New Zealand backpacker bus company Stray will operate the first “hop-on hop-off’ travel network in Laos, from October.
Stray has worked with the Laos government to become a fully licensed tour operator able to operate its own buses and employ its own drivers and guides.
Itineraries include exploring caves where loyalists lived during the Vietnam War and a stay in a remote village where locals have rarely seen Westerners.
The Stray route starts in Bangkok, heads up through northern Thailand on trains, then across to the top of Laos, before travelling down through to the south of Laos on Stray’s own buses and a long boat, and then back to Bangkok.
Customers can buy passes covering the whole route (the full circuit takes 17 days) for $US835, or passes for smaller sections of the route for $US150.
They then have the freedom to get off and on anywhere over the route for up to 12 months.
The new Stray Asia product will be sold through agents.
Customers can also book online directly, or agents can login and make online, real-time bookings into the reservations system.
Stray has sales reps in NZ, Australia, UK, Bangkok and Luang Prabang and has training programmes, including presentations and manuals, available to agents.
Agents should contact [email protected] to get further details and arrange for a Stray representative to visit
Discounted famils can also be arranged on application.
Stray has produced brochures for Stray Asia in both $US and $A as well as an insert in $NZ.
