Craig Dodge - Blog

WHAT:

A 14-day cycle tour through beautiful Vietnam and Cambodia. Join us on an adventure of a lifetime, as we cycle 500km through some of South East Asia’s most stunning scenery including rice paddies, remote villages, large river deltas and 15th century temples. You will be challenged both physically and emotionally as you connect with the local culture, learn about justice issues, and witness Hagar’s life-giving work first hand – all with a group of passionate like-minded individuals.

WHY:

To support Hagar! An opportunity to become educated in the complexities of human trafficking and exploitation and raise awareness and funding for the work of Hagar, an international NGO dedicated to the restoration and empowerment of victims of human trafficking and other human rights abuses in Cambodia, Vietnam and Afghanistan.

WHEN: February 16 – March 2, 2013

COST:  Early Bird Pricing: $1700 (USD) before November 15 + $2500 (USD) fundraising goal After November 15: $1850 (USD) + $2500 (USD) fundraising goal

Included: All Accommodation (Twin Share) English speaking local tour guides Air Conditioned support vehicle Drinking water and snacks Food (detailed in itinerary) Bike hire and Mechanic Crossborder Cycle Shirt Trafficking Curriculum

Not Included: International Flights Travel Insurance Visas Discretionary Tips Note: Participation is strictly limited to 24 riders!

For more details, email crossborder@hagarinternational.org 

If you are not up for the ride, your donation is very welcome!

PLEASE DONATE

A big part of my job with Asia Adventures will be to make sales calls to prospective customers and partners. I need to be able to show them beautiful images and descriptions of our programs, and a tablet computer seemed most useful for this task.

With my 50th birthday around the corner, and as a good-luck-with-the-new-job gift, Josh gave me an Asus Transformer TF300T.  I've only had a few days with it, and I'm still learning how to use it, but I wanted to write a bit about my first impressions. This is not meant to be a full review, just first impressions.

To my friends who love their iPads, I recognize that the iPad has it's benefits. It's more user-friendly, the page animations are smoother, the apps provide a more consistent user experience and it's a little lighter.  At the end of the day, however, I still prefer using Android over iOS and the Asus Transformer seemed to offer the most value for the money. Let me say tell you a little bit about why.

I really dislike being tied to iTunes. I don't like Apple controlling how I use a product that I bought and paid for. Android is much more flexible, versatile, expandable and customizable. Sharing apps across multiple devices is also easier (for me) on Android than on iOS. Further, I can more easily get apps from other sources like Amazon without having to root or jailbreak the device. Finally, I prefer the way Android handles file management over iOS.

Another reason Android is better for me because it's easier (for me) to set up and sync with all of the Google services I use: Gmail, Google Voice, Calendar, Contacts, Docs, My Tracks, Google+, Google Search, Apps for Domains and more.

OK, so enough about saying why I chose Android over iOS. Let me share some random thoughts about tablets in general, and the Asus Transformer specifically.

If it wasn't for this sales job, I personally wouldn't have any use for a tablet.  I prefer my desktop for serious computing and productivity, my notebook for mobile computing and productivity and my Kindle for e-book reading.  Tablets are still too heavy (compared to a Kindle) for e-book reading. I can use my smartphone for checking e-mails and other quick Internet activities on-the-go. I doubt I will use it to watch video, and I don't play games. But, tablets do seem to be the perfect format for taking on sales calls.

On the other hand, the optional keyboard might make it more useful for computing and productivity. It's easier to type on a real keyboard than on a touch-screen. Maybe after I learn more how to use it, it might be able to replace my notebook for some things.

Although I didn't do a lot of comparison shopping other than online, I am happy with my choice of the Asus Transformer over other options. It doesn't have all the bloatware (apps that I will never use but can't remove) like HTC does. They also don't layer some other OS on top of Android (like HTC Sense), so I feel it runs smoother and faster. The optional keyboard is pretty nice and should come in handy. 

Please help me spread the word about our new Facebook page by "Liking" it.

One of my first projects at Asia Adventures is to launch a regular e-mail newsletter for our clients, and anyone else interested in Southeast Asia adventure tours.

I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge. First, I researched and selected an e-mail marketing software and had it uploaded to my site. Then, I set about figuring out how to use the program to design attractive e-mails. After that, I needed to create e-mail lists and get addresses loaded into the system. Finally, and the next thing on my list of things to do, was to put the two together and get a newsletter sent out to people who have expressed interest in Southeast Asia adventure tours.

For your free subscription to the Asia Adventures newsletter, please visit my Asia Adventures page. The subscription form is at the bottom of the page. I tried to put it here, but it wouldn't work

If you've been following me on Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn, you have probably already figured out that I am about to embark on a new adventure.

I have recently joined the team at Asia Adventures and will soon relocate to Cambodia to work with them full-time,  helping to promote their unique cycling, trekking, cruise and motorbike tours throughout Southeast Asia.

Over the past 2 years, I've had the pleasure of visiting Cambodia 4 times; 3 times to Siem Reap and once to Phnom Penh. I was touched deeply by the sites, history, culture and most of all, the friendly people. I started to casually look around for what kind of job opportunities there were in the area, and was fortunate to have met the owner of Asia Adventures.

Asia Adventures is a perfect match for me for several reasons. First, although I enjoy teaching English in Taiwan, most of my employment experience is in the travel industry. It will be great to get back into it. Second,  the company specializes in cycling, trekking, cruise and motorbike tours, all of which interest me personally. Finally, I especially admire and respect their dedication to "Responsible Tourism"; supporting the community, charities & local vendors as well as protecting the environment.

Please stay tuned to this blog, or any of my social networking pages listed above, for regular updates!