Contents Section 1: Introduction Product Overview Itineraries Section 2: Selling techniques How to sell TruTravels Why choose us? Overcoming Objections Section 3: Essential Information Travel Insurance Visa s Flights Accommodation Transport Group Size Section 4: Support Above & Beyond B4UGO Pack Welcome Pack After TruTravels Contact Details Contact: Mark Pope (New Business Director) Sales Enquiries: 0203 542 2463 Booking email: bookings@trutravels.com Agent Website: www.trutravels.com/agents
Section 1: Introduction TruTravels is a young and exciting travel company that offers tour packages in Thailand for backpackers and young travellers. Our excellent itineraries uncover some of Thailand s hidden gems as well as the popular must do s of South East Asia. Our whole philosophy is about giving people a hassle free, trip of a lifetime which feels less like a guided tour and more like travelling with a bunch of mates (group leaders included!). We are not like other tour companies who have long rigid itineraries which take all the independent travel aspect out of people s trips. Having been there ourselves, we know that travelling independently is part of the fun of visiting new places, however, we also know that the first week or two can be pretty daunting for a lot of people so we keep our trips relatively short and flexible in order to give our customers the best of both worlds. We pride ourselves on our unique style of trip and the support that we offer to our customers before; during and after the tour to ensure that they have the trip of a lifetime and can make the most of their whole time away and not just the time they spend with us. Product Overview Below is an overview of our core product but don t forget that you can find all of this info and a lot more on our website: www.trutravels.com or by speaking with us on 0203 542 2463 or 0845 468 3699, we are always happy to help and answer any questions you might have! 7 DAY TruThai Experience - 375 Bangkok Koh Phangan via Khao Sok National Park Airport pickup and taxi to Bangkok 7 Nights' accommodation All transport (taxi, tuk tuk, longtail boat, ferry & minibus) River Cruise & Temple visits Thai Massage Overnight sleeper Train Discover Khao Sok National Park & night in floating bungalows Day trip to Koh Nangyuan & night on Bottle Beach Elephant trekking Snorkelling, Kayaking Visit waterfalls (seasonal) Experienced Group Leader Loads of travel tips & advice Meet awesome friends Experience Bangkok Nightlife & Beach Parties on Koh Phangan Support from us and your Group Leader the whole time you are in S.E. Asia Info and discounts on other things to do in Thailand
Itinerary TruThai Experience Day 1 Airport Pick Up You will be met on arrival in Bangkok by your group leader and escorted you to your guesthouse, where you will meet up with the other members of your group. With your first day is kept free to relax and unwind after a long journey or explore Bangkok. Day 2 Bangkok River Cruise & Temples The best way to see Bangkok is from a boat on the Chao Phraya River. We take you to two of the most prestigious temples in Thailand before grabbing a Tuk Tuk back though Bangkok to Khao San Road. Day 3 Thai Massage & Overnight Train In the morning we will go to a local spa for a traditional Thai Massage. This is the perfect way to relax before the overnight train. You will have to afternoon to shop on Khao San Road before we meet in the evening to head to the train station. Catch up on sleep or take in the views of both Bangkok and the Thai countryside as we travel south to our next destination. Day 4 Khao Sok National Park Khao Sok National Park is home to some of the most incredible scenery in the world. We travel by long tail boat to get to our floating bungalows which are situated on a beautiful fresh water lake surrounded by mountains. You will be able to go kayaking, explore some caves or just relax and take in the stunning views. Day 5 Arrive in Koh Phangan - Bottle Beach After Khao Sok we catch the ferry to Koh Phangan. When we arrive we are taken to Bottle Beach (one of our favourite spots in Thailand), a beautiful, secluded bay in the North of Koh Phangan where we can chill out in the sea or on the beach and have our own private beach party with some cocktails around a camp fire, lanterns & music. You will spend the evening in your own private beach bungalow and can wake up at your leisure to the sound of the waves breaking on the sand. Day 6 Bottle Beach, Elephant Trekking & Haad Rin Today you will have the morning to laze around on Bottle Beach, swim, play beach volleyball/football, build sandcastles or whatever else you want to do. Early afternoon we jump on a taxi boat over to the fishing town of Chaloklum where you will get to go Elephant Trekking and play with the resident monkey before going to check out the local waterfall (seasonal). Later we head to Haad Rin to check into the resort where we will spend the next 2 nights. You have some free time to explore or chill by the pool before we meet for dinner & possibly a few drinks on the famous Full Moon Party beach (5 mins walk from our resort). Day 7 Koh Nang Yuan & Farewell Dinner Possibly the most memorable day of the trip. You will be picked up in the morning and taken by boat to the extraordinarily beautiful island of Koh Nang Yuan (just off Koh Tao). The bays here have some of the best snorkelling/diving in Thailand. We will snorkel at two locations, see some tropical fish and coral reef, then head up to the viewpoint to get some postcard pics, lunch is included on the boat. In the evening we will go for a group farewell dinner (on us!) then head down to the beach for some farewell fun and perhaps a bucket or two with your new friends to celebrate an awesome week!
Section 2: Selling Techniques Sell the Destination Thailand is currently one of the most popular destinations for young travellers in the world. The stunning beaches, fresh water lakes, incredible culture, amazing places and not to mention gorgeous weather are all part of what makes Thailand the Land of Smiles. You may need to give your customers a gentle push to help make a decision and we found that sharing photos of what Thailand has to offer gets them excited. Feel free to use our facebook page as a reference www.facebook.com/trutravels The currency is a major selling point as everything is cheaper in Thailand. The exchange rate fluctuates between 45-50 baht to the. See below the average cost for basic things. Meals 40-150 baht ( 1-3) Local Beer 40-70 baht ( 1-1.50) Accommodation 500-750 baht ( 10-16) (twin/double room) Selling TruTravels Products The TruThai Experience tour is a short, guided, group tour designed specifically for backpackers and young people as an introductory week to Thailand. It is a 7 day tour from Bangkok to Koh Phangan with all transport, accommodation and excursions included. At 375 it is the cheapest tour of its kind on the market that we know of and is an ideal way for young people to meet travel buddies and see & learn things they might not necessarily in their first week travelling alone. We take all the common worries out of solo travel in an unfamiliar country and our guides are experienced western travellers who will arrange everything for them and give them all the info & advice they need to make the most of their time away. Here is a list of key selling points that should help sell our TruThai Experience Tour. 1) Airport Pickup Sometimes it can be quite daunting turning up in an unfamiliar country, so it is nice to have a friendly face meeting them off your plane. 2) No local payments! All accommodation (twin share), transport, excursions included with no hidden extras All they need to do is budget for food and drink, which happily are very cheap in Thailand! Everything else is taken care of. 3) Discover Thailand Visit four amazing places in one week as well as some hidden gems such Khao Sok National Park, Bottle Beach and other places which a lot of travellers would not normally think to visit. 4) Built by backpackers All aspects of the tour are put together by backpackers who have extensively travelled & researched Thailand so they know what people want to see and do. 5) Travel Safely Travelling in a group makes them feel safer and having an experienced group leader to take care everything and provide advice & tips on how to stay safe eases any concerns they could have. 6) Group Leaders Ours are all experienced, western backpackers that were once in your position. They are all laid back, good fun, and trained to make everyone s trip as awesome as possible. They will also take them to the coolest places and show them the best nightlife. We also use local guides at each destination to ensure our customers experience Thai culture to the fullest. 7) Make new friends A lot of people go backpacking alone and one of the major worries for them is will I make friends? As everyone on this tour is in the same boat, there really is no better way to make friends and travel buddies whilst seeing the best of Thailand. On our tours our customers will never be
on thier own and after the trip has finished most groups go travelling on together and sometimes the group leaders even go with their new pals if they have some time off. 8) Help arranging onward travel After the week has finished, their Group Leader will be able to advise them on other cool things to do in Asia, tell them the best and cheapest ways to travel and even help arrange it if you wish. 9) Range of Bolt on packages - available to every customer at any time after tour is finished. We have checked out all of the best companies and teamed up with some to offer our customers 2-6 day extensions to the main tour with activities ranging from Scuba diving, Muay Thai, adventure packages and volunteering. 10) It is the best value tour of its kind on the market At 375, you will not find better value for money anywhere else. 11) Help and advice As mentioned, our Group Leaders are there for support not just for the week but the whole time they are away in SE Asia. If they run into trouble a month after your tour or are just looking for some advice or a friendly face we are always happy to hear from them! This will probably ease the minds of worried parents quite a lot too! 12) THEY WILL HAVE ONE OF THE BEST WEEKS OF THEIR LIFE! Show Reviews We take huge amount of pride in what people say about us so check out our reviews section on our facebook page www.facebook.com/trutravels or on our Tour Radar profile.
Overcoming Objections Overcoming objections is the toughest part of selling. If you know some of the answers to the common objections, it will make it easier for you to sell. These are definitely not all of the ones you will face but they are examples of some. If you come up against others or have difficulty answering certain ones, you can always get in touch and ask us as we are bound to have heard them before! Common Objection 1: I do not want to do a tour Response: TruTravels is different to every other tour operator. We have a youthful & relaxed attitude to travel, we go well above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to you and your travel plans. Your 1 st week is take care of from the moment you step off the plane but you still get an independent travel experience after the week is over and we can help you plan the rest of your trip as little or as much as you like! With an awesome itinerary designed by fellow backpackers and the amazing locations you visit, it s a great way to ease yourself into travelling life rather than heading into the unknown. Common Objection 2: I don t want to share a room Response: That s ok. We do encourage our group members to share rooms as we feel it is a great way to interact with the group and make new friends. However, you can upgrade to a private room for an extra 100. Common Objection 3: It would work out cheaper going alone Response: 9 times out of 10 from the first minute you step foot in Thailand you will get ripped off. From a local taxi driver taking you into the city, to the guys at the stalls on Khao San road who can tell you don t yet know what you re doing. TruTravels know all of the common scams and can stop you from falling for them, they also know how much things cost so can make sure that you get the best deal at all times. More importantly, because they deal with large number of groups and have lots of local contacts, they get preferential rates so you will definitely save money when you travel with them. Even if you were to fly to Thailand and book all of the trips, transport and accommodation on the itinerary by yourself it would come to more than the price of this tour. We have heard this argument from many people before who tried to do it alone and all of them wished they had gone with TruTravels.
Section 3: Essential Information Travel Insurance Travel Insurance is compulsory for all TruTravels customers and our team will request to see a copy of our customer s policy before the tour commences. Customers will be required to sign a participation form on the first day of activities in Thailand stating that they partake in activities at their own risk. Visas All UK, EU, Australian, New Zealand, American and Canadian (and many other nations) customers automatically receive a 30 tourist visa upon arrival in Thailand through air. All passports must have at least 6 months valid before expiration. If customers which to stay for longer than 30 days they can apply to their local Thai Consulate for a 60 day single or multiple entry visa s depending on the amount of time they wish to stay. If customers will be arriving overland (non flight) then they are only granted a 15 day tourist visa upon arrival. Visa runs are common in Thailand and our group leaders can help our customers arrange such visa s. Please note: Only three 30 day tourist visa s will be granted within a 6 month period. If in doubt people should always check the relevant official embassy/consulate website. Flights All TruTravels tours offer an airport pick up. Customers should arrange to land in Bangkok on the start date or up to two days prior to the tour. Customers that arrive before this time will need to arrange their own transportation to our guesthouse in Bangkok. The first day is for meet and greets so they can arrive at any time on this day and will not miss anything! We recommend landing on the start date if possible as most people find that a couple of days in Bangkok is enough. Details on pick-up and meeting points are provided in the B4UGO pack which is sent out to all group members 30 days prior to the start date. Customers can fly to either Airport in Bangkok (BKK or DMK). Suvarnabhumi (BKK) is the most common for international flights. Don Muang (DMK) is mainly for domestic flights but has now starting to take more internationals.
Accommodation Bangkok The first two nights of your TruThai Experience tour will be spent at Mango Lagoon Place; a stylish, cosy guesthouse located just round the corner from the famous Khao San Road. All rooms we use are either twins or doubles and have air conditioning, en-suite bathrooms, wifi and TV. Overnight Train Feel like a real traveller as we leave Bangkok and head down south to Surat Thani. The overnight train is comfortable as well as fun. Once we are an hour or so outside Bangkok, the guard will come round to transform our seats into private bunks. We can then either head to the restaurant cabin where we enjoy some music and a few drinks or relax in the sleeping area and prepare for the next leg of our trip. Khao Sok National Park After negotiating the streets of buzzing Bangkok, we cannot think of a better way to introduce you to a more tranquil side of Thailand! We will be staying in unique floating bungalows in one of the most picturesque places on earth. The accommodation is basic, however this adds to the charm and there are not many places where you can literally step off the terrace into a lake surrounded by mountains. Koh Phangan The last 3 nights of the tour are based on the beautiful island of Koh Phangan. The first night is at BB2 resort on Bottle Beach in simple but nice little beach bungalows and the last 2 nights at Neptune s Villa in Haad Rinn. It is a clean and modern resort near the heart of the action, yet far enough away from the party beach for a peaceful night s sleep. Neptune s Villa is located on the southern side of the main party town on Haad Rinn Nai (Sunset beach); 5 minutes walk away from the Full Moon Party beach and has a swimming pool and restaurant, as well as air conditioning and en-suite bathrooms, fridges and TV s in all rooms. Transport All transport is included within the itinerary. This includes taxi s, tuk tuk s, trains, boats, buses. Group Size Groups tend to be between 8 and 18 people in size. We do not run groups larger than this as we prefer to keep it personal and with sizes between these numbers, people get to know each other very well and it feels like travelling with a group of friends or an extended family! It s best to call to confirm availability for late bookings on 0203 542 2463.
Section 4: Above & Beyond B4UGO Pack We supply all customers with a B4UGO pack sharing important information and well as tips and tricks on how to make the most of their time away. This will allow our group members to enjoy a hassle free trip Arrival Information in Bangkok Visa Conditions Travel Insurance Tour Itinerary Bolt on s Accommodation overview Before you go check list Safety, Culture & Language Welcome Pack All group members receive a welcome pack on arrival from their group leader. This contains Travel Tips Stuff to do in Bangkok Itinerary Health and Safety tips Thai Culture info Bolt-on info Travel planner After TruTravels All group members have the contact numbers for our Thai team or UK office and can contact at any point throughout their travels to ask for help, advice or even a friendly chat. We regularly have group members who meet up with their leaders and future groups, we have even had people come back and do the entire tour for a second or third time in the space of a few months! Cancellations If a customer cancels more 30 days prior to start date they will receive a refund minus 100 cancellation fee. If the customer cancels within 30 days prior to start date there is a no refund available. One free date change is available however there is a 40 administration fee if within 30 days of start date. Any agent cancellation policies are on top of our own terms and conditions. Booking Conditions All customers must be 18 or above and have a valid Travel insurance policy for the week. For more details please visit our website www.trutravels.com and see our terms and conditions page.