Employee Reflections: Cambodia

Over the past 10 years Team Journeys Within has enjoyed many special memories. Over the next few weeks we are going to highlight some of the favourite memories from our 6 country offices.  Take a look at our flagship Cambodia office’s thoughts on their best memories and how the company has changed over the years.

Been to Cambodia with Journeys Within? This is the team that helped make it happen! Here they talk about some of their most memorable moments!

Ouk Sreyleak:

What are your thoughts about Journeys Within now?

Best of the best tour company.

What are your thoughts on the next ten years (or just the future) for Journeys Within?

Millions times as successful, because of the best tour leaders and the best services that each country provides.

What is your favorite memory working with Journeys Within?

Becoming a Journeys Within member, joining the guide training & Directors meeting and enjoying fun times with the team. To have small lunch or dinner party for each staff birthday in special. When we receive the news every day with all different country visits, I am excited — it’s seems like I am traveling everyday too.

Miranda Minassian:

What are your thoughts about Journeys Within now?

Last year was a learning curve, so in the next year I am really looking forward to getting into the nitty gritty of what makes our tours the best and helping develop the future.

What are your thoughts on the next ten years (or just the future) for Journeys Within?

I think the company’s philosophy over all is to provide the best experience for our guests and to protect the places we operate as much as possible so I see sustainable growth in Journeys Within’s future. Specifically, I see us moving to extend the services we offer to more remote regions to ensure we maintain the quality of our tours.

What is your favorite memory working with Journeys Within?

Kanika and Leak’s birthday was one of my favourite events of 2013. Having Nicole here from Laos made the evening extra special, as did my first ever Cambodian karaoke experience. My top memory has to be visiting the 4 Rivers Floating Lodge with Anna. We did their Ta Tai waterfall trip and had the place to ourselves. It was truly spectacular.

Sokunna Chhe:

What are your thoughts about Journeys Within now?

I thought it was really enjoy to training with Journeys Within after 3 months pass. That’s good for me because it made me realize new things about this job and improved a lot my experience.

What are your thoughts on the next ten years (or just the future) for Journeys Within?

Next 10 years more I think the company will be more improving and can help unemployed people get work too.

What is your favorite memory working with Journeys Within?

One thing that I did not forget is we danced all together with the office staff after dinner. I never use to before and  I really enjoy, it’s a good memory for me.

Brandon Ross:

What are your thoughts about Journeys Within now?

I am really glad I work with the team I have. Journeys Within feels like a really small group but every time people ask me how many people we have working at Journeys Within I am amazed at the numbers because it feels way too tight of a group to have gotten so big. And then when I think about how many different nationalities are working together it makes it more incredible how well we work together. Maybe it is because we are so different and the people that work for Journeys Within are interested in learning new cultures that we enjoy each other so much.

What are your thoughts on the next ten years (or just the future) for Journeys Within?

Journeys Within has done a great job to go from start up to running great tours in Southeast Asia. I think Journeys Within will keep looking for new ways to see the countries, new ways to for guests to see the countries we love.

What is your favorite memory working with Journeys Within?

Flying into Siem Reap airport in 2003 and looking at the rice fields and realizing that we were about to start something in a place that was very different from back home.

Kanika Peou:

What are your thoughts about Journeys Within now?

Journeys Within is a nice team and getting more busy now so that mean company is growing up now when we have much more guest traveling with us.

What are your thoughts on the next ten years (or just the future) for Journeys Within?

For the next ten years I think Journeys Within will be a big company as Southeast Asia is getting busier and many guest traveling with us.

What is your favorite memory working with Journeys Within?

My favorite memory working horseback riding with the team in 2012 it is the time that I meet all the team in Cambodia, sharing smiles and experienced.

Also in Jun 2013 we joined the Flight of the Gibbon in Angkor Archaeological Park. This is my first time to go in such a high place. It was scary but I have a fun times with Linda, Leak, Narla & Regine.

Anna Baldwin:

What are your thoughts about Journeys Within now?

I’m still as in love as I was on Day 1 : )

What are your thoughts on the next ten years (or just the future) for Journeys Within?

To look back and see how far the company has come in just the three years I’ve been here is amazing. I think now Southeast Asia is more popular than ever and there are so many opportunities for exciting new projects and company expansion. I can’t wait to see what the future brings! I have a couple of specific ideas but you’ll just have to wait and see…

What is your favorite memory working with Journeys Within?

It is literally impossible for me to pick just one, even in just two years! When looking back I can’t believe how many incredible experiences I have had so far…

I think overall some of my absolute favorite memories come from the time that my parents came to visit Southeast Asia. They visited Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, and all the tours were booked through Journeys Within. I had already been in Cambodia for a year by this time so they were dying to get to know the area better and meet the people that I worked with. They were not disappointed. Seeing the additional effort that the team made with my family was truly inspiring, from inviting them over to their house for a traditional meal, or organizing some kind of little surprise just to make their visit that bit more special.

Seeing the way Journeys Within welcomed in my family was the best experience I could ever have hoped for, because I know this produced some of the strongest and most significant lifelong memories for both myself and my parents.

Linda Chhay:

What are your thoughts about Journeys Within now?

That is really cannot compare with the first year that I started work, it’s grown-up a lot from 2011-2013 because now we start to have more people such as the good team work at Journeys Within and a lot of new itinerary every day.

What are your thoughts on the next ten years (or just the future) for Journeys Within?

A lot of people know about Journeys Within and we can compare with the other big company.

What is your favorite memory working with Journeys Within?

That is the good memory for me and Andrea and the other staff work with Journeys Within is the first trip in my life go to Singapore together.

Michelle Crawford:

What are your thoughts about Journeys Within now?

Journeys Within is a great company that caters towards guests’ unique and awesome experiences – it’s so rewarding seeing people so happy and grateful when they stay at Journeys Within Boutique Hotel.

What are your thoughts on the next ten years (or just the future) for Journeys Within?

I think Journeys Within will grow as more people are starting to want their holidays custom made, with a family feel, and this is where Journeys Within has its strengths

What is your favorite memory working with Journeys Within?

Khmer New Year April 2013 we closed the hotel for a couple of days, so the staff could go to their homeland and celebrate Khmer New Year with their families. The night before the holidays we had a party with the staff and their families where they enjoyed the hotel to themselves for once, everyone had so much fun eating BBQ and swimming in the pool.

Narla Phay:

What are your thoughts about Journeys Within now?

I think Journeys Within growing very fast from one year to next. Such a great team to working with and I love my job and people around me. This is the place that was building up my future and be happy as I am now.

What are your thoughts on the next ten years (or just the future) for Journeys Within?

Next 10 years Journeys Within going to be more expert on arranging package tour for you and became a big company with strong teams. Of course number of tour each year will be more and more. This is what I was thinking.

What is your favorite memory working with Journeys Within?

My favorite memory working with Journeys Within is my first trip to Vietnam in April 2008. I’m very excited for my first time outside of country and on the airplane. I would say big thanks to Andrea for gave me this opportunity. This is the best memory that I never forget in my life.

Makara Put:

What are your thoughts about Journeys Within now?

Now every part of Journeys Within are still run well event better. The hotel is having twice size, tour company is known for arranging trip in Southeast Asia, they have more tours and more customers from one year to another. The NGO is well known locally as a great organization that helped and is still helping a lot of students to study in university, and is also helping communities by provide clean water wells, hygiene training, water filters, and micro loans.

What are your thoughts on the next ten years (or just the future) for Journeys Within?

I think in the future this team will be bigger, have more supporters and become more popular.

What is your favorite memory working with Journeys Within?

The favorite memories that I will never forget is two different things. First, Journeys Within Our Community gave me a grand gift or a University Scholarship in 2007;  I wouldn’t be here without it. And then in 2013 Journeys Within Tour company provided me my biggest travel opportunity to go to USA — I have never thought that I could see another world.  Cheers Team!

Naida Dizdarevic:

What are your thoughts about Journeys Within now?

I’m happy to work with a company that clearly takes responsibility to improve the countries they work in through supporting different community projects and helping people to develop. I’m happy that our guests get to see that and get to help as well if they wish.

What are your thoughts on the next ten years (or just the future) for Journeys Within?:

I’m sure that Journey Within will continue to offer responsible tourism options in an even greater capacity as it feels that the industry is developing that way.

What is your favorite memory working with Journeys Within?

My favourite moment so far is when me and Miranda got to go on a helicopter ride over Angkor Wat. It was magical!