Taking the Plunge

Our next Super Guide that we will be highlighting in this series exploring some of the FreeGuides top experience makers is Samuel Morse. Known for his experiences showcasing Sydney’s very own Berry Island Loop and Thailand’s Khong Chiam, Samuel looks to inject his experiences with all that he’s learned from his travels.

“My parents first moved me to France when I was 9 years old. I got to learn French which was pretty cool. I returned home to Sydney to finish high school, and then in 2015 I took the plunge and moved to Thailand. I started teaching English there, and only planned on staying for 5 months. 5 months turned into 1 year, 1 year turned into 2 years and eventually 2 years turned into 6 years.”

Immigrating as Samuel did is a daunting task for anyone. To move overseas to a country where the majority of the population don’t speak your language and be thrust into a whole new world filled with a rich culture and history can seem insurmountable to even the most hearty of travellers. But it seems like Samuel just had that itch to experience new things.

“I think having lived overseas when I was younger, I was given the travel bug at an early age. That restless feeling. I remember as a teenager I stayed in Australia and in 2015 I wanted to try something new after travelling for a bit. I started teaching ESL here to people from all over South East Asia, and remember my Thai students being quite friendly. I think it was a  little bit of everything that inspired me to take the plunge.”

Samuel fell in love with Thailand during his 6 years in-country and has brought that joy for the countryside and lesser-known regions to audiences. His experiences are aimed towards those who’ve visited South East Asia before but perhaps have only explored the major cities. Hoping everyone will get something from his experiences, Samuel has tried to educate people about the beauties of a country he called home for so long, drawing from his background as an English teacher both here in Australia and Thailand.

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“For a few years, I was switching around, teaching secondary school kids and primary school kids. But for the last three years I was teaching nursery aged students, so between the ages of 1 and 3 in Si Sa Ket and that was a different experience. Local kids who had never met a foreigner before and they were thrust into this classroom with 27 other kids.”

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Coming back to Sydney last July, Samuel has looked to implement everything he has learnt teaching and experiencing overseas into creating new experiences of little known places in Sydney, such as his Berry Island experience. He looks to help people enjoy parts of his home that he thinks others will miss, all before a big return back to Thailand soon.

“I noticed a few weeks ago when I went back to Berry Island it was packed to the rafters. I’d never seen anything like that before there. I think people are looking for new places to go and see. With Kong Chiam, I think it’s a place that people haven’t heard of before. There’s an original aspect to it that I don’t think people get to see too often.”

We look forward to seeing what experience Samuel decides to write about next, as I’m sure you all are as well. Hopefully, you’ve picked up on a few tips and tricks you can include in creating your own experience, or perhaps you’re inspired to try out the Berry Island Loop or Kong Chiam if you happen to be travelling soon!

Check out Sam's experiences on FreeGuides:

• APPLE: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/freeguides/id1527520653
• ANDROID: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.freeguides.freeguidesapp&hl=en_US&gl=US

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