Chang Theng Hwee has been a fan of off-the-beaten-path travel since his student days in the 1990s. Back in university, he organised trips for his fellow schoolmates in the “Rovers Adventure Club”. As a club member, he led an intrepid group of them to the Himalayas – a pioneering effort back when it wasn’t hip to trek and Nepal didn’t quite have the chic cachet it has now.
What was a hobby became a lifelong career, as Theng Hwee – as he prefers to be called – built a business out of Country Holidays with his then Himalayas travel buddy and now-wife, Siew Yim.
Today, the 60-strong Singapore-grown luxury and bespoke agency offers exotic trips ranging from Central America by private jet to train journeys through Iran and Siberia, the North and South Poles, and even space. And 51-year-old Theng Hwee continues to enjoy travel for both work and with his family – his wife and three children aged 15, 17 and 20.
We suss out this travel agency honcho’s travel preferences, which include Nepal of course, as close to his heart now as it was close to three decades ago when he and his friends survived on potatoes, borrowed clothing, a shoestring budget and a passion for the unknown that remains indomitable today.
Country Holidays’ Managing Director Chang Theng Hwee in Mali.
Asia 361: How often do you travel, for both work and leisure?
Theng Hwee: Probably 40% of my time is overseas to visit overseas offices, to attend conferences or other business matters and holidays with wife and family.
Asia 361: How many countries have you visited so far?
Theng Hwee: Exactly 90.
Asia 361: What’s your favourite place to visit in the world?
Theng Hwee: Hard to name one. But I am very fascinated by the unique cultural experiences in Iran, Bhutan and Cuba while I also enjoy indulging in nature’s grandeur and pristine beauty in Antarctica and Africa. One country I really have a soft spot for is Nepal.
Asia 361: Where would you really wish to visit but haven’t had the chance to yet?
Theng Hwee: So many…. North Pole, Benin (for the Voodoo culture and trail of African slave trade).
Asia 361: What’s your secret travel vice?
Theng Hwee: Vice? I don’t think I’d use this word. But many are surprised I do not take photos on my trip and my wife always complains I am too much on the go while travelling, seeing 10 things in one day and being on the move from early morning till late at night.
Asia 361: Visiting exotic locations on tours offered by Country Holidays is out of reach for many – any advice on how they could still see the far ends of the earth?
Theng Hwee: The world is round, so theoretically, there are no far “ends” of the earth. Getting to any place on Earth is probably not very difficult these days but it is finding the remotest corners anywhere which is the most exciting, even if the physical distance from one’s home is not far.
Theng Hwee in a vacation shot with his family.
Q: What’s your most memorable incident ever encountered on a trip?
Theng Hwee: Can I name a few? Clearing immigration between Mali & Burkina Faso under a tree; hearing all the impossible propaganda by our guides in North Korea; and drinking tea in a teahouse in Shiraz Iran with veiled ladies all around us.
Q: What’s the most challenging issue that’s come up on your tours that you’ve had to resolve?
Theng Hwee: In the early days, I led trips to hike in Nepal high in the Himalayas. I was frequently confronted with clients down with acute mountain sickness (AMS) and had to decide on the ground whether to cut short his or her trip and send him or her back by helicopter, or let them acclimatise and push on to complete the expedition.
Also, when 9/11 struck, we had several clients in Pakistan going across the border in China or from China into Kyrgyzstan. It was near to Afghanistan. I had to make a decision without clear information at that point to cut their trip and have them back soonest. There was no financial consideration at all at that point.
Asia 361: What’s your favourite airport and why?
Theng Hwee: Singapore! Most efficient! Hong Kong International Airport is a close second and I am glad I use these two airports the most often. But for pure holiday experiences, nothing beats leading on the airstrip of a Chilean base in the Antarctic. Surrounded by snow with penguins around once you get off the plane….and you know you are in a magical place right away!
Asia 361: Top 3 of your recommended “Places to visit” for 2016, please.
Theng Hwee: Go to these places fast because they are changing so much. I call them the disappearing world – Cuba, Iran and Oman.
Asia 361: Finally, three travel tips for our readers to make the most out of a travel experience.
Theng Hwee: Don’t just get to a place – know how to intimately experience the place away from the tourist traps. Two, always have background knowledge of a place before going there. And you will enjoy the destination and lots of details rather than just ticking off the list, hoping for a wow moment (that other people experienced) or take a postcard shot.
And lastly, do learn to interact with the locals in a understanding way and not demand home standard on your host. You can complain you wish or demand any service as a customer and you may get them, but at the end, you get less out from the trip.
Can I add a fourth? Travel with Country Holidays.
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