Buffalo Tours

Placement organization

Name of organization: Buffalo Tours
Town/city: Bangkok
Country: Thailand
Website: http://www.buffalotours.com/

Name of student: Wijnand Koetsier

Specialist area: MT
Placement period: 2013-2014

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Touroperator
Organization’s activities: Buffalo Tours offers tailor-made packages, FIT, GIT, incentives to a variety of nationalities. Operate all tours in-house and manage their own guide, transport,tour leader pool and provides dedicated customer-care/service. Furthermore, they are front runners in the field of responsible, volunteer and educational tourism.
Target group of the organization: Dutch, German, British, American, Spanish, French market.
Company culture: Within the office there is an informal and casual atmosphere. The majority of the employees are Thai, there are 2 Dutch managers and the GM is from Denmark. Thai people are in general more polite and show more respect than Western people, so you need to be aware of the differences in culture. You are free in doing your tasks and activities. You will have highly contact with your mentor.
Number of employees: 35
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Especially on the Product Department, but sometimes I assist on other departments, such as Operations or Purchasing.
Brief description of your daily activities: I had a big Task to do on my internship. It was my job to gather information about Optional Excursions for the five cities; Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin/Cha-am, Koh Samui and Phuket. I had to put this information in a database. With this information I had to make a map with FOX papers from every excursion; a A4 with a the title, a small description and nice pictures. Besides that the map should contain the selling list and welcome papers. To gather this information and making the maps, it costs a lot of time.
Besides that I assist my mentor, and also product manager, with tasks for his department and tasks for purchasing or operations departments such as; making contracts, gathering pictures, making selling prices for optionals list, making tour itineraries etc.
Besides that I had enough time for my companyassignment and NHTV assignment.
Brief description of your company assignment: Competitive analysis from FOX Vakanties
Benchmark for optional excursions FOX Vakanties

Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: You will have highly contact with your mentor. When you will get the same as I had, your internship will be great! The coaching was very good, he will help you with everything and is always attainable for all the questions or comments you have. He helps you very well with the assignments and tasks.
Besides you are free to make your own planning and fill in your time.
I highly recommend this place, it was great!!!!

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independency, social, responsibility, re presentable, flexible, able to work in a multi-cultural team
Additional company requirements for this placement? MS Office, English and Dutch skills
English: Intermediate
Spanish:
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages: Dutch must be good!!

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Help from company. They arrange a nice place to stay.
How did you go to work every day? Foot

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes, Educational Visa with multiple entries
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: I received forms from Buffalo Tours, with that forms I went to the Thai Embassy in The Hague. There I arranged a Visa. After 90 days in Thailand I had to do a visa-run. I did this with an organization by internet for about 40 euros I crossed the Cambodian border.
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? Not much, one month or something. But arrange it on time!!!
Did you need certain vaccinations? Yes
How long in advance? About two months.

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? No

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 600 EUR (flight ticket) 40 EUR (Visa run)
Accommodation (monthly): € 250 EUR
Local transport (monthly): € It depends how often you take a taxi or something. Taxi starts with 0,80 EUR.
General costs of living (monthly): € 300 EUR
Costs of visa: € 140 EUR
Costs of work permit: € –
What did the company pay for/to you? 8000 THB per mont = about 200 EUR per month

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I did research on the internet.
Be aware that the culture is much different. Do good research and look how to behave yourself.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? The Thais English is very hard to understand. You have to use to it and listen very carefully.

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: wijnandkoetsier@gmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Do good research to the Thai culture and language.
Bangkok is huge, crowded and busy. Go somewhere else sometime, outside the city.
When step in a taxi, tell them to put the meter on. Otherwise they will charge you a lot.
Just ignore the people along the road who offer you everything because you are foreigner.
When hire a room, be aware there will be extra costs for water and electricity.

Contact me for more information/photo’s etc.

Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: A lot of shopping malls and markets and temples.
Cycling tour bij Co van Kessel is great to explore the local life!!!
Baiyoke sky tower, a drink on the 83th floor with a fantastic view.
Skybar in the Hangover hotel, a great view in a nice outside bar. (expensive drinks, beer for 8 EUR).
Going to the beach at Hua Hin / Cha-am.
Ask your mentor to do excursions.

TIP: visit the south before or after your internship; It is FANTASTIC!!! Especially the small islands like Koh Tao or Koh Phi Phi. Krabi is also great!!
TIP: visit the River Kwai with an overnight in the Jungle Rafts!!!

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link