About Our Founder
Simony Pech
Managing Director & Founder
Background
Born and raised in a rural area of Battambang, Simony’s deep connection to community, nature, and storytelling is rooted in his early life in countryside village settings. After graduating from lower secondary school in his village, Simony (or Mony in short) moved to the city to continue his high school education while living in a local pagoda. In 2009, he enrolled at the Buddhist University of Battambang to pursue a degree in Khmer Literature, graduating in 2013.
Education & Buddhist University Life: During his higher education at the Buddhist university, Mony immersed himself in philosophy, mindfulness, social ethics, and English studies. Living and learning within a Buddhist academic environment shaped his core worldview: empathy, active listening, deep respect for elders, and a commitment to community service.
Hobbies & Personal Preferences: Outside of guiding, Mony enjoys long-distance cycling through countryside trails, engaging in cross-cultural exchanges, exploring Buddhism, reading Cambodian history, and deepening his practice of Buddhist philosophy.
Career Journey in Tourism
Entering Tourism: In 2014, after graduating from university, Mony began his career in tourism as a local guide with Soksabike Tours in Battambang. He was deeply inspired by the broader world he was exposed to through travelers and his daily work. His guiding was driven by a passion to share authentic Cambodian stories beyond standard tourist sights, while continuously striving to balance tourism's impact on the local communities he worked with.
Becoming a Soksabike Shareholder (2018): Driven by a deep curiosity about the tourism industry, Mony stepped into an ownership role when Soksabike presented the opportunity. Working alongside three other local owners, Mony took charge of digital marketing and blog writing. Recognizing the power of social enterprise, Soksabike operated as a responsible bicycle tour enterprise in Battambang, empowering local youth through guide training, hospitality skills, and ethical community interactions.
Leading Through COVID-19: When global travel came to a halt during the pandemic, Mony stepped up and demonstrated incredible resilience. Rather than stepping back, he and his team spearheaded local community initiatives, including creating the Skual Battambang project—an initiative focused on sustaining operations while maintaining community partnerships during economic hardship. This project was developed to expand capabilities beyond a reliance on international tourism, aiming directly at building a strong local travel market.
Expanding Into Educational & Specialized Travel: For Mony, tourism is fundamentally a form of teaching and learning—believing travel should be a transformative journey rather than a simple escape from daily life. Following the pandemic, Mony moved to Siem Reap to pursue broader opportunities in experiential tourism. In 2023, he began working as an outdoor educational instructor with Where There Be Dragons, leading international student groups on deep-immersion cultural trips. Additionally, Mony has led specialized itineraries for renowned travel brands including Vegan Travel Asia, Lost Plate, and Real Cambodia Tours.
Expertise
Mony has worked in the tourism industry for over 10 years. He is highly skilled in leading trips ranging from day tours to multi-day journeys across Cambodia. Throughout his career, Mony has built a network of reliable local partners, restaurants, and boutique hotels, which allows him to create deeply meaningful experiences for everyone who travels with him.
Mony’s Views in Tourism
While working with Soksabike in Battambang, Mony collaborated closely with rural host communities and gained a profound understanding of responsible tourism. He has led numerous responsible tourism workshops for local communities, schools, and local NGOs. Mony firmly believes that positive travel should benefit both sides—the host community and the traveler.
Traveling slowly allows visitors to form deeper connections and cultural understanding. At the same time, it gives local communities the opportunity to interact with guests, learn about their backgrounds, and understand why travelers choose to visit their home. An intentional trip guides the journey, leaving travelers with lasting insights gained through quiet reflection.
Mony consistently ensures that his journeys offer meaningful, immersive experiences through slow travel, authentic conversations with locals, and direct contributions to the communities visited. He integrates practices that minimize negative environmental and social impacts on every trip. Furthermore, he invites his guests to adopt thoughtful routines and habits throughout the journey, encouraging everyone to practice true responsibility toward the people and places they visit, such as learning about local cultural Dos and Don’ts, local language, and some of the local norms in terms of perspective in cultural difference and gender perspective.
Tour Management & Operations
Throughout his career as a tour leader, Mony has focused on executing itineraries seamlessly while delivering deeply authentic experiences. He manages day-to-day planning by keeping local hosts and partners informed well in advance. From sunrise to evening, he handles logistics, facilitates language translation, and shares cultural context—ensuring travelers feel fully supported and cared for at every step.
Experiential Facilitation Skill
Mony strongly believes that travel is a powerful form of education. To him, the world is a global classroom—offering lessons that broaden a traveler's perspective on both the world around them and their own lives at home. He encourages travelers to design their journeys intentionally, prioritizing deep cultural immersion and meaningful, experiential travel.
Mony’s guiding style is rooted in experiential facilitation and authentic storytelling. He prioritizes genuine human connection, placing real, unscripted cultural interactions over staged tourist activities. For Mony, participating in an activity is just the first step—the true magic of travel lies in taking time to reflect and uncover the deeper meaning behind every experience.
Core Areas of Expertise:
Educational & Immersive Travel: Designing student and adult journeys centered around learning, mindfulness, and local history.
Community-Based Tourism: Building ethical, fair-trade partnerships with local villagers, artisans, and monks.
Storytelling & Cross-Cultural Connection: Translating complex history, modern social realities, and spiritual traditions into engaging, human-centered narratives.
What He Loves to Create on a Trip
Learning and Fun: A great trip should be engaging, energetic, and fun. With extensive experience in designing custom itineraries, Mony understands that a memorable journey requires a balance of everything—from light adventure and hands-on activities to deep meaningful conversations. He crafts well-paced experiences that allow travelers to sit, observe, and truly absorb the local atmosphere without feeling rushed, all while keeping the journey fun, engaging, and deeply immersive.
Intentional Activity Design: Every element of a trip should serve a purpose. Before adding any destination or activity to an itinerary, the first question is why it is important to have this on the list. Designing an intentional journey begins with deeply understanding guests. Rather than simply fulfilling requests, Mony takes the time to learn the underlying interests, values, and curiosity behind what guests want to see.
As a local guide and travel designer, Mony's role is to serve as a bridge—aligning guest expectations with the authentic reality of Cambodia. From the places guests stay and the food they eat to the local hosts they meet, every detail is chosen with purpose. He balances guest learning goals with genuine local experiences to build a journey that is meaningful, respectful, and true to the country.
Safe, Inclusive Environments: As a tour leader, Mony believes his primary responsibility is understanding his group's needs and challenges. He continuously monitors group well-being and dynamics to ensure that every traveler feels supported, respected, and fully included in every aspect of the journey.
Why Partners Should work with Mony
Travel for Change: Tourism should be a force for good. Mony’s work centers on balancing memorable travel with responsible field practices. Specializing in experiential learning, Mony designs itineraries, facilitates local interactions, and protects the educational integrity of every trip. He does not just support the idea of responsible tourism—he lives it daily and is building a travel venture grounded in this exact philosophy. If your organization shares this mission, Mony is a trusted, capable partner on the ground in Cambodia.
His Guiding Philosophy: To Mony, being a guide isn't just about navigating roads or translating language—it's about multi-tasking, observing, and adapting. A great leader proactively adjusts the flow of a tour to match what guests need at the moment. His guidance is built on authentic storytelling, active listening, and guest care. Supported by formal training in crisis management, risk assessment, communication, and first aid, he focuses on delivering experiences that are enriching, smooth, and above all, safe.
Unmatched Local Knowledge & Integrity: With over a decade of field experience, Mony brings deep local insight and high operational integrity to every journey. His expertise covers the full spectrum of trip management—from budget design and itinerary planning to real-time activity facilitation. Holding a degree in Khmer Literature, Mony offers guests a nuanced, authentic understanding of Cambodia’s rich history, culture, and language.
Calm, Mindful Leadership: His background in Buddhist philosophy brings a grounded, calm energy to every tour, even during unexpected travel changes.
