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Year 5: 2008

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In 2008 Journeys Within opened an office in Laos and was honored with a World Saver’s Award from Conde Nast Traveler.

village laos

2008

Milestones:

Started Journeys Within Laos Office

Journeys Within receives the World Savers Award from Conde Nast Traveler Magazine

US Office moved from Sacramento to Truckee, CA

Touring to these countries:

Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Burma

Press:

ABC News Money Matters: Socially Conscious Travel: Interview with Andrea Ross, CEO, Journeys Within Tour Company

Conde Nast Traveler: 2008 World Savers Awards

Conde Nast Traveler: 128 World’s Top Travel Specialists

Daily Traveler: Help Cyclone Victims in Myanmar

Conde Nast Traveler: Guilt Free Tripping

Elite Traveler: Journeys Within Cultural Support in Southeast Asia

LA Times Travel & Adventure: How to Positively Impact the World Through Travel

Key Hires:

Nicole volunteering at Phik Noy school in Luang Prabang

Nicole Long:

What year did join Team Journeys Within?:

I joined in 2008.  First, I joined the Journeys Within Our Community team in July of 2008 by heading the first branch out of our projects from Cambodia into Laos. Then in December of that year I joined the Journeys Within Laos office officially as Country Director.

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

I felt very excited to have an opportunity to work with this grassroots company that had a huge philanthropic heart in a country that was extremely unfamiliar to me. Sure, it was a difficult at times adjusting to a completely different world than the one I knew for the last six years working in NYC.  However, being in this exciting and sometimes overwhelming position taught me a great deal personally. It all forced me to reassess expectations and adapt myself to the ways and culture of Laos. It almost felt like my freshman year of college all over again!

phang2
Phaeng in Luang Prabang with a view of the mighty Mekong River

Houmphaeng “Phaeng” Phommaly

What year did join Team Journeys Within?:

2008

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

I am so excited at that time so I know this company would grow.

Special Memories from 2008:

1.Phaeng Finding new B&B hotel Sep2006
Phaeng and John head by motobike to look for office space in Luang Prabang
2.Phaeng TOur Inspection Jul2008
Phaeng, Seila and Kristina on a tour of the Mekong River in Luang Prabang
3.Boat Trip Pak Ou caves Jul2008
Seila and Phaeng at the Pak Ou Caves in Luang Prabang
jwoc kids
Preschool kids at Phik Noy School (which is sponsored by JWOC) excitedly wait new school uniforms
jwoc phik noy
Students at Phik Noy School in Luang Prabang. Look at those smiles!!
laos
Neon green rice paddies in Laos
laos2
A Buddha’s silhouette at Pak Ou Caves, Laos
Mekong trip in Can Tho with JW guests
Khoa guiding a tour on the Mekong Delta
phaeng
Phaeng, hard at work in the JW Laos office
Sunset over the Mekong in Luang Prabang, Laos
Sunset on the Mekong in Laos
2008-gavin-in-cnx
Tui, April and Gavin giving alms to a monk in Chiang Mai
2008-gavin
April’s son Gavin (2 years old) at a temple in Siem Reap
2008-april-and-chris
April and her husband Chris visit Angkor Wat for the first time
Narla, Jill, Seila, Sours, Makara meet at the lobby of Journeys Within B & B
Narla, Jill, Seila, Sours, Makara meet at the lobby of Journeys Within B & B

 … Read more »

Year 4: 2007

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growing team

2007

Milestones:

Andrea named a Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist for the first time.

Opened US office

Touring to these countries:

Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Burma

Press:

Condé Nast Traveler: 130 World’s Top Travel Specialists

Conde Nast Traveler: The Dream List – Experiences That Only Insiders Can Deliver

Key Hires:

April Cole:

aprilcole

What year did join Team Journeys Within?: 

2007

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

In 2007 Andrea had just been named a Conde Nast Traveler Magazine Top Travel Specialist and she wanted to make sure that the level of service that the company provided was up to the standard that the magazine had said it was – from the booking process all the way through to the tour. At that point she decided to open a US office and that’s when I applied for Journeys Within. From what I read about the company it was philanthropic focused, which was something very important to me, and also a great company to work for as it was family friendly, but I wasn’t sure if it could possibly be as good as it sounded. After I spoke with Andrea I knew that Journeys Within really was as good as it sounded and maybe even better! Andrea spoke with such passion about Southeast Asia, the tour company, JWOC, and her vision for the future of the company. I knew from that first phone interview that this was a great company to be a part of and that it had incredible things in store and I couldn’t wait to join the team!

Special Memories from 2007:

Original Koh Ker
We visit Koh Ker for the first time and start offering trips to this amazing temple complex. These more remote temples allow for a completely different temple experience, away from the crowds and bustle –getting there however, required some dedication. The tours included time with the “magic man”, a lovely man who is reported to be invincible.
floating forrest
Journeys Within also launches our first kayak trips through the flooded forest and out on the Tonle Sap Lake!
kids kids
Callie and Srey Nut start school, which the Journeys Within kids team continues to grow. (Couper seems to realize that as a boy he is outnumbered!) Andrea and Brandon head to Vietnam with the kids.
year 4
Andrea attends one of the first ever guide training dinners in Bangkok.
callie and boys at ocean
Callie sees the ocean in Phuket.

 

 … Read more »

December Giving

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Dear Journeys Within Guests,

Since December is the month of giving I decided to ask for a favor this month, then I realized that I hate asking for favors without giving something back, so here’s my idea…

Condé Nast Traveler’s December issue once again features me as a regional specialist (just to be clear, I know it features me, but I would be nothing without my amazing team, so I see and know that this is an honor for the entire company!). This is the fifth year in a row that we’ve been honored on this wonderful list and it makes a huge difference to our business as well as putting me in a network of other specialists who have the same passion and drive that we have here at Journeys Within. To celebrate being on it again this year and the amazing new Condé Nast Traveler website I am asking any past guests to go and either ‘like’ my profile or write a review. Since I like to get JWOC (Journeys Within Our Community) involved whenever I can, Journeys Within will donate $1 to JWOC for every like and $5 to JWOC for every review in the month of December. Just think, this money will go towards the JWOC Free Classes Holiday Events as well as helping with projects as we head into the New Year.

If you have the time please visit my Conde Nast page and write a review of your trip, or just ‘like’ my profile page and you’ll be helping me, Journeys Within and JWOC. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank you; we’re a small company and we don’t have a lot of advertising dollars so we depend on reviews from our past guests and referrals and this year has been amazing! So thank you for traveling with us and thank you also for passing our name along, we are honored!
All the best,
Andrea, Brandon and the Journeys Within Team… Read more »

Congratulations Andrea, on being named one of Conde Nast Traveler’s Top Travel Specialists Two Years in a Row!

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I want to take a moment to congratulate our Director of Tours, Andrea. She has been named a Top Travel Specialist for the second consecutive year in Conde Nast Traveler Magazine. The current August issue will be available in print within the next week.

Andrea was named a travel specialist not only because of her knowledge of the countries and her length of experience, but because of her continued efforts to maintain impeccable quality tour experiences and her personal passion for the company and the countries in which we tour. This spring Andrea personally conducted guide training in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. She also conducted numerous hotel inspections to make sure the hotels we offer are up to her strict standards of quality as well as inspected new hotels to offer to our guests. She opened up a new office in Laos and new Journeys  Within Our Community non profit in Laos. Needless to say it was a very busy off-season, but her continued efforts to improve Journeys Within are visible within every tour.

I am very proud to be a member of such a great team and to have a leader that inspires me to continue to improve not only my personal work ethics, but to also continue to improve the company and to continue to improve the quality of life for the people within the countries which we tour. I would like to express my most sincere congratulations to Andrea, I can think of no other person who deserves the title of Travel Specialist. … Read more »

"Voluntourism"

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Recently Brook Wilkinson came and stay with us at Journeys Within. She was writing a story about “voluntourism” for Conde Nast Magazine and wanted to do some research. We had a wonderful time hosting Brook and also showing her the language schools and our other Journeys Within Our Community projects.  She wrote an incredible article about the recent trend of volunteering while traveling, and we are proud to share it with you.

Here is a section of the article by Brook: “…I left Cambodia without the weight of the world’s problems on my shoulders. For once I stayed at a first-class hotel in the developing world and didn’t feel some shame at my good fortune. As Journeys Within president Brandon Ross put it, “You may not be able to change the world, but you can change lives.” Just as important was the faith my visit gave me in JWOC. The ideal voluntourism program aims to both make use of travelers’ time and earn their future support. After watching the staff—Americans and Cambodians—work so diligently, I knew that whatever money I could give them would be well spent.”

Please go to http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/detail?articleId=12200 to see the article in its entirety.

Below are a few pictures from Brook’s stay.

(Top: Brook volunteering at the language school. Bottom: a photo of Angkor Wat taken during her helicopter ride).

… Read more »