April – Page 3 – Journeys Within Tour Company

Year 8: 2011

Posted by April on February 11, 2015 (Updated: 2015-02-12) | Leave a comment

In our 8th year, Journeys Within B & B became Journeys Within Boutique Hotel. Even with the hotel construction keeping things busy, the team still managed to make a lot of memories traveling around the region, making 2011 a very photogenic year!

2011

Milestones:

Journeys Within receives Global Vision Award from Travel + Leisure Magazine

Launched Journeys Within Family Adventure Tours

Journeys Within B & B becomes Journeys Within Boutique Hotel, opening 5 new guest rooms, a spa and a restaurant

Press:

Los Angeles Times: Beyond Angkor, Cambodia, a Khmer kingdom emerges from the jungle

Conde Nast Traveler: Andrea Ross – Top Travel Specialist

Budget Travel Real Deals: BT Flashback: Cambodia

The Constant Traveler: Travel Pioneers in Southeast Asia

Travel Weekly: An exceptional tour, traced to its roots

The Perrin Post: Family Travel Contest: Tips for International Travel with Kids

Shanghai Talk Magazine: Stepping Out & Giving Back

Key Hires:

Binh Houng:

What year did join Team Journeys Within?:

2011

What were your thoughts of the company that first year?:

For me, I have worked officially with Journeys Within since 2011 but I met Andrea in April 2010. We did great trip to Quang Ngai Long Wall, at that time it seemed that we are the first foreign group find the way to go there. And that was on my birthday, 3rd April and Andrea had a very kind decision: I can go home earlier and she will go to airport by herself. I can enjoy my birthday with my family. That was the first time I worked with her. She made me think about a real boss. So I met her and worked with Journeys Within’s clients until January of 2011. Of course, I agreed without being worry when she asked me to work as full time guide for Journeys Within.

Kanika Peou:

What year did join Team Journeys Within?:

2011

What were your thoughts of the company that first year?:

In first year, I thought that Journeys Within is quite busy because at that time Tour Company at Journeys Within Hotel were stayed together and it is under construction.

Special Memories from 2011:

2011 callie in kep — Callie relaxes in a hammock in Kep

2011 cambodia — A typical commute in Cambodia

2011 couper and the girls in kep — Couper, Srey Nut and Chen on a boat to Rabbit Island in Kep, Cambodia

2011 jwbh construction — The ever so stylish construction crew hard at work on the new bungalows at Journeys Within Boutique Hotel.

2011 kids playing at phic noy — Kids at play at Phik Noy in Luang Prabang, Laos.

2011 laos — Nicole captures the beauty of this sleepy village in Laos

2011 phnom penh — Andrea, Srey Nut, Chen, Couper and Callie hang out with a bear on a tour of the Phnom Tamao Zoo in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2011 sunset in kep — A picture perfect sunset in Kep, Cambodia

Brandon rides through the floods in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Flooding at Journeys Within Boutique Hotel.

The Journeys Within Boutique Hotel staff are all smiles while they work!

After living in Cambodia for years, Andrea still loves to explore hidden temples

Couper gets a visit from a friend from the US! Griffin and Couper discussing very important fishing skills before heading out for a swim.

A lone house among the flooded rice patties in Siem Reap, Cambodia

2011 april with a calf — April with a calf in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

2011 bangkok team — The Bangkok team and April enjoy dinner together

Callie and I on our way to Jeab's house — Andrea and Callie on their way to Jeab’s house in Bangkok

Andrea Ross and her best friend Andrea Marshall tour Thailand together

I’m pretty sure it doesn’t get much cuter than this picture of Callie in her pink tutu swim suit in the crystal clear waters

Callie tries out the famous street food in Bangkok

CIMG1177 — The Andreas on tour with Callie and friends

CIMG1130 — Callie always finds the camera – say cheese!

Couper, Chen, Srey Nut and Callie on tour in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Being kids at Rabbit Island — Best friends at Rabbit Island – Kep, Cambodia.

The Journeys Within Boutique Hotel staff and their families

Sunday Art Class at Journeys Within Our Community

Family of four on a single moto in Siem Reap, Cambodia

DSC_0037 (2) — A family on tour visits the village where they donated a water well through JWOC.

Srey Nut, Callie and Chen on a tuk tuk on their way to a play date in Siem Reap

Callie and Couper visit with their Nana in Halong Bay

Andrea and Binh sit down with a villager at the Long Wall

Brandon, Callie, Couper, Jo and Toby on a family vacation in Vietnam

Andrea remembers her river guiding skills and steers the boat in the Mekong

DSC_0433 (2) — Rosie, Khoa and Michelle’s daughter, on the Mekong in Vietnam

DSC_0427 (2) — Couper serenades Rosie and Callie while on a boat in the Mekong.

Callie and Couper giving alms at a temple in Vietnam

Andrea, Callie and Jo take a picture with their favortie tailors in Hoi An, Vietnam.

Callie poses in her Ao Dai in Hoi An, Vietnam.

DSC_0338 (2) — Callie, Rosie and Couper in the bus on tour in Vietnam

Brandon with his parents on flight to their next Vietnam destination

Andrea, Brandon, Callie and Couper visit a homestay in Cambodia with Narla

Brandon, Narla and the kids enjoy a picnic at a temple in Cambodia

Brandon, Callie, Couper and Andrea at a temple in Cambodia.

Year 7: 2010

Posted by April on February 9, 2015 (Updated: 2015-02-10) | Leave a comment

In our seventh year, Journeys Within coined our motto “Six Countries, One Team” when all of the country directors met in Siem Reap for our first ever director’s get-together.

2010

Milestones:

Journeys Within opens office in Vietnam

Journeys Within introduces hotel karma ratings

Press:

Conde Nast Traveler: Andrea Ross – Top Travel Specialist

Gadling.com: Women’s only adventures a popular option

Blast Magazine: Newburyport girls making a difference in Cambodia

Chicago Tribune: 15-day Culinary Immersion Tour

Los Angeles Times: Vacationing with charity-minded tour operators

INSIDE Magazine: Trust your Southeast Asia adventure to Journeys Within

Chicago Tribune: A Month on the Mekong

Key Hires:

Michelle Nguyen:

What year did join Team Journeys Within?:

2010

What were your thoughts of the company that first year?:

I felt excited to work with a team as passionate about travel, Asia and customer care as me. Despite being across six countries it is a close team.

Kate Tyler:

What year did join Team JW?:

2010

What were your thoughts of the company that first year?:

I thought, “Wow, everyone works so hard to make the best experience for every guest”

Sreyleak Ouk:

What year did join Team Journeys Within?:

2010

What were your thoughts of the company that first year?:

Good tour company and really appreciated Andrea’s thoughts. She is the absolute perfect relaxed boss who can run a tour company by herself.

Makara Put:

What year did join Team Journeys Within?:

Hello every body, I am Makara. I joined with Journeys Within since 2010. But I know Journeys Within for more than 6 years as I was a scholarship student of Journeys Within Our Community.

What were your thoughts of the company that first year?:

In the first year, I thought this team is amazing, because they have tour company that arrange tour for the travelers for 6 countries, they have a hotel, which is small, but get a lot of five star review form the guests, and they have NGO that provide a lot of supporting to Cambodia.

Special Memories from 2010:

callie on tour — Callie on tour in Bangkok. Yep, our guides are kid friendly!

2010 Andrea and April Cambodia — Andrea and April in Kep, Cambodia

2010 baby thomas — Callie was so excited to meet baby Thomas

2010 bangkok — Andrea takes a tuk tuk in Bangkok

2010 Callie and Couper — Callie and Couper catch the sunset at a temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia

2010 callie at preah vehir — Callie at Preah Vehir temple in Cambodia

2010 Callie in Vietnam — Callie gets measured for a new dress in Hoi An, Vietnam

2010 Cambodia Eco Lodge — Sunset at 4 Rivers Eco Lodge in Cambodia

2010 couper at koh ker — Couper after a fun day at the farm in Cambodia

2010 Directors get together 2 — Team Journeys Within at the Director’s get together in Siem Reap, Cambodia

2010 Friends in PNH — April and Andrea at Friends restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2010 Humm and DAisy — Humm and baby Daizy

2010 JWBH staff 2 — Christmas party with the Journeys WIthin Boutique Hotel team

2010 jwbh staff 3 — Journeys Within Boutique Hotel and Tour Company team dress in traditional attire

2010 JWBH Staff — Journeys Within Boutique Hotel team

2010 JWBH Trip Advisor Travlers Choice Award — Journeys Within Boutique Hotel team celebrates receiving a Trip Advisor Traveler’s Choice award

2010 Khoa — Khoa volunteers at a class at JWOC in Siem Reap, Cambodia

2010 Kiao and family — Kiao and her beautiful family

2010 kids in sapa — Couper and Callie with friends they made on a trek in Sapa, Vietnam

2010 Linda and the kids — Linda and her beautiful kids

2010 Markara and Narla at Christmas — Makara and Narla model their new shorts which they received at the Chirstmas party

Andrea, April and Kate really get into the spirit of Friday theme days, and dress as “gangsters”

2010 Narla — Narla volunteers at a JWOC class in Siem Reap, Cambodia

2010 nicole and phaeng — Nicole and Phaeng in traditional Lao attire for theme days in Luang Prabang, Laos

2010 Phaeng and the Hmong new year — Phaeng celebrates Hmong New Year with friends

2010 phnom pneh — A monk in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2010 Santhou Sina and Tin — Santhou, Tin and Sina figure out their next move for the first ever team Angkor Wat scavenger hunt.

2010 Scarlett baby — Another 2010 Team JW baby, Scarlett Cole, April’s daughter

2010 team jw — Team JW finds a way to stay together on the transfer into town

Year 6: 2009

Posted by April on February 4, 2015 | Leave a comment

In our sixth year, Journeys Within continued making the press for being pioneers in philanthropic travel, our team stayed busy not just planning and running guest tours but traveling throughout the region themselves, and Narla took his first trip to the US!