conde nast traveler – Journeys Within Tour Company

Year 10: 2013

Posted by April on February 14, 2015 (Updated: 2015-02-13) | Leave a comment

We truly hope that our blog readers have had as much fun reflecting on the past 10 years as we have. Through these pictures we’ve been able to show how Journeys Within embodies the slogan “Six Countries, One Team, Countless Experiences”. Thank you for taking the time to share these memories with us – here’s to the countless experiences over the next 10 years!

Andrea is currently in Southeast Asia for touring and inspections and she’ll be blogging about her current trip. Although the 10 year blogs are done, stay tuned for blogs about what’s happening in Southeast Asia right now.

We wanted to end the 10 year anniversary blogs on a special note. With that, be sure to click the link and watch the video the team made for guide training 2013 here – Everybody Dance Now.

2013

Milestones:

Launched Journeys Within Luxury Experiences

Andrea named a judge for the Conde Nast Traveler World Savers Awards

Press:

Conde Nast Traveler: The Dreammakers: Wendy Perrin’s Top 150 Travel Specialists

ArchetypeMe: Tomorrow’s Trips Today: Cambodia

Salon: Your vacation is unethical

Asia Newswire: Journeys Within extends its philanthropic reach underwater

Way Beyond Borders: ‘Pinch me’ moments in Southeast Asia

Your Travel Choice: A Sustainable Journey in Angkor Wat

Key Hires:

Courtney Ridgel:

What year did join Team Journeys Within?:

2013

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

I thought that this was a great opportunity to get into an International Company that still operates with the efficiency and comradery of a small company. I really am interested in different people and cultures and I was so excited at the new adventure that Journeys Within presented.

Sokunna Chhe:

What year did join Team Journeys Within?:

2013

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

I preferred to work in the tour company because it is my dream and I quite love this job.

Miranda Minassian:

What year did join Team Journeys Within?:

2013

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

Over the year I have learned that what makes this company special is definitely the amazing cast of character we have working together. Everyone who works at Journeys Within, whether in California or on the ground in Southeast Asia is unique, passionate and giving of themselves. It makes for a great work environment and an unbelievable product.

Special Memories from 2013:

2013 andrea anna and binh — Andrea, Anna and Binh find the perfect temple

2013 andrea in cv — Andrea on a boat trip to the Cham Islands.

2013 anna and her boyfriend — Anna and her friend

2013 april and chris myanmar — April and Chris in Bagan

2013 bangko gt — Andrea and Ron head to Amita Thai Cooking School in Bangkok

2013 binh — Binh parasailing in Central Vietnam

2013 central vietnam — A picture perfect bike ride in Central Vietnam

2013 cnetral vietnam guides — Andrea, Anna and Binh at guide training in Central Vietnam

2013 elephants — A mama and her calf at Patara Elephant Farm, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

2013 flight of the gibbons — The Journeys Within team at Flight of the Gibbon in Siem Reap, Cambodia

2013 jw at the circus — Team JW at Phare Circus, Siem Reap

2013 makara narla kanika and linda — Makara, Narla, Kanika and Linda at dinner after the circus

2013 Rosie and Holly April — Rosie and Holly April, Khoa and Michelle’s daughters

575441_10200542513938242_468084659_n (2) — Regine and April meet the Bangkok team at Calypso Show in Bangkok

575447_10200542515538282_1771363924_n (2) — Regine and April at Lebua State Tower in Bangkok

734009_10200542497817839_1464825924_n (2) — A football game in the Shan state in Myanmar

935493_10200542515738287_918523562_n (2) — Songkran Festival in Bangkok

1010957_10151431963872391_569871954_n (2) — Phare Circus performers, Siem Reap

Halong Bay 6 — Courtney on a boat in Halong Bay

Year 9: 2012

Posted by April on February 13, 2015 (Updated: 2015-02-13) | Leave a comment

In our 9th year big things happened at Journeys Within – National Geographic Magazine named our Mekong Experience tour a “Tour of a Lifetime”, JWOC partnered with the Cambodian Ministry of Education to provide 32 schools with clean water, Andrea was named as an A-List Travel Agent by Travel + Leisure, and so much more – read on to find out more milestones of 2012.

2012

Milestones:

Journeys Within and The Marine Megafauna Foundation run the first Myanmar Culture and Conservation Tour

Mekong Experience tour was named a “Tour of a Lifetime” by National Geographic

Andrea named A List travel agent by Travel + Leisure Magazine

JWOC partners with Cambodian Ministry of Education to provide 32 schools with clean water.

Andrea, Callie and Couper moved to the US full time

Press:

National Geographic Traveler Magazine: 2012 Tours of a Lifetime

Conde Nast Traveler: 32 Trips of a Lifetime

Adventures All Around: Journeys Within Boutique Hotel

Trekaroo: Cambodia with Kids? Oh Yes!

Key Hires:

Anna Baldwin:

What year did join Team Journeys Within?:

2012

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

It was a pretty big move for me as I took over operations on the ground, almost immediately, so I’ll be honest it was all pretty daunting at first! But after no time at all I realized I had nothing to worry about. The reason Journeys Within is in my view one of the top tour companies in Southeast Asia is because it has one of the most talented and hardworking teams in the industry. Every single member of the company brings something new and exciting, with a unique passion and skill that develops every year. That first year I was introduced to some incredible people, from the guides that look after our guests on the ground, to our amazing Country Directors who help us develop these unique tours that set us apart us from other companies. Working with these people has taught me more than I ever could have hoped for or imagined.

Michelle Crawford:

What year did join Team Journeys Within?:

2012

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

A company that cares about their customers

Special Memories from 2012:

2012 andrea and nicole in klaos — Andrea and Nicole attend a Baci ceremony in Laos

2012 andrea and the girls — Andrea and the girls at the waterfall at Kulen Mountain, Siem Reap, Cambodia

2012 anna on a horse — Anna goes horseback riding at Happy Ranch in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

2012 april and kids song saa — April and her kids at Song Saa private island in Cambodia

2012 april and kids — April, Gavin and Scarlett at the waterfalls in Kulen

2012 directors meeting 1 — Couper, Brandon, Jeab, Santhou, Bee and Ron on their way to a team building activity in Siem Reap, Cambodia

2012 directors meeting horseback riding — Team JW rides off into the sunset. Siem Reap, Cambodia

2012 directors meeting view — The sun sets into the flooded rice patties in Siem Reap, Cambodia

2012 dre and drea — Andrea Ross and Andrea Marshall lead the Myanmar Culture and Conservation tour

2012 dre and the lady — Andrea had the rare opportunity to see “The Lady” Aung San Suu Kyi speak in Myanmar

2012 drea truckee — Andrea makes Truckee, CA her new home

2012 drea — Andrea at the Directors meeting

2012 gavin and couper — Couper and Gavin playing games while picnicing at Kulen Mountain

2012 gavin — Gavin explores the temples in the Rolous Group

2012 helicopter narla andrea anna — Narla, Andrea and Anna take a helicopter ride above Angkor Wat

2012 kanika — Kanika at the Directors Meeting

2012 kiao scarlett callie and sabai — One of my all time favorite pictures. Scarlett, Callie, Sabai and Kiao at Kulen Moutnain

2012 leak and kanika — Sreyleak, Win Win and Kanika enjoy a picnic at Kulen Mountain

2012 linda and leak — Linda and Leak are ready to go horseback riding!

2012 linda — Linda’s got her eye on you. Watch out!

2012 luang prbanag — Catching the sunset in Luang Prabang

2012 monk 2 — Anna always takes the most beautiful portraits on her travels. She shared this one she took of a monk at Angkor Wat.

2012 myanmar conservation tour — The Myanmar Culture and Conservation Tour group

2012 narla — Narla at the Directors Meeting

2012 nicole and andrea — Nicole and Andrea aren’t afraid to get muddy when they are out on tour in Laos!

2012 santhou — Santhou on a boat. (Have you noticed we have a theme going on here? Lots of boats in Southeast Asia!)

2012 scarlett — Scarlett loves the new Journeys Within Boutique Hotel Kidz CLub

2012 sina and scarlett — Sina and Scarlett explore the temples.

2012 song saa — The sunset at Song Saa Private Island, Cambodia

2012 team jw 2 — Team JW gathers for a group photo at a secluded temple after their horseback ride

2012 team jw 3 — Journeys Within will make you, Jump! Jump!

jwjr — JW Jr. hard at work in the Truckee, CA office

dre in truckee — Andrea enjoys the winter at her new California home.

2012 anna and andrea at the siam — Anna and Andrea at The Siam hotel in Bangkok, Thailand

2012 bangkok — Wat Arun, Bangkok, Thailand

2012 breakfast — Somebody’s got to try the breakfast to make sure it’s good enough for our guests. These waffles at The Siam hotel breakfast got the thumbs up from us!

2012 cambodia 2 — Kids and water buffalo, as seen from a bike ride through Siem Reap, Cambodia

2012 nicole in laos — Nicole on a boat. Again.

2012 team bike ride — Team JW get some rest after a beautiful bike ride to the temples in Siem Reap.

2012 view of angkor wat — The view of Angkor Wat from the helicopter

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!