HAPPY TRAILS
Happy Trails! Asia is a destination management company (DMC) with offices in Indonesia (Bali and Yogyakarta) and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur and Borneo). Happy Trails! Asia provides personalized destination management services throughout Indonesia, Malaysia (Peninsular and Borneo), Singapore and Brunei. It is our mission to provide exceptional travel experiences to our customers whilst maximizing the positive impacts of tourism for the communities and natural environment in the destinations we operate in.
Founded in 2003, Happy Trails! Asia is an adaptable, understanding and passionate partner in Asia that is constantly innovating its services to keep on edge with the latest news and trends. We pride ourselves in our in-depth local knowledge and enthusiasm towards our destinations, while maximizing the positive impacts of tourism for the communities and natural environment through extensive collaboration.This, combined with a strong focus on efficiency, customer service, information technology and a personal touch, makes us a strong and reliable partner in Asia. Currently we provide our expert services to dozens of well-established tour operators from over fifteen countries.
Happy Trails! Asia offers its personalized services to any market segment regardless of budget. May it be price-savvy holidays or high-end luxury travel, FIT or group tours, all of our clients and their guests will receive our extensive support and local knowledge. Every year, together with our local partners, we ensure that thousands of guests have great experiences during their travels and great memories afterwards.
Being a responsible travel organization Happy Trails! Asia strives to create momentum to enhance the positive impacts of tourism to both the local communities as well as the natural environment, whilst delivering exceptional travel experiences. In this, we aim to maximize the positive contributions of tourism for local communities and the natural environment whilst understanding that there are potential negative environmental, socio-cultural and economic impacts connected to tourism if operations are not managed properly. Hence, we commit to being open, honest and realistic about the impacts of our operations and do all in our power to reduce potential negative impacts and enhance positive impacts..
Create Great Memories!
[…] everything was on time, the drivers were friendliy and excellent. The tour was very good.[…] He was very satisfied with our fast and excellent service – so we won a fan! […] I want to thank you for the organization, the good solutions and for your patience.
[…] I would like to let you know that my parents had an amazing time in Indonesia. They were completely satisfied with the excursions and driver Happy Trails had arranged for them. Moreover, they were pleasantly surprised to see that one of the guides even spoke a bit of Dutch. […] Thanks a lot for organizing this wonderful tour for them.
[…] I would like to let you know that my parents had an amazing time in Indonesia. They were completely satisfied with the excursions and driver Happy Trails had arranged for them. Moreover, they were pleasantly surprised to see that one of the guides even spoke a bit of Dutch. […] Thanks a lot for organizing this wonderful tour for them.
We would like to thank you for the amazing trip we had across the sunda islands. Especially Komang Merta, our professional tour guide, the way he explained to us about his country, I can only be positive about. He brought a great atmosphere to the group as well as that the country is beautiful, has friendly people and gorgeous nature.
We have a small selection of the tours we can offer on our website which can be found here. For more information about tours please contact us.
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1. How did you end up working in the tourism industry?
After traveling in Australia for 3 weeks in 1996, I resigned from my job in Holland, bought a one-way ticket to Beijing and travelled for 18 months all over North & South East Asia. After travelled for such a long period I got bored and wanted to do something, but still travelling, So I applied as a Tour leader with Dutch tour operators and 3 months after my return to Holland, I was back in China to lead my first tour group!
2. What inspired you to start this company?
I spend 6 months in Indonesia as I loved it so much; first of all the people, but also its diversity, the food, the culture, the roughness, climbing the volcano’s, hiking in Tropical rainforests, relaxing on the beaches, snorkelling, diving, you name it, you find it in Indonesia!
After working as a Tour leader for over 5 years in South East Asia, I started Happy Trails in 2003 in Bogor (west Java) we had our first guests in 2004 and we moved the office in 2005 to Bali to create even more and better great memories for our all valuable clients. In 2008 we have set up an office in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur as this is another great destination for travellers.
3. Describe your first sale/customer.
Our first customer was the company I worked for a Tour Leader; Koning Aap Reizen (Monkey King Travels) and Shoestring as they merged in 2003/2004.
4. What was your first tour like – and what has changed compared to your most recent?
The first tour was a Sumatra Java Bali tour with 5 Pax from Koning Aap Reizen. I thought I need to be the TL for this tour to see how everything is running. Not much in the tour has changed, we only had added a train ride form Bandung to Yogyakarta I believe.
5. What part of the company are you most proud of and why?
Our employees, because they do all the actual work; create programs, the sales, the operations etc. without them we are nothing as a company.
6. What do you feel sets your company apart from other DMC’s?
Compared to other DMC’s in Indonesia and Malaysia; Our commitment to sustainable travel and our advanced IT systems for ourselves and our clients; the tour operators.
7. What does a standard working day look like for you?
Alarm rings at 06.30. Bring my son to school at 07.30. Back home at 08.00 to have breakfast while watching “De Wereld draait door” and the news via Dutch TV channel BVN. Go to the office. Most days starting with a meeting with one of the managers. Try to be home before kids going to bed.
8. What gets you out of bed in the morning?
The smile from our 8 months old daughter.
9. What keeps you up at night?
Thinking about improvements, ideas etc to move forward.
10. What other CEO’s do you look up to and why?
Bruce Poon Tip; the founder of G-adventures. How he created one of the most successful adventure tour operators in the world by not doing what any other tour operator is doing.
11. where do you see the company in 5 years?
I do not have the ambition to grow big. Our aim is to create great memories for our clients in Indonesia and Malaysia and I believe we can only do this only if we are not too big, then we will lose the attention for small details which are so important to create that great memory.
I have always said; if we do ca 10.000 pax and will have about 40 staff. That would be my goal. And in 2016 we are getting very close to those numbers.
The Travelife Certified status is the most comprehensive and rigorous of the three stages for excellence in sustainability. The partners in our network are working continuously to make travel both socially, economically and environmentally sustainable and endorses systems that offset carbon emissions caused by long distance travel. We are happy to work with tour operators around the world to increase sustainable, small scale tourism.
Happy Trails has a cetification level of: Certified
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Happy Trails
PO.Box 3087 Sanur 80030
Jl. Danau Buyan No 76 – 80030,
6 Point Cafe building, 3rd floor, Sanur, Bali
Phone nr. (+62)-361-288194, 287469
Fax nr. (+62)-361-286966
Email info@happytrailsasia.com
www.happytrailsasia.com