Smiling Albino

Get to Know Us

our people

The most challenging part of our business is assembling the ideal team. From our office staff in Bangkok, to guides in Cambodia and porters in Nepal, these are the real stars of a Smiling Albino experience. But our team is much more than just our own staff members.

It’s also the owner of the noodle shop we’ve known for more than a decade, the hippie barkeep in the Golden Triangle that opens early (or closes late) for us, and the key master at a remote jungle temple who grants us special access. Each person is a player in the orchestra who works in concert to create a special, seamless travel experience.

our core

get to know us

Founded in 1999 by Canadians Daniel Fraser and Scott Coates, we’ve gradually grown from our original base in Thailand to offer tours in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Nepal, bringing a unique travel experience to thousands of guests.

DANIEL FRASER

Co-Founder & CEO

Our chief mahout, Daniel is well-known as one of Asia's top tourism gurus. Not only does he speak Thai fluently and host a travel TV program (in Thai!), he is also a true explorer who embraces the new. Recognizing a need for travel experiences that go beyond the backpacking tradition the region was known for, Daniel founded Smiling Albino in 1999. Over the last decade, Daniel has been personally immersing himself in the known and unknown of Southeast Asia. 

KELLY WILLIS

General Manager

Kel has lived in South East Asia and worked in travel most of her life. She has been an adventurer since a young age spending childhood times traversing the plains of Isaan and Cambodia, before studying overseas, and then returning to the region in the mid 1990s. Since then she has explored a whopping 189 countries, and has led and grown award-winning teams in Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, before joining Smiling Albino as General Manager. With more than 23 years working in the ultra luxury and experiential adventure travel space, Kel brings to the team leadership expertise, global client relationship experience, and a deep understanding of designing and managing complex customized trips that deliver the wow factor.

RASARIN PIRIYALERTSAKOOL

Executive Head of Admin, Finance & HR

A whiz at keeping the team organized, Rasarin is our go-to guru on how to do pretty much anything. No matter which of her many hats she's where she is always ensuring the company is running like a well-oiled machine, which she does well! A longstanding member of the Smiling Albino team, Rasarin's passion is in the travel industry, where she has worked since joining the company in 2015. In her free time, Rasarin loves exploring Thailand, especially the country's many historical sights and towns.

TODD KUIPERS

DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE PERFORMANCE

As Director of Corporate Performance, Todd is responsible for supporting the company's processes, performance management, and reporting. He's the chair of the board, and has contributed to the company in various roles since 2000. Residing in Calgary, Todd makes a trip at least once a year to work directly with the Bangkok team because they are so fabulous. He often finds himself pondering whether he prefers Bangkok or Saigon and works diligently to find the ideal Italian breakfast wine. Outside of Smiling Albino, Todd consults on strategic tech due diligence, management process, and product management, and also annoys his children.

TIM RUSSELL

Head of Marketing Communications

Originally from the UK, Tim has been in the tourism industry since the early 90s when he was a tour guide in Paris. He swapped Europe for Asia in 2003 when he decided to up sticks and move to Vietnam, where he stayed until his move to Bangkok in 2012. He has considerable experience in tourism marketing as well as technology, and is also an accomplished (and published) photographer - in his spare time he can usually be found wandering the back alleys of Bangkok with his camera, when he's not indulging in his love of good coffee, craft beer & live music.

ANDREW CLARK

Product Designer

Andrew arrived in Thailand in 1989 where he worked in advertising before establishing his own regional marketing and branding company for the hospitality and travel industry. Much of Andrew’s free time is spent exploring new areas of Southeast Asia on his mountain bike, and telling us about it on social media.

PEERADON (PEA) MEEKLAM

Senior Contracting Executive

With a background in education, Pea opened a new door to enter the world of tourism and joined Smiling Albino in 2019. He is a learner with an eye for fine details, and that makes him the perfect member for our Experience Design team. Pea is a beach boy: when not working, it is not hard to find him at one of Thailand’s tropical beaches. And oh.. he is also a great cook!

KHUN TI TAUT

Client Services Team Leader

Khun Ti was born in Southern Shan state, Taunggyi, in Myanmar, closer to the famous tourism destination of Inle Lake. Before joining Smiling Albino, he worked at DMCs in Cambodia and Myanmar. He brought his experience to Smiling Abino in 2022, where he heads up the Client Service team. Much of Thailand is still on his bucket list to discover and explore, and of course he LOVES that spicy Thai food!

WORAWIT (EMMY) KEANSANTHEA

Operations Team Leader

Emmy is Team Leader in the Operations Team, focusing on operating trips, communicating with clients and suppliers, and monitoring trips. He is a Bangkokian and a graduate in Tourism and Hospitality Management. He has worked in both the airline and travel industries. Widely traveled, he enjoys discovering new places where people rarely venture. Beaches are his favorite destination.

RAPHAEL ANSART

Senior Travel Designer

Born and raised in Brussels, Raphael has lived in Thailand for more than a decade. He graduated as a criminologist, but prefers to explore the joyful universe of travel rather than the dark side of society and boring law books! He traveled for more than a year as a backpacker throughout SE Asia, India and Nepal after his studies, but now prefers more comfortable trips with his wife & children. He takes satisfaction in creating the best possible experiences for his clients so that they go home with unforgettable memories from this beautiful part of the world. Always up for cycling, mountaineering and (good) beers !

BANK CHANNARONG

Senior Travel Designer

Bank has a degree in Tourism and Hospitality, and has been in the tourism and hotel industry since 2008. Our resident sushi expert, he worked behind the sushi bar for 6 years and started working as a Travel Designer in 2015. He joined Smiling Albino in 2022 after the pandemic ended and tourism (thankfully) returned to Thailand.

GOY KANOKKARN

Senior Travel Designer

Goy has been working in our Chiang Mai office since 2018 as a Travel Designer. Asia is and has always been her favourite continent to travel in given its diversity and long history of cultures. What makes traveling so interesting for her is to encounter different cultures/history/people/social etiquettes/morals, and believe it or not she loves culture shock, as she thinks it is an important part of traveling that makes you a more open minded person. In her spare time she loves yoga, hiking, meditation, movies, and reading.

fun is in our dna 

scenes from Our team

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Team Helipad-L
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tea plantation team experience
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we want you to know

why smiling albino?

passionate

Travel runs through our veins. We know the value of a life-changing experience (since many of us have had them) and are eager to share those moments with our guests from around the world.

experienced

We've been doing this for a long time. With hundreds of years of collective experience, our team has been to the places, slept in the beds and eaten at the restaurants. It's how we know exactly where you should go.

Real

While most of the world turns digital, we value personal connections. Whether it's picking up the phone or asking the extra questions that really help us get to know you, we aim to show you just how "real" we are.