The Evolution of Free & Easy

How we began….

The vision for Free & Easy Traveler came to be in the year 2000 on the beaches of the Greek Islands.  At the time Curtis Smith, the founder of Free & Easy, was taking 4 months off from university to travel Europe.  In contrast to the rigors and pressures of balancing work, school, sports, social life, and ALSO that massive decision of "figuring out" a career path, the simplicity of traveling in Greece was an incredible and entirely new experience for him.   The Greek approach to life was based much more around finding happiness in every day, and enjoying the good company of friends and family, rather than a constant need to accomplish more. 

The entire first month of that Europe trip was spent hopping from island to island, waking up each day excited about some new adventure, meeting other travelers from around the world, and enjoying the freedom and peace of mind to truly reflect on what is important in life.   Many new and fresh ideas were born during that time, along with the concept for Free & Easy.  Curtis realized that so many university-aged people were in the same cluttered, unclear, and uncertain position in their lives and would encounter the same life enriching benefits by experiencing this style of travel.  By making happiness and enjoyment of the present moment the only objective for a month or more, people could feel refreshed and hopefully clearer on those most important things in life.

To ‘live Free, and to take it Easy’ was the motive for the company name; and using the word ‘Traveler’ was meant to separate us from what any other ‘tour’ company had ever done.   This trip was not meant to try and see and do as much as possible and be on a rigid schedule, because then people would be right back to the hectic pace of home life.  Instead, Free & Easy trips were going to allow time to slow down and soak up the finer things of these countries that we were traveling to and the good company of our group resulting in truly enjoying the moment at each destination….rather than just getting a photograph.   Free & Easy was meant to be the facilitator that allowed people to grasp that kind of experience we all dream of. 

After the escapades all around Europe that summer of 2000, Curtis returned to Calgary, Canada with the plan to offer two 1-month trips to the Greek Islands the following summer.  Greece had so much to offer – the history, friendly people, awesome climate, beaches, partying destinations, delicious food…and most importantly for students, it was incredibly affordable.   The group could afford to eat at restaurants, buy beer or a bottle of wine, and really feel that they were on holiday!  With student loans piling up, this dream would also allow Curtis himself to be traveling once again and living that good lifestyle – which turned out to be incentive enough to make the dream happen!

After a successful 2001 summer with 35 travelers in Greece, in 2002 Free & Easy added a 1-month Spain & Portugal trip.  The warm Mediterranean lifestyle was wonderful for the trips, but at that same time the Euro was introduced and costs were rising.  Fortunately, at the same time, Curt's brother Chad was traveling in Asia and had sent back glowing reviews of one country in particular - Thailand.   Curt put University on hold for the year to go discover Thailand, and Chad joined him.  Thailand was perfect.  Beyond perfect, it was a dream come true for satisfying the underlying principles of a Free & Easy experience.  Thailand was even more exotic with a tropical climate, white sand beaches, incredible food, a genuinely hospitable culture, and even so much MORE affordable.   30 days was not even enough for the trip plan that was desired, and so was born the 40-day Thailand experience.  

Between 2003 – 2008, Free & Easy grew from 3 trips per year to 17 trips a year - all 40-days in length.   We like to think our growth was always as organic as possible, making the primary focus to ensure an amazing experience for each group member, while also maintaining a balanced, positive impact on the local communities we visited.   We’ve made great friends at all of our destinations, and there is always excitement surrounding the arrival of our group.

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