Cambodia & Laos tailor made tour

The Impacts of this Trip

Our local Cambodia & Laos agent has been operating socially and environmentally responsible trips to the countries for many years and has a wealth of experience and expertise in the region. They have a strong responsible travel ethos and a realisation that tourism can change local lives for better and for worse. With this in mind our agents have established a responsible travel ethos creating authentic travel experiences which mutually benefit locals and visitors.

Fair salaries are paid to all employees and regular training is provided to support future career development. Only local guides who are aware of local customs and cultures are employed which not only keeps the funds paid to staff within the local community but also helps avoid any potential cultural clashes between visitors and locals. All guides are also required to sign an agreement with our ground agents agreeing not to take visitors in their charge to unplanned sites such as schools, orphanages etc or to ask for donations or tips. Guides are required to turn off vehicles when idling to minimise unnecessary emissions and where possible, eco-friendly modes of transport are opted for such as their collection of electric bikes used for Luang Prabang city tours.

Our ground agents support many local charities in Laos including the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC) in Luang Prabang which is visited on this trip. The center is dedicated to the collection, preservation and interpretation of the traditional arts and lifestyles of the country’s many and diverse ethnic groups to help safeguard the regions heritage for future generations. The center has a permanent collection of ethnic artifacts from 30 ethnic groups and offers a fair-trade scheme for local artisans: on average 50% of the fair-trade shop income goes directly to the artists and provides over 500 families from ethnic groups in 12 separate provinces with an extra income.

Other charities financially supported in Laos by our local agents include MAG, the Mines Advisory Group. Laos has the unenviable record of being the most bombed country in the world per capita with at least 30% of bombs dropped remaining unexploded and thus still a huge threat to the lives of local people. MAG works hard to clear land of unexploded ordnance making it safe for use and opening it up to residents as farming land.

Alongside MAG, our local agents also support COPE, the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise located in Vientiane. This is a locally run, not-for-profit organisation founded to help victims of unexploded ordnance with rehabilitation and the provision of orthotic and prosthetic devices.

On this trip you will stay in the Shinta Mani Resort in Siem Reap. The resort runs the not-for-profit Shinta Mani Foundation, also a registered NGO, with the aim to enhance the lives of individuals within the local community.
Cambodia has one of the largest populations of unskilled youth in South East Asia so the Foundation aims to educate disadvantaged youths with a 10 month course in hospitality which includes free tuition, uniforms, materials, bicycles, meals for themselves and a small allowance of rice and money to go towards their family (otherwise it is often expected that the trainee works to help support the family rather than complete their training). All trainees are taught English and then specialise in certain areas such as front of house, housekeeping, Spa therapy or the restaurant.

The scheme has now been expanded to include the Farming Development Centre with the goal of enhancing the lives of young Khmer villagers living in the countryside surrounding Siem Reap. Funding comes from donations from the Resort itself and guests: over a four year period Shinta Mani guests sponsored over 900 piglets, 800 school supplies, 1000 water wells and 90 houses. The Foundation provides business education and interest free start-up loans to local entrepreneurs in the form of materials to facilitate the start-up. The Foundation also supports Cambodian doctors to provide medical check-ups in rural areas. Costs of check-ups and treatment are often prohibitively high for rural communities so this service is often vital. The Foundation also educates rural communities on preventative measures such as the proper use of mosquito nets.