India Rose Long

India is 21 years old and was born in Leicester, UK.

She has spent the last 4 years travelling to places all over Asia, Australia, Fiji, and the US.

For the last 7 months, Thailand has been her home and she is loving every single second.

What is your favorite travel memory?

Wow... that’s a hard one to choose from!
One of my favourite travel memories would have to be travelling the Northern Territory, Outback Australia!
1497km worth of travel from Alice Springs to Darwin entailed things I thought I could only ever have dreamt of. I made the best memories with the most amazing people... sleeping in traditional Aussie swags under the milky way, observing hundreds of shooting stars every night for 10 days, singing and listening to music around the campfire, and best of all learning about all the interesting culture and history behind Outback Australia. I felt so lucky to be there and it’s definitely a travel experience I will cherish for the rest of my life.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Working for INTRO Travel has taught me many amazing things (too many to list!) within such a short period of time.
For me, one of the most important things I have learnt is the religion and culture in Thailand. The amazing local operators we use have taught me so much! I have also improved my knowledge not only on Thailand but also on the different cultures and lifestyles of those from all around the world! This has taught me a lot about all of the different personalities from around the world and how to deal with certain situations in life.
I personally feel like I have gained so much confidence whilst working for INTRO, I can now stand up and speak to people of a big group, which I never thought I would be able to do... never-mind lead a group!
I love to travel and I love to put smiles on people’s faces and being a group leader I can do this everyday! It’s true what they say that when you love your job, it’s like you never work a day in your life!

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

I still keep in contact with a lot of the people which have been on my groups and many of them seem so excited to travel further. When a group member arrives at the airport, they more often than not, appear to be nervous or unsure, especially if they have never travelled as far as Thailand before or some may have never travelled at all!
Previously, I had an incredibly nervous girl on my group and by the end she was like a different person! She has since messaged me saying that she has booked another trip with INTRO and she can’t wait to explore another country!
Many of them who are usually nervous at the start are typically the ones that have enjoyed themselves the most, and for me this is the most rewarding thing to see. By the end of the trip, I get to hear how much their confidence has grown. They often wonder why they were ever nervous in the first place, as they had no reason to be, and that they can’t wait to travel further!

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

Wow... another super hard question to answer!
Of course I would absolutely LOVE to visit all of the countries INTRO has to offer! However, if I had to choose just one tour, it would be the Sri Lanka Experience. The Itinerary is a mix of beaches, nature, culture and surfing...YEWW.
Sri Lanka has previously been voted the #1 destination to travel in 2019, and as well as the itinerary looking AMAZING it is somewhere I have always wanted to visit but not yet got round to doing so.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

INTRO has its very own socially conscious initiative #SMALLCHANGE!
It aims to bring positive change to the local communities and the environment. We, as a team, have massively contributed towards this aim with alternatives, donations and organisations. Recently, we have been working with Eden Reforestation Projects to plant 10 trees for every INTRO Travel booking made, HOW AMAZING! We also aim to reduce the use of single-use plastics, organise voluntary beach cleanups, donate to a local children’s charity here in Thailand called Charlie’s Children’s and we often give back to our local operators and their families... the list goes on! It’s amazing to see people travel all over the world with us but only leaving foot prints behind.
INTRO really do their best to give back and make a positive change and this is just one of the reasons why I’m so proud to work for a company like INTRO!

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

In my opinion, the biggest factors in order for a company to gain success is goals, support and new initiatives.

INTRO aims to provide the best possible experience for people wishing to explore a new country through one of our amazing tours...and it does just that! It’s a safe and easy way to travel whilst putting your mind at ease, along with everything organised for you, what more could you want?
As mentioned above, it’s super important to work along side each other, as a team whilst being supportive. Problems can arise but can easily be solved with the help and support of one another, and new, ideas can be created when great minds come together. This allows INTRO to create the best possible tours for our customers and overall reach SUCESS!

INTRO also really does look after their staff (as well as their customers). We all love our jobs and it really does show through our tours!