The new online platform is dedicated to providing easily booked, affordable and constructive experiences for young people who want to give back when they visit Southeast Asia
GROUND Asia is launching GROUNDRocks.com this week to showcase easy to book community experiences for individual young people, couples, and groups of friends who want to do good on their trip to Southeast Asia. Young travellers can choose and book online from options in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Bali and Jogjakarta in Indonesia.
GROUNDRocks.com is an extension of GROUND Asia, which specialises in creating and operating development trips in Asia for institutions such as schools, colleges and universities.
The GROUNDRocks programs run for 18 days in either Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam or Indonesia, and have been designed to be a transformational experience for both the traveller and the host community. The local community benefits from projects such as school construction and maintenance, English lessons and agricultural work. The process builds leadership values, resiliency and cross-cultural understanding on both sides.
“Our journeys are developed with the objective of transforming young travellers through hands-on, positive experiences in Southeast Asia,” said Jack Bartholomew, the Vietnam-based General Manager of GROUNDRocks. Bartholomew is attending the World Youth and Student Travel Conference in Montreal this week, where the new platform will be unveiled and promoted.
The GROUNDRocks website shows the price of each 18-day trip, which varies from US$1000 to US$1312, including supervised community work, sightseeing, meals, and homestay accommodation.
Each trip is a structured balance of community work, organised days of cultural sightseeing and hiking to local nature attractions with a few days off at leisure included.
Each participant receives a certificate of participation at the end and has the option of joining flexible, guided extension trips. These are priced US$640-US$750 per person for eight days, with cheaper prices for shorter trips. Activities typically include hiking, sightseeing, snorkelling, bicycle rides and the like, and are more akin to a standard backpacker experience.
Both the 18-day community trips and the leisure extension trips run on guaranteed fixed departure dates, which are clearly shown on the website.
“GROUNDRocks.com makes it easy for young people wishing to spend time in Southeast Asia and give something back at the same time,” said Bartholomew. “The new website allows young people – or their parents – to assess and book no matter where they are in the world. We make community-based trips in Asia simple and stress free.”
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ABOUT GROUNDRocks.com and GROUNDAsia.com
GROUNDRocks is the new independent traveller B2C division of GROUNDAsia.com. GROUNDAsia provides institutional cross-cultural community travel for high school, college, university and corporate groups. GROUND is part of YAANA Ventures, which owns and operates experience-based travel and hospitality projects in multiple countries in Southeast Asia. Beside GROUND Asia and Ground Rocks, YAANA Ventures includes the brands Khiri Travel, Grasshopper Adventures, Cardamom Tented Camp, and Anurak Community Lodge.
Contact GROUNDRocks / GROUND
33/2 Tiwanon Road 28
Tiwanon Road, Bangkasor
Nonthaburi 11000 Thailand
Phone: +66 2591-5420
Email: jack@groundasia.com
Media queries:
Ken Scott
ScottAsia Communications
Email: kens@scottasia.net
Mobile: (+44) [0] 7949 077959
Anchalee Sriwongsa
ScottAsia Communications
Tel: (+66) 91 806 0484
Email: ann@scottasia.net
