Graham Ward
I'm not sure exactly what age I was when I came to the realization that I needed to travel, one thing I have always known is that I couldn’t allow myself to live life without broadening my knowledge of other cultures, other ways of life and what else the world has to offer.
I grew up just east of Edmonton, Alberta with a very active family. Our summers involved multiple week camping trips all over western Canada where I began to learn how amazing the great outdoors really are, because of this I also began to love mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, swimming in the summer and skiing/snowboarding in the winter. This list of activities has evolved as I’ve aged and now includes skydiving, surfing, beersbie, bungee jumping, rock climbing and last but not least Frisbee.
When I graduated from high school I started working as a tradesmen for an oilfield construction company which I thought at the time interested me, even though it went against nearly everything I had originally wanted in life. Long 12 plus hour days in the cold Canadian winter was not what I wanted.
So last year, when I was sitting around on a couch recovering from an accident, I finally signed up for a Free and Easy experience and they went above and beyond the word "experience", there is no way to describe the mixed emotions I felt when I first landed in Bangkok it would have been nearly impossible to wipe the smile off my face! I knew that moment that something deep down inside of me was released something that I hadn’t felt before. That feeling carried through Laos, Cambodia and Thailand that year and Indonesia this year growing stronger with every day. Whether is was watching the sunset at the Ankor Wat temples, tubing through caves in Laos or playing frisbee on
fluffy, white sand beaches, boating through floating villages, hiking the Mt Rinjani volcano for sunset, or drinking 50 cent beer in Cambodia- it as a trend of amazing events fueling the fire inside of me to see more. Traveling and leaving the bubble back home was the best thing I did for myself and I want everyone to see what the world has to offer.
When Free and Easy approached me with a job opportunity I without hesitation said yes, I feel very fortunate to now have a job were smiles surround me, where someone can assist another in creating some of their fondest moments while always learning, I can’t wait too meet new people and watch them check things off their own bucket lists. Come travel with me and the rest of the Free and Easy family!
Carpe Diem and Cheers
Graham