close to finishing theirs! After our second dive we had chicken curry and rice on the boat and then the advanced group headed out for their third dive. They came back ecstatic about the colorful and fun fish they saw and also exhausted ready for a little nap in the sun. Lucy and Payton learned how to create a chevron friendship bracelet while Anna took off creating the most elaborate design seen yet. After our fun day out at sea we made our way back to the hotel where the girls showered and got ready for dinner. In honor of it being the Fourth of July for dinner we went to the Burger Daddy Restaurant where they all cheered upon arriving and bought merch of course. At dinner two games of Cabo were being played one side of the table with Evelyn, Kenzie, Meredith, and Elise was a nail biter, while the other side of the table was too busy laughing to know whose turn was next. Elise, Lucy, Anna, Chloe entertained the night away with fun family stories and favorite conspiracy theories. Chloe’s favorite conspiracy is that One Direction (the band) is secretly still together but they only perform for each other these days. Kenzie’s review of dinner was “I didn’t know one of the best burgers I have had in my life would be from Burger Daddy in Thailand.” After all the tummy’s were smiling and satisfied we headed to 7/11 to grab water and snacks for tomorrow. While grabbing the essentials Chloe also bought a balloon animal kit. The group is hoping she learns how to make other animals than a snake and surprises everyone with them. Regardless, the purchase has been such a good laugh from everyone.Walking back from 7/11 to the hotel Kate and Bailey were the best helping hands carrying all of our group waters and extra food. After we returned we had our group discussion led by our LOD’s Evelyn and Chloe. The girls each shared the talking space one by one and said this was one of their favorites so far and that good advice from their peers was given. After moonup the girls all hung out in each others rooms laughing some more before falling asleep having an awesome time celebrating the 4th from Thailand!
A full day on the boat and in the sun! We started our day with our yummy choice of breakfast at Green View, applied sunscreen and headed out for our day on the water. We had two dives today here in the national park, our first dive at Viking Bay and our second at Kon Bida Nok. Baylie, Chloe, Lainey, and Kate all finished their advanced diving certifications today! Everyone was able to see such cool creatures as sting rays, starfish, eels, and giant puffer fish. Almost everyone in the group saw a black tip reef sharks Lucy, Evelyn, and Elise saw the most snorkeling together! Our dives had the best visibility today with tons to see. Mackenzie finished her open water diver certification after seeing rays and eels. After working up an appetite, we were given sticky rice and chicken for lunch. Kate and Elise said this was one of their favorite meals yet! After our dives we spent time in the sun chatting, reading, and making friendship bracelets. Lainey already finished her book she started two days ago. Many of the girls are at the ends of their books planning to do a huge book swap with each other. Anna’s friendship bracelet making skills are unmatched. Payton, Meredith, Evelyn, and Lucy all learned how to make new and different types of patterns on their bracelets. Baylie has been on her journal grind documenting each day with sketches of fish she’s been seeing diving. After our nice long sunny boat ride back to shore we jumped in the pool to cool off and shower, before heading to dinner at the night markets. There’s food and stands of all kinds. The girls were all given money to go pick out whatever they wanted. For a lot of them it was an entree meal and rolled ice cream followed. The girls all shopped around for 2 hours buying gifts for others and themselves. After shopping till they dropped we were able to watch a fire show. Anna was able to capture the coolest video! All worn out and tired with bags full and full stomachs we returned to the hotel where Kenzie and Payton led our Moonup before heading to bed excited for our next and last day of diving!
Today was our last day of scuba!! We woke up to blue skies and beautiful weather which got everyone even more excited for our last day on the boat. Kate, Elise and Kenzie spent most of their time at the front of the boat, soaking up every last bit of sun they possibly could! Lainey started her third friendship bracelet in the past two days, and Chloe immediately dove back into her book. The girls have already gone through so many books and it’s been so fun watching them trade and have their own makeshift book club! Payton, Lucy, and Anna took lots of pictures, soaking in all of the beautiful views. Baylie continued her journaling and queued up songs on the speaker to help keep our vibes high. Anna and Payton went on their last dives with their hilarious dive guide, Thomas, and he filmed them doing flips and dancing underwater. Baylie, Kate, Chloe, and Lainey were able to see their first seahorse, and Elise, Evelyn, and Lucy loved chilling out and snorkeling, watching all the divers down below. We celebrated our very last banana muffins (the ones they give out in between dives have been a fan favorite) and we just enjoyed our time together in the sun. When we got back to the hotel we hung out at the pool for a bit before taking showers and starting to pack up for our travel day tomorrow. Then we went on a well deserved Starbucks run and got our last bit of Krabi shopping in. For dinner we went to a Mexican restaurant called Manana’s. They had sombreros and karaoke and we ended our night with one big dance party! All of the girls said it was their favorite night yet! We ended the night with a meaningful moonup, led by Elise and Meredith, and it left us feeling closer than ever. This group has been so awesome and we can’t wait to keep the good vibes going in Chiang Mai!!
Terrific Tales from Thailand!
July 2, 2026
Hello from Thailand!! On our first day we took a shuttle into the city of Bangkok to see the Grand Palace! Anna and Meredith bought a bunch of fun candies and snacks for everyone to try on our way there! During the drive, Elise and Chloe helped start crafting our playlist for the session. Once we got there, everyone was blown away by the temples. Kenzie kept expressing how excited she was to finally be in Thailand, and was in awe of the beautiful architecture. Lainey made sure to document it all on her GoPro, capturing memories for the whole group! We walked around and explored for a while, learning about the significance of each temple. Afterwards, we had lunch where Kate and Baylie taught us a new card game! Evelyn introduced us to the picnic game, and Lucy and Payton quickly joined in. After lunch, we walked around some more. Some girls bought elephant pants and some of their first souvenirs! When we got back to the hotel we had so much fun playing games like mafia and psychiatrist, taught to us by Meredith and Baylie. After playing games for a while we walked to dinner and then had our first official moonup! We went to bed early in preparation for our travel day to Krabi!
Today we woke up bright and early and headed to the airport for our flight to Krabi! Once we landed, we got settled at our hotel and immediately hit the pool! After playing a couple games, we decided to head to lunch and then took a walk down to the shops near the beach. The jewelry shop was a hit and so were all of the souvenir shops along the way. After our shopping adventure we had some chill time at the hotel before we headed to dinner. We surprised the girls with our favorite pizza place, for a little taste of home!! We ended the night with moonup and lots of excitement for our time in Krabi!
June 30
We started our day with our delicious breakfast at the hotel and silly breakfast conversations. After being filled with fresh fruit, pad thai, and omelets, we were shuttled to our climbing shop where we received our gear and safety briefing. We picked our helmets and our harnesses out and hopped on a long boat over to Railay Beach. Each of the girls took turns climbing and cheering each other on! Baylie and Katherine were huge cheerleaders for everyone as well as crushing the rock climb themselves. After all our climbing and cheering we jumped in the ocean and played in the waves. Our ocean swim turned into a giggle fest with Elise’s stories starting off one of our favorite group yap sessions so far! All that laughter worked up an appetite, next on our list was taking a nice beach walk over to our spot for lunch.Then we were able to hang out around nearby stores and go shop grab coffee and ice cream. Payton and Lainey had rolled ice cream for the first time! Chloe and Meredith then took over the station for making their own while the owner of the shop laughed with them. All sugar-rushed up, we headed up the mountain for some awesome cave views and repelling at the top. Evelyn was so appreciative of the scenery while coming down and really took in the views before we headed back down the mountain. When we returned to our hotel we had a group swim in the pool. Anna, Katherine, and Meredith made their own version of pool games and played together! After everyone showered and cleaned up we headed to one of our groups new favorite spots Jungle Kitchen. The girls got a taste of Thai hospitality as they really connected with our server and the family owners. After eating our variations of curry and other meals we headed to 711 for snacks and hydration refill. Our LODs Mackenzie and Chloe lead us into our group discussions and closing for the night. Need our beauty sleep for another fun filled day ahead tomorrow!
Day 5- 7/1
Today we woke up welcoming the cooling rain and cloudy skies! We huddled up for breakfast and got excited for our second day climbing. As we waited for our morning transportation, we played group games such as Ninja, I love London and one of Anna’s favorites that she taught to the group, Shake and Pop. Evelyn had the biggest smile on her face dancing to the beat of the music while learning the new games. While on the boat ride, Elise embraced the rain in the front of the boat while the group started singing sailor songs. After arriving at our climbing destination the girls absolutely crush it on the rocks. Lainey completed every single available climb while encouraging those around her to follow. Kate attempted one of the hardest climbs, after not reaching the top the first time she was determined and able to finish with her second attempt, showing the group what it means to believe in yourself and not give up! Kenzie quickly became one of the biggest cheerleaders for the group. While Anna suggested we play songs about the rain, Chloe practiced and taught techniques of how to do a handstand. Lucy was able to conquer her fear of climbing, and said she was proud of herself and happy she did it. After our forearms and biceps started getting sore, we headed to lunch where Payton taught and played a bunch of riddle games. For a sweet treat, the girls loved the rolled ice cream so much they decided to go back for seconds. Oreo flavor becoming the entire group’s signature order, Baylie and Mackenie shared a bowl, while Anna and Meredith the other. We took the boat back and immediately hopped in our pool to hang out. Another guest saw how much fun the girls were having and said we were welcome to borrow their pool floats all week. This ultimately led to an intense Volleyball game. Payton and Lucy becoming the volleyball net line on two long floats holding on to each other, while simultaneously being the line refs, and two teams competing for first in the order of showers. Team one being Evelyn, Lainey, Chloe, and Anna and team two being Elise, Kate, and Meredith. While the chaos in the pool was happening Kenzie caught up on her journaling in the lounge chair while Bailey sat next to her blowing bubbles over the girls playing for an extra sprinkle of fun! After team two took victory, we headed to Starbucks. Meredith inspired the group to get her favorite, chocolate chip cookies and Bailey inspired others with her favorite drink, the strawberry refresher- blended of course. We hit a few stores on the way home, Payton and others grabbing gifts for loved ones. At dinner, Lainey taught the group to play Cabo, Kenzie taught the group liar pyramid, and Evelyn and Bailey learned how to play Slap Jack! Meredith crushed everyone in Monopoly Go. Finishing our yummy dinner we headed to 711 for treats, snacks and refill of waters for our next day. Lainey and Kate led us into moonup after being awesome leaders of the day. We all got ready and said goodnight looking forward to what tomorrow brings!
Day 6 7/2
The girls woke up with huge smiles because they started the day with an extra hour of sleep and yummy food on the table waiting for them. After breakfast, the rain poured in and we met it by playing group games. Lainey taught the rest of the group how to play and it has now become our group’s favorite obsession! A few rounds of games and cards later we were able to head to Ao Nang beach. After arriving it started to sprinkle where we took cover for an early lunch in a cute cafe where the girls were stoked over smoothie bowls and brunch sandwiches. We were able to reach a more secluded beach by a cool wooden path surrounded by bamboo and ocean views, known as Monkey Trail. Surprise! There were multiple monkeys above hanging and jumping from tree to tree. The girls especially loved the baby monkey holding on to its mom. Payton, Anna, and Baylie practiced their photography skills and captured awesome pics of them all hanging in the trees. We were able to reach our destination and take in the views. After hanging out and returning we were caught in another rain shower where the girls braced themselves and five minutes to our shuttle. Kate and Lainey giggled the whole way splashing in their flip flops and vlogging on the GoPro. Kenzie gave words of encouragement to those around her from the rain as we headed back to the hotel. Another volleyball rematch was in order. Our pool float line “refs” (who were also able to hit the ball on either side of the net) were Bailey, Lucy, and Payton. Our special outside the pool ref was Anna as she made friends with the hotel cat. She was able to simultaneously keep her cat company and make the hard calls from the outside. Being a ref is no easy job with this group as the games get real silly and real competitive quick! On team one we had Chloe, Evelyn, and Katelyn. Team two was Gianna, Lainey, and Meredith. Team two took the victory after many redo serves, back and forth with our line refs, and celebrations! The storm continued to persist so the group split into spa day and group games! Everyone enjoyed each other’s company and just hanging out. After a long day hanging out splashing in the rain we went to a traditional Thai restaurant where Elise and Kate kept the dinner conversations so entertaining and Lainey encouraged people to Thai foods as one of her favorites here and back home is Panang Curry! Payton and Meredith led our group in discussion before the girls headed to sleep looking forward to our first day of Scuba tomorrow!
Baylie: Hi fam!! I am having so much fun! I miss you all so much tho. I have eaten so much Pad Thai and bought some elephants for everyone. Mum you would’ve loved the temples in Bangkok! Hope you all enjoy England and hope to see many photos!! I love you all so much, can’t wait to tell you all about it! 💗🐘
Lainey: Hi Mom and Dad! I’m having so much fun and everyone is so sweet and nice. I’ve bought so many souvenirs for everyone so look forward to those :). I hope you guys are having so much fun and Vietnam and I miss and love you guys so much!
Payton: Hi Mom and Dad!! I’m having so much fun on this trip and all the girls are the sweetest people ever. So far we’ve seen monkeys, the temples ( which were so pretty ), and also rock climbed! I hope you guys aren’t having too much fun without me! I’ve bought plenty of souvenirs as well. Miss you all so much💗!
Anna: Hey!! I’m having so much fun! We went to see the temples which was really cool. Then we were rock climbing! Tomorrow we are starting our scuba certification. We have also gone to the 7/11 a lot (there’s a lot of them here). I miss yall! Maybe check my fifth third account. Don’t really understand the baht to us conversions. Send this to Allie in her bunk note! Love Anna
Kate: Hi lol and dad! It has been so so fun so far! The first day we went to the the temples and now we are scuba diving and spent the last few days rock climbing which was sooo lit! Miss you guys like crazy and can’t wait to tell yall all about this trip! Also dad do you mind checking my account to just make sure I have enough to last me the rest of the trip:) there’s been lots of shopping and sweet treats! Love you both to bunches 🫶 Love Kate
Chloe: Hi mom and dad. I’m getting lit over here in Thailand. We saw these cool temples and were going scuba diving tomorrow. The group is great and believe it or not my bag is significantly smaller than everyone else’s. Please tell Emory, Niall, Kennon, Lilah, Parin, Cailyn, ro, Charlie, and the soirée that I miss them (text Emory and ask her to distribute updates) love y’all have so fun in BVI. -Love Chloe
Elise: Hiii mom and dad and moose and Simone!! Love and miss you all, having loads and loads of fun cannot WAIT to tell y’all all about it. You’ll be happy to hear I’m getting no sun here bc it’s a monsoon. love and miss u all!! Hope moose is having a blast in Iceland Complimentary message to Payton- miss u and love you sooo much! Can’t wait to hear catch up! I can already hear Lyd and Mattie saying “eliasssss” to me through the phone for saying this LOL! Bye love u! Also tell whales and sullnation I say hi and miss them! -much Love Elise
Lucy: hiii! So far this trip has been so so so cool and I’ve been trying so many new things like repelling down the side of an entire mountain!!! I still have only tried a little Thai food but it’s ok because every restaurant has chicken nuggets and they’re actually so good! I promise I’m not getting burnt this trip it’s been like a monsoon but at least it’s not too hot. Today we went on a hike and saw a whole family of monkeys and tomorrow we start scuba which I’m kinda nervous about but such a cool opportunity so we will see how it goes!! Ok I miss you all tons and I can’t wait to tell you everything!!!! Love love love- Lucy
Evelyn: Hi Mom and Dad!!! Miss y’all so so much! I can’t wait to tell you all about this trip. We’ve done so much already. We’ve climbed through a cave, rock climbed, and saw monkeys! Tell John and Collins I have already purchased their souvenirs and I plan to get some more (obviously for y’all too I just haven’t found the perfect one). I hope the Cayman Islands are a blast. I want to hear all about it when I get home! Can’t wait to see you in 2 weeks!!! Love, Evelyn 💕
Kenzie: Hii mom!! I miss you and Sylvie so much but I’m having so much fun. So far we have explored Bangkok which was so cool to see, rock climbed & repelled, shopped, hiked, and eaten LOTS of thai food. Also, after 2 very tiring days of rock climbing we got to sleep in today and have a spa day!!. I can’t wait to tell you all about it and about everything else. I got to see some monkeys today too on a walking trail and I saw a Komodo dragon yesterday on the beach which was super cool. I’m SO excited for the elephants but I think that will be in 5 or so days. Don’t even worry I have been very very careful and I have brought my EpiPens everywhere and have been very cautious trying new foods. I have also been very diligent about my bug spray so no mosquitoes for me. I have been told that I am the mom of the group because I am always reminding everybody about bug spray, and sunscreen. Rock climbing was very scary at first but it honestly wasn’t too bad once I was going. You would’ve absolutely hated it though. It’s been rainy but pretty views make it worth it. I can’t wait to tell you more and show you all the pictures we’ve taken. I love you so much!! Please don’t worry about me too much ❤️❤️ Love, Kenzie
Meredith: HEYYYYY dad, mom, jack, larn, and whoever else is reading!!! I’m in THAILAND!!!!!!! (Isn’t that so crazy to say🤯) This is most definitely the coolest place I have ever been, and it just keeps getting better! We saw these absolutely INSANE temples- so ornately decorated, and so so beautiful, we’ve seen beautiful beaches with these crazy rock/mountains popping out of the water, and just so much more(even monkeys in trees!!🥹) I’ve been trying different Thai foods trying to find my vibe(pad Thai, green curry, pineappple fried rice, and more) but don’t worry there’s also been a lot of chicken nuggets and fries(but to especially dad- I promise I’m trying to be adventurous, just a chicken nugget sounds undeniable sometimes😂😋)Wait also, y’all would all be so proud of me, I did ALL of the hardest rock climbing things, like at one point I had to Spider-Man my way up in the middle of a cave, but I DID IT!!! (And this isn’t like rock walls, this is straight wall of rock, no foot and hand steps, just like TINYYYY dents if u are lucky)The rain is so crazy here, like I was expecting rain, but we are in a MONSOON lol, but it’s a vibe😁I have gotten many a souvenir but I’m sure y’all are expecting that lol 😂, I’m trying to find something for everyone, so get excited!! Anyways I hope Fripp is an absolute blast, yay almost the 4OJ!! Tomorrow we go scuba diving for the first time, and I’m nervous but also really excited!! I love y’all SO SO SO much, but I have made some awesome friends and am having A BLAST!! Love y’all to the moon and back, can’t wait to see y’all in 2 weeks!! don’t worry about me at all, I promise im doing great!! SEE YALLLLLLL!🐘🇹🇭🧗♀️🤿💕 -love Meredith❣️❣️
Safe Arrival!
June 27, 2026
Hello Thailand Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure!
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
