Staff Spotlight: Benjamin Andrew

My favorite travel memory? Ahh, there's so many to choose from! I had just landed in Australia and had the full intention of working my way up the East Coast, traveling for a few months, and then trying to find work. I got to the Gold Coast, and checked into this hostel; as soon as I checked in, I know I was going to love it there. Fast forward 3 years, I’d ended up not leaving that very hostel and became manager, where i made some of my closest friends and so many amazing memories.

I’ve been with INTRO for just under a year and a half now, and can safely say, since day one, I’ve continued to grow within myself as a person.

You learn to become very patient, be very attentive to other people's needs, but also just enjoy the smaller things in life. I’ve been based in Thailand since I started and have fallen in love with the country; the cultural differences have really opened up my eyes to some new and amazing things.

The best thing to watch/hear is how our group members grow within themselves on a group. If it’s someone’s first time traveling, joining a group can be quite daunting, so more often than not, we get nervous backpackers onto the groups.

It may be their first time traveling so far away from home, first time outside of their own country, and sometimes even their first time away from home. To begin with, they can be nervous, or shy, but with the help from other group members, these people really come out of their shells, and mentally mature.

Hearing from them at the end of the trip that they’ve had an amazing time, and will stay in contact with the friends that they met along the way, has got to be the best thing to hear.

Personally, I’d love to do the Sri Lanka Experience tour. Sri Lanka is a country that has always appealed to me, with the variations of things to do there; jungle safaris, surfing, train rides.

With it being voted the number 1 destination to visit for 2019 by Lonely Planet, this country really is up and coming.

I think what really makes INTRO unique is how much they actually care and are trying to do their bit for the planet. Small Change is INTRO’s socially conscious initiative to try and reduce plastic waste, and do their bit where they can to the locals.

Throughout Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, they have active beach cleanups. In Bali, they stay with local families where they can give back to the local communities. In Sri Lanka, they have a cultural exchange program with young monks.

It’s all about giving back, and much as possible with INTRO.

For me, the biggest key factor to being a successful company is looking after their staff as well as their customers.

If you can keep your staff happy, they will do their jobs to the best of their ability. With INTRO, you really feel a part of the family, whether you be a group leader, a returning customer, or even a newbie. I can honestly say, I’ve never loved a job a much as I do working with INTRO and as the saying goes: