I am the CEO of Sampan Travel. We create journeys with a positive impact on Myanmar: helping it become not just a better place to visit, but a better place to live.
We offer travel that doesn`t distort reality but encourages engagement with new realities. Honest, authentic travel. Slow travel.
“We try to act as one vital bridge between the people of Myanmar and the rest of the world. We create journeys that allow our guests to see new places and imagine different futures; to challenge received wisdom; to switch on and empathise. There will also be laughter, and adventure, too.”
THREE QUESTIONS WITH BERTIE
Tell us about one of the most interesting people you have met on your travels…
“As I walked along the Hsipaw road, U Sai popped up at my elbow: elderly, small, dressed in frayed but neatly-pressed Wimbledon-white, a tennis racket tucked under his arm and a broad, boyish grin. “Welcome to Hsipaw! Do you meditate?” I was taken-aback and non-comittal. U Sai told me he had won millions on the lottery. All due to daily meditation. At the tennis court he left for his match. “Good luck!” I called after him. Turning back with a grin, U Sai retorted: “I already have it!” Millionaire or not, U Sai was definitely winning.”
What is the most challenging part of your job?
“At Sampan we consider our impact a set of scales and attempt to ensure that they are always tipping in the right direction – towards a positive impact. Considering the situation in Myanmar since 2021 – considering where are tax goes, where are tour license fee goes – sometimes it can feel that before we have even got out of bed, they are tipping in the wrong direction. This can be dispiriting, and demands that each day we work doubly hard to get them back in the right position.
The rolling power cuts are a pain too.”
What would your perfect holiday look like?
“It would begin early in the morning with walking boots, a rucksack and thick, dark coffee. A brisk walk up into the mountains followed by breakfast in the dell of a forest. There would be cheese, thick bread and local ale for lunch. By mid-afternoon one of us would shout that they could see the ocean; by sunset our toes would be liberated, there would be glasses of wine and a book on my lap. An impromptu celebration would surprise at twilight (perhaps a wedding party, or a band of roving players). They would bring dances and headdresses and friends for the evening. A campfire at night and the expectation of it all again in the morning.”
“Operating in a country where tourism is still in its infancy, I am determined for my team and I to make journeys that count. That are both aesthetically beautiful and smooth, but also have a measurable positive impact on the lives of real communities. We are only at the very beginning of the journey – but it is what gets us to work each day, and makes us enjoy it when we arrive.”
– Bertie Alexander