Sam's Biog

Asia has always played an important part in my life. From backpacking around India as a 19-year-old to meeting my Kiwi wife on a beach in Thailand, it’s been a huge part of my personal life. Professional too - it’s where I established the ETG “immersive holidays that give back” philosophy - starting in Sri Lanka in the early 2000s. There’s. Just. Something. About. The. Place.

With a 6-month interruption caused by the Asian tsunami of 2004 (during which time me and my ETG partner Tom became ‘Aid Sri Lanka’), the Sri Lanka experience was the perfect opportunity to really research and develop the ETG approach.

By 2006, joined by Melissa, the third member of the ETG team and with Southeast Asia thoroughly explored for distinctive experience-based holidays, we were ready to launch.

17 years later and the team has grown from strength to strength to 20 in the UK and a further 5 in Asia, plus hundreds of partners and guides throughout the continent. 

Proud? You bet. Proud that others ‘see it’ like we see it. Proud that we took an idea we believed in and ran with it. And proudest of all that thousands other people have experienced Asia in the very best way - through travel done right. 

The great thing about Asia is that there’s always so much more to see, so many more people to meet - which is why I spend so much time travelling with my wife and children (now - cynical, but still travel-loving teenagers).

And as a 6’6” farang (Thai for foreigner) who stood out like a sore lanky thumb, smacked my head on countless Asian door frames, and even accidentally took out someone’s house in Sri Lanka (they laughed about it later, somehow), if you’re also one of those people who always needs to book extra legroom, again, just ask.

In fact, whether you’re planning to travel with kids or not, and whether you’re super tall, or not - drop me a line anyway, it’d be great to find out the travel experience you’re looking for and share a few ideas.