I had the great honor of hosting the first Destination Thailand festival held in Toronto last month and had an absolutely fantastic time.

The Destination Thailand event was organized by the Thai Embassy in Ottawa to promote Thai culture to the world, and what better place to start than Toronto, Canada. It was a wonderful big event, but what struck me most about the day was how involved and excited the people who participated were. We had a wide assortment of participants from across the Kingdom: Thai traditional dancers, musicians, culinary artists, boxers, and massage therapists were just some of them. The Smiling Albino team from Calgary was even able to come participate along with some long time SA customers and fans who came to support.

It was an amazing and energetic crowd and it reminded me of how special the people of Thailand and Southeast Asia are and how fortunate we have been to have had the opportunity over the past decade to interact with a great assortment of people – clients, partners and employees alike.

Many of you have met some of these special people over the years – Mr. Jeep in Chiang Khong, Mr. Bird in Chiang Rai, or Mr. Barang in Cambodia, Oi in Krabi, Lam in Vietnam, Mads and Clare in Nepal… That’s not even to mention all of you who have booked a trip with Smiling Albino have been touched by the people who work in our office and put the pieces of the puzzle in place to make sure you have an outstanding holiday.

Each of these people has made a difference to countless numbers of our friends and customers by just being their vibrant, enthusiastic and genuine selves.

I’m taking this opportunity to thank all of these people who have touched my life and so many of your lives through your experiences with Smiling Albino. I would love to hear back from you about any anecdotes that have stuck with you over the years since your first Smiling Albino experience about some of these special people so that I reflect back on them the impact that they have had on you. Please send them to me at dan@smilingalbino.com

I am lucky to be part of this, and thank you!

Safe travels!

Daniel B. Fraser

Adventure Highlights:

Surveying Chiang Dao

When we say that we personally scout every area, eat at each restaurant, source and train every guide/host, sleep in every hotel bed, ride the bikes, board the boats and scratch the elephants, we really do take our wholehearted promise to you, the traveller, seriously. We work hard to ensure every tour is highly original, well thought out, oozing value, and most importantly a trip we’d take our friends and families on.

During the seasons when there are fewer clients travelling and, at times, adverse weather conditions, our adventure specialists are often out in the field (literally) to discover and survey new resorts, sites of interest, outdoor activities and routes.

This is a tale of our intrepid Adventure Consultant, Queen who, along with our local guide, Eak, set out to survey a new trekking route in Chiang Dao.

Chiang Dao, an area dominated by national parks and a town of the same name, 80 km north of Chiang Mai, is regarded by many as the most beautiful scenery in Northern Thailand.

Chiang Dao’s most striking feature is Doi Chiang Dao, Thailand’s third highest mountain at 2225 m, which plays host to an abundance of wildlife and nature. It is one of the lesser-visited, but nonetheless interesting Thai birding sites. The area is also known for it’s famous caves.

Queen and Eak were on the final day of their survey of the region, driving into the jungle along a newly identified trekking route. Monsoonal rains, however, proved too unyielding, and their truck got hopelessly stuck in the rain-saturated red clay track. It took them hours to free themselves, and finally with the help of friendly passing locals, they made it out and back to Chiang Mai where Queen finally caught her thrice re-booked flight back to Bangkok.

The first-hand observations, incredible photos and new friends Queen acquired on this survey were immediately incorporated into our Northern Thailand Adventure Tours. Come the dry season, this trek will be a unique and rewarding experience.

Surveying Laos, in photos

Our Director of Sales and Business Development, Stephanie, spent a week surveying new resorts, activities and locations in Laos earlier this month, and she captured some great shots, a sampling of what our Classic Laos Trip has to offer. Don’t hesitate to contact our team for up-to-date Laos travel and accommodation information. Click here for inquiries.

What’s Going On

New Dynamic App Explores European Heritage Sites in Thailand

The European Union launched the “European Heritage Map and Cultural Calendar” smart phone application on October 13^th, 2014. This content-rich app describes, illustrates and locates 250 European heritage sites throughout Thailand. The criteria for the entries were “remarkable locations that share common heritage resulting from centuries of Thai-European interactions”.

Smiling Albino’s Daniel Fraser emceed the intimate event, hosted by H.E. Mr. Luis Barreira de Sousa, Portuguese Ambassador to Thailand, on behalf of the European National Institutes for Cultural Thailand at his splendid riverside residence, the oldest European Diplomatic mission in Bangkok.

The comprehensive app, developed by Talisman Media, is a valuable resource for history enthusiasts, locals and tourists alike. It also provides an up-to-date “European Cultural Calendar” that lists up-coming events organized by EU member States’ embassies and cultural institutes in Thailand

It’s a really cool free app! Search “European Heritage” in your app store now. Available for Android and iOS.

Smiling Albino Wins Expat Entrepreneur Award

On October 14th, Bangkok’s expat community gathered at the Rembrandt Hotel to drink free beer recognize outstanding expat businesses. For the first time, companies established in Thailand by the country’s expatriate community were honoured for their creativity, ingenuity, excellence and proven success in The Expat Entrepreneur Awards 2014. Supported by The BigChilli Magazine in conjunction with BNOW, Bangkok’s networking community group, the Award highlighted the contribution foreign operated businesses make to Thailand’s economy.

The awards night was well-attended, and as our own Adventurer-in-chief, Daniel Fraser was hosting a trip, SA’s Marketing Mahout, Andrew Clark was there to accept the award on behalf of the Smiling Albino team. Smiling Albino thanks all who participated.

PURE Life Experiences 2014

We will be back at PURE LIfe Experiences 2014, November 10-13 in Marrekech. We look forward to seeing you there at the global marketplace of high-end experiential travel!

New Connections

Soneva Kiri

Soneva Kiri is pleased to announce a new direct flight service to Siem Riep. Launching on 16th November 2014 with a special introductory offer! Two flights a week linking Indo China to the beautiful beaches of Koh Kood.

Halong Bay

Seaplane Flights are now available from Hanoi airport to Halong Bay! A 30-minute flight or 45 minutes with some sight-seeing. Reasonably priced, quick and easy with fabulous aerial views over the countryside and experience the thrill of a water landing at the Tuan Chau Island Marina.

Contact Smiling Albino today for all your travel needs.

The post People Drive Adventures – Albino Smiles Oct., 2014 first appeared on Smiling Albino.

Don’t let all the organizational tasks crash a holiday

“Okay, keep your foot on the brake and shift the car into reverse.”

My friend’s daughter gingerly handles the gear shifter and awkwardly moves the column one position down from “Park.”

“All right, good, now turn yourself around and look out the back window.” She let her foot off the brake and turns right around in her seat. The car begins a slow roll backwards.

“No! Keep your foot on the brake!” her dad says.

She slams her foot onto the brake and the car jerks to a stop. She tries again, the delicate and unfamiliar dance of keeping an eye out the back window, gently letting off the brake and easing the car backwards out of the driveway.

Anyone who remembers when they first learned to drive or who has taught a youngster to drive will know exactly how this story goes.

When a new driver starts out, every single task that she is responsible for seems awkward. There are so many things to remember: check the surroundings, check the mirrors, brake on, change gears, let off the brake, push the accelerator, turn on the signal, turn off the signal, turn on the headlights, and so on and so on.

As a driver becomes more competent over time, these things become second nature and the process of driving becomes far less mentally demanding to the point that for many people going for a drive is a fun and relaxing pursuit.

So it is with anything that we are unfamiliar with.

When it comes to travel, we know that “anyone can do it.” Just like my friends daughter “knows” how to drive, it is certainly more than possible to go through a holiday by managing everything yourself, but that can lead to more hassle and possible wrong turns than you often realize, which can lead to friction between traveling members on holiday. While it gets you from point A to point B, there might be something great around the corner that you don’t want to miss, and something that makes all the difference.

Smiling Albino has the experience and expertise that allows holidays to occur as second nature, allowing you the opportunity to enjoy your holiday for the fun event that it is, rather than the stressful and harrying thing that it could easily become when you try to juggle all the details yourself.

For more information about Smiling Albino and what makes what we do so special, contact one of our travel enthusiasts today to ask about your next holiday.

Daniel B. Fraser

What’s Coming Up…

Explore Myanmar with Smiling Albino Founder Dan Fraser November 16 – 26, 2014

All that glitters, Asia’s Golden Land: Magnificent temples, remote villages, historic journeys, Colonial hill stations, stupas glittering gold, thousands of Pagodas, leg rowers and smiling faces…

Myanmar, or Burma as it was formerly known, holds great mystery, beauty and legend. From Himalayan Mountains in the north, to stunning ancient temples, enchanting lakes and soulful people, we’ll enjoy an experience in one of the world’s last unexplored corners in style.

We’ll take you on an intimate exploration of the remote countryside, to the thousands of pagodas of Bagan and finally the photographic haven of Inle lake. We’ll engage and learn from the Burmese people from floating villages to hill stations, and from markets to monuments.  Rudyard Kipling once described Myanmar as “quite unlike any place you know about”, and we invite you to come and discover the spirit and hidden corners of this nation on the move.

Explore Myanmar with Smiling Albino Founder Dan Fraser: New 2014

This special Myanmar experience will be hosted by Smiling Albino founder Daniel Fraser.

Creative Bangkok

October 12-17, Bangkok

Smiling Albino’s Dan Fraser will be a keynote speaker and “walkshop” presenter for the international creative symposium called Creative Bangkok taking place at various venues around town October 12-17, 2014. Creative Bangkok is six days of creative immersion that will enable you to think outside the box to leap over your challenges.

For more details and program, visit Creative Bangkok’s website.

Reminder

Destination Thailand Lands in Toronto!

If you are in Toronto, Canada Sunday, September 14, be sure to drop by the Smiling Albino booth at Destination Thailand at Yonge-Dundas Square and say “hi”!

The Destination Thailand Festival will showcase the best Thailand has to offer to Canadians and tourists from around the world. The event will feature famous Thai food from local restaurants, Muay Thai, traditional Thai dance, exotic fresh Thai fruits, Thai handicrafts, authentic Thai massage, world class Thai beer, live entertainment, lucky draws, and much more. Smiling Albino’s Adventurer-in-chief Dan Fraser will be emceeing the event and you may even be able to join him for a coffee (or Singha beer depending on the time) at the Smiling Albino booth. Please visit Destination Thailand on facebook at www.facebook.com/DestinationThailandToronto

The post Albino Smiles September 2014 – Enjoy More Travel Value first appeared on Smiling Albino.

Smiling Albino provides insider access experience.

Which would you prefer – front row seats at a Rolling Stones concert, or a fold up chair in the corner where you can only view the band from an oblique angle?

It’s a no-brainer, right? Of course the front row seats are obviously better. That is… unless the fold-up is backstage and you’re sitting next to Neil Young and Bono who are enjoying the show with you.

I hesitate to compare a Smiling Albino adventure with backstage access at a Rolling Stones concert, for we’re far less noisy, however I think you understand the point. Often times, it’s more than just getting off the beaten track that leads to a more memorable experience.

Over a decade ago, when we first started planning our Smiling Albino experiences, we asked ourselves what events in life are truly memorable, and why? What is it that gives an experience impact and value?

We’ve found that in our time of on-the-ground planning and delivering trips for our friends and guests that the best experiences are usually a blend of both visited –  and less-visited – sites woven together into tasty brew of “seeing the sites” and experiencing the culture through the eyes of a local, and with a little creative flair added in, just for the memories.

Some outstanding experiences we have delivered recently:

– a private art tour hosted by one of Vietnam’s former Communist Art Police agents

– family bamboo raft building, then cruising it downriver in Northern Thailand

– A street-food adventure via motor-scooter and tuk-tuk in lesser known corners of Old Bangkok

For some, a holiday is checking items off of someone else’s list of things that they would like to see or do. Smiling Albino adds the insider access that oils the machinery of a great trip and ensures that in addition to those highlights, you also have something quite unique and memorable to bring home with you. Contact us today to find out how we can tailor an experience for you that you’ll be talking about for years to come, backstage, or otherwise.

Daniel B. Fraser

Adventure Highlights

From our Blog: Naypyidaw: Capital City Built from the Ground Up

Naypyidaw: Capital City Built from the Ground Up

Myanmar is a land that’s been essentially cut off from the world for the better part of five decades. Over the past few years, much has been written about its first official steps into the 21st century as the military slowly (sloooowly) loosens control on media, politics, and travel. Read more…

Dan spent a week in Myanmar in July finalizing the finishing touches for our newest tour edition “Asia’s Golden Land”. First adventure will happen this November! See full itinerary here. Contact Smiling Albino for inquiries and questions!

What’s Going On

Expat Entrepreneur Awards 2014

Held for the first time by The Big Chilli magazine and networking community Bangkok Now (BNow), the awards recognise expat-established companies for their creativity, ingenuity, excellence and success. Smiling Albino’s very own Daniel Fraser has been selected as a candidate. Check out his “Nomination VDO” here…

Destination Thailand Coming to Toronto Sept. 14

Destination Thailand is the first Thai Festival to take place in Toronto’s world famous Yonge-Dundas Square this coming September 14. Smiling Albino’s Dan Fraser is honoured to emcee the event which will showcase the best Thailand has to offer to the Canadians and tourists from around the world. The event will feature famous Thai food from local restaurants, Muay Thai, traditional Thai Dance, exotic fresh Thai fruits, Thai handicrafts, authentic Thai massage, world class Thai beer, live entertainments, lucky draws, and much more. Please visit Destination Thailand on facebook at www.facebook.com/DestinationThailandToronto

What’s Coming Up…

Smiling Albino is offering three new and innovative Southeast Asia travel experiences.

Since 1999, Smiling Albino has been crafting memorable travel experiences in Southeast Asia and Nepal by capitalizing on local knowledge and personal connections. This year, Smiling Albino is offering three new and innovative tours for the active, luxury travel market: Multi-transport adventure through Myanmar, Insider’s Access SE Asia, and Luxury Train & Bike Adventures. These new experiences have been made possible by recent travel ban relaxations in Myanmar, new luxury en-suite train cars in Thailand and Smiling Albino’s tireless search for new and interesting local characters throughout the region. The Insider’s Access experiences feature everything from art discovery in Hanoi with a former communist art policeman, to market tours with acclaimed chefs in Bangkok, to walking tours of Phnom Penh with foreign and local journalists, to aerial discovery of outer Angkor with expert cartographers, to name but a few.

Contact Smiling Albino for inquiries and questions!

Connect With Smiling Albino!

Facebook and Twitter: “Like” and “follow” us on Facebook and Twitter and you will get tuned-in to the latest breaking news and hot tips on travel and adventure in Asia. Planet Asia Travel Channel: Subscribe to the Planet Asia Travel Channel and receive expert advice and insider tips on travel in Asia from the team at Smiling Albino and our network of in-the-know locals, expatriates, and travel enthusiasts. NEW on Google+ and Pinterest: Now even easier to connect and stay up to date with us! Contact: Get a hold of us any time.

The post More Experiences with Insider Access! – Albino Smiles August 2014 first appeared on Smiling Albino.

The unexpected is a part of life, and sometimes, when it is sudden and provokes an emotional response, we call it surprise. We’ve all experienced surprise and know that it can be neutral, pleasant, or unpleasant.

Smiling Albino of course likes to focus on the best kinds of surprises, and operating from our base in Thailand for the past decade and a half, we have definitely had our fair share of surprises – most of them delightful.

One of my fondest memories of the early days of Smiling Albino’s is from when I was exploring Northern Thailand for the first time in order to craft something special for our guests. I was fortunate to meet the famous Thai artist, Sangiam Yarangsee, in the rural town of Doi Mae Salong. I was a total stranger to him at the time, but he surprised me with his profound hospitality. He took me into his home and introduced me to his family, the culture of the region, and his art. I have returned to Doi Mae Salong hundreds of times since and hosted scores of guests in the region.

The fond recollection of that experience, and others like it, are a consistent thread woven through my memory of the time I have spent in Southeast Asia, it is that type of surprise that I hope our guests have on every Smiling Albino trip. It is the kind of experience that we as a team aim to integrate into every program that we deliver.

Whether it be the friendliness of the Thais, the enthusiastic hospitality of the Cambodians or the sincerity of the Vietnamese in their interactions with us, I am sure that the surprises we deliver will continue to be positive. I’ve always believed that you don’t spend your valuable time and money for two weeks of holiday. You travel to be surprised and delighted with memories for the next 50 weeks that you’re back at work. That surprise, when well crafted, creates the memory. This is an art and a passion and we love that our guests are the beneficiaries of this little joy of ours. Call me today to find out how we can surprise and inspire you for the year to come!

Daniel Fraser,
Smiling Albino Adventurer-in-Chief

Adventure Highlights:

Travel Myanmar with Adventurer-in-Chief Daniel Fraser

We have dedicated two years of surveying and exploration to create a Myanmar adventure that has the Smiling Albino magic our guests have come to count on.

November will be the launch our new “All that Glitters, Asia’s Golden Land”! An amazing 10 day excursion through Myanmar’s stupas, villages, mountains, rivers and pagodas, led Smiling Albino founder, Daniel Fraser!

We can’t wait to share a Myanmar adventure with you like the old days. See the full tour itinerary online. Contact us for more details

What’s Going On:

From our Blog: Confusion vs. Comfort and Ease

Have you been here before. . . you stumble off a long plane ride, jetlagged and hungry, grab your bags, and then ask the big question: how do I get to my hotel?

We share our recommendations written from decades of travel experience on how to get out of an airport and excited for the next steps in your trip.

Read more ideas on how to make travel smoother and worry-free on the Smiling Albino blog.

In the Media:

Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2014

Dan is honored to be involved in the 3 day Thailand Travel Mart Plus this week in multiple events. On June 4th he will be delivering a keynote on luxury and simplicity and on June 6th he has been invited as panelist at the Thailand Sustainable Tourism Seminar.

See details on the event and Smiling Albino’s participation in sustainable tourism!

Destination Thailand in Toronto

Dan Fraser will be the honorary emcee for Destination Thailand in Toronto, Canada this fall. Selected for his love of Thailand and his appearances on many Thai television programs and his very popular Tourism Authority Thailand (TAT) television commercial “Warm Welcome is Always Around“. Daniel will host a day of Thai festivities, food sampling, activities and performances.

The Destination Thailand festival event will be held at Yonge-Dundas Square on September 14th, 2014.  It is a great opportunity to meet or catch up with Dan, and get inspired by Thailand! Free Admission. September 14th 11:00–20:00.

Connect With Smiling Albino!

Facebook and Twitter: “Like” and “follow” us on Facebook and Twitter and you will get tuned-in to the latest breaking news and hot tips on travel and adventure in Asia.

Planet Asia Travel Channel: Subscribe to the Planet Asia Travel Channel and receive expert advice and insider tips on travel in Asia from the team at Smiling Albino and our network of in-the-know locals, expatriates, and travel enthusiasts.

NEW on Google+ and Pinterest: Now even easier to connect and stay up to date with us!

Contact: Get a hold of us any time.

The post What are surprises for? Albino Smiles, June 2014 first appeared on Smiling Albino.