About Trunk Travel

At Trunk Travel we create and operate unforgettable trips and tours throughout Thailand and across Southeast Asia.
Our expertise lies in ensuring our trips positively benefit the communities and the locations we visit, help locally-owned and operated businesses and also support the welfare and care of Thailand's captive elephant population.
Caring for Thailand is very important for us and this is reflected in how we work, where we visit and the activites that we join.
By choosing to travel with Trunk you can rest assured that your carbon footprint is very low, almost zero (and we're working on that!), but that we do not compromise your journey that will be filled with unforgettable adventures and moments that will last a lifetime. ....less

It’s been almost two full decades since I took my first step in Thailand. That trip was actually a 24-hour layover on my way to see family in New Zealand. I wasn’t sure what to expect as my taxi struggled through the manic downtown traffic to reach my hotel. There were several moments I wondered if we’d ever reach our destination before having to turn around and head back to the airport!

Thankfully, I did eventually reach my hotel where I freshened up and stepped out in the hot, sticky, fume-filled air and at that moment I knew this place was going to be an adventure. Although I had no idea where I was heading, how to get there, or what to do, I met so many people – who obviously felt sorry for me as I sweated my way around the city with eyes as wide as saucers – and helped me on my merry way.

Sadly, it felt as if those 24-hours ended in the blink of a saucer-sized eye, and before I knew it, I was heading off to New Zealand knowing that one day I would be back to properly explore Thailand.

So it was that 2-years later I decided to plan an extended stay in Thailand and to combine this with some volunteering work. I searched online for an organization that could help me, found one that I felt would be a good fit for both parties, and that was it. I was set for 3-months in the Land of Smiles working on an elephant welfare project and teaching English to primary school kids in a very rural part of the country.

I was fortunate to be in a group of newly arriving volunteers from around the world and we instantly hit it off. We were all heading in the same direction but were spread out across several projects. Despite that separation, we all lived in the same town in a very under-furnished house in a very Thai community; all of which was part of the experience.

The volunteering, and spending so much time living and working in very rural communities, changed my entire outlook on life. Coming from a very corporate background where money is EVERYTHING, to be around such warm, friendly and welcoming people of all ages, was the proof that I had subconsciously been searching for, that money is NOT everything. To be around families who had very little, yet wanted for nothing, was incredible and it flicked a switch inside me. I changed. I knew that I had found my calling. I knew that I wanted to pursue a new career and that that career was in Thailand.

Fortunately, the founder of the organization I was working for was a very nice guy, also from the UK and we hit it off immediately. Knowing that I had a background in sales, he approached me and asked if I would like to help with their sales, to help locate more volunteers, and to help build the organization to be able to help more and more of these struggling communities. My mind was made up. After initially returning to the UK to reshuffle my life I headed back to Thailand in June 2005 and that was it. Thailand was now home.

Knowing very little of how Thailand operates, the incredible culture, the customs, the language even, I was completely out of my depth and I knew it. My first destination was the sleepy beachside town of Cha-am located a couple of hours south of Bangkok. Here I met so many people and made many friends who helped me to learn, to experience and to enjoy Thailand from the position of an almost complete newbie! This was exactly what I needed. To learn so much, but over a couple of years, gave me the ammunition and the experience I needed to really understand and enjoy Thailand.

My role in the organization was a great success and I managed to build it to a point where it needed to relocate to Bangkok – as a business owner of an international company, being located in Bangkok has many positives and only a small number of negatives.

Sadly, the organization grew to a point where profit overtook project, and this wasn’t why I had left the UK. My whole focus was on helping those who need it, and are so grateful for it. So after almost 5-years, I decided to do what I thought was the right thing and go out on my own. This was a huge step but one that I grabbed with both hands and still excites me 15 years later.

Thailand is genuinely an incredible country, full of adventures, excitement, extremes and everything in between. From the mountains and rain forests of the north, to the stunning beaches and parties on the islands, the elephants, the rural communities, incredible food, glorious weather, but mostly, the genuinely welcoming, happy, wonderful people, Thailand is one of the greatest countries on the planet and I’m proud to call it home.
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Our team is dedicated to delivering unforgettable trip to Thailand and focuses heavily on ensuring that our travellers leave Thailand with a will to return time and time again.
Through this professional focus, occassionally we're noticed, not only by our travellers, but also by those in the industry. This is paid back to us in the form of awards, which isn't something that we look for, it sometimes just happens. These are a few of the awards and recongnisition that we've very gratefully received over the years. ....less

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