What if other Foreign Travellers visit Bangladesh and face difficulties like this? What if a tour agent has cheated a Foreign Guest? Is there a proper way to create job opportunities for local guides and drivers and connect them with European Travellers? How do we engage Western Travellers with local communities and exchange their experiences to make both parties happier? What if someone arranges the whole tour for a Foreign Tourist so that they can relax and enjoys the trip? All these questions were in David’s mind, and Arafat and Farjana thought the same. The idea for Bangladesh Unbound was struck during a trip when David came to visit Bangladesh and met Arafat and Farjana there. He had seen 77 countries before coming to Bangladesh and never assumed Bangladesh would become his all-time favourite. But, on the contrary, David has fallen in love with this country from day one. He never thought the people of Bangladesh would be so friendly and hospitable. And he never imagined he could find a place with almost no foreign tourists.

It was February 2015 when David came to Bangladesh from England, thinking he could manage himself and explore Bangladesh independently. So, after spending a few days in Dhaka, he plans to visit the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the Tribal Region of Bangladesh, especially the Bandorban and Rangamati districts. But, while planning a trip to those remote places, David discovered that these places were highly restricted to foreigners and couldn’t be visited individually. To see those places, he must apply through a local tour company and ensure he has a full-time guide with him during his visit unless he can’t get permission. So, he decided to book a tour company to put his approval and hire a guide. At first, David contacted BANGLADESH E*O TOURS, a local tour company based in Chittagong. The company’s owner assured him that he could arrange the pass with other requirements, but he needed at least a week and payment in advance to put it. After the deal, David moved to Cox’s Bazar and visited Teknaf, Saint Martin Island and Rohingya Refugee Camp alone. A few days later, the agent informed him that he couldn’t arrange the permission and could do nothing. When David asked him for a refund, the owner just denied it. David realised he had just cheated. Now he falls under tremendous pressure as he has already wasted 18 days of his visa on arrival and has only 12 days left to leave Bangladesh.

David was back in Dhaka again and contacted N*J***M TOURS. He told the company owner about his previous experience and the days he had on his hand before his visa expired. N*j***m‘s boss confirmed that it would be fine and didn’t need to renew his visa as many tourists overstay in Bangladesh. After the assurance, David booked a two-week-long tour with four travellers on the same day and paid in full. The next day he started his adventure with this group and visited different places with Arafat, the guide appointed by N*J***M TOURS. He was so amazed by Arafat’s knowledge, experience, expertise and connections with local communities that Arafat had in every area. When he knew that Arafat had completed his Post-Graduation in England, he even got more surprised. After Bagerhat and Sundarbans, when David was in Rajshahi with others, Arafat received their Hill Tracts visiting authorisation papers from the Home Ministry through an email. From experience, Arafat starts to check the information of his group, specifically the name, passport number and visa date. And he found that David’s visa would be expired the day they entered Bandarban. So, David will not make it through the military check post even if he has visiting permission. Arafat immediately informed N*j***m‘s boss. But Arafat was astonished when N*j***m‘s boss replied that he couldn’t do anything as it was not his problem and instead helped advise Arafat to leave David after Rangamati and continue his duty rest with the group members. When Arafat informed David about this; David was heartbroken and deeply sorrowful. Arafat assures David that he will do whatever it takes to renew his visa before they go to Chattagram Hill Tracts Region. After arriving in Dhaka from Bogra, Arafat instructed to drop his tourist group at their hotel and report to N*j***m‘s office. At the office, N*j***m‘s owner told him to take this group to Panam City and Sonargaon the next day and then to Chattagram, Rangamati and Bandorban. Arafat asked for a day’s leave, lied that he needed to clean his clothes, and told his boss to arrange another guide for this Panam and Sonargaon visit. N*j***m‘s boss agreed, and after leaving the office, Arafat went straight to David’s hotel. He asked David to email N*j***m‘s boss and tell him that he would not go to Panam and Sonargaon tomorrow. David did the same, and Arafat told him to be at the lobby by 8-AM and take him to the Dept. of Passport and Immigration Office to renew his visa. The following day, Arafat took David to the Immigration Office for visa renewal. But David gets disappointed when the officer tells him it will take at least a week. Arafat knows the bureaucratic culture of Bangladesh. So, he immediately calls Farjana, one of his good friends, for help. Farjana calls her father, a senior secretary in Foreign Ministry, and the magic happened. David got his visa extension for two weeks within a few hours. David finally made it to Rangamati and Bandorban at last. In Bandorban, on the last night of this trip, Arafat hosts a dinner party for his group and lets all his guests taste the Tribal Moonshine. David asks Arafat why he shouldn’t start his own company. Arafat replied that he might be the best guide in Bangladesh but needed to figure out where to start. The conversation continued for a few hours, and they both slept.

After the end of this trip, they returned to Dhaka, and David went to visit N*j***m‘s office with Arafat. N*j***m‘s boss asked David how his trip was he replied great. Meantime, David asked N*j***m‘s boss if there was any land border close to the Seven Sisters of India (North East India) as David wanted to visit Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur states of India. Again N*j***m‘s boss replied that he didn’t know, but he would help him only if he wrote a positive review on TripAdvisor. David said thank you and left the office. Later Arafat left the office and joined David, but both were speechless. Finally, Arafat told David that his home town close to Meghalaya, one of the states of the Seven Sisters of India, and he wished to help him, and he would drop him at the Tamabil Land Border from where he could go all the places quickly he wants to. David agreed, and Arafat took him to his home in Sylhet. David stays at Arafat’s house for two nights and visits Boulders Mines close to the Indian borders on his motorbike. Arafat took David to Farjan’s house on the last day in Bangladesh. David told Arafat and Farjana again to think about their tour company, and he would like to help. David went to India the following day but kept in touch with Arafat and Farjana. They became good friends, and the bonding of their friendship got robust.

Arafat and Farjana devised a plan with David’s inspiration and expertise for what such a service would look like. They needed to design a platform that would be reliable, trustworthy, and simple. David started to create the website, and Arafat and Farjana began to work with itineraries. A month later, David returned to England and finalised everything with Arafat and Farjana. On April 14, 2016, Bangladesh Unbound launched from our office in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Today our network has grown to include many guides and drivers working nationwide. Bangladesh Unbound engaged many local women and families with our activities which support them to empower and benefit economically so they can stand firm. We remain committed to giving travellers Genuine Experiences and creating a way for local guides to work everywhere in Bangladesh that people want to visit.