Hi Phillip,nice to be here. Actually I think the spark for my wanderlust started when I was 6 years old. My family took me up Mount Etna in Sicily; we walked across old lava fields to see molten flows of rock, which was simply amazing at that age. In the town I remember chasing lizards around and playing with huge ants and colourful beetles.

India was my first proper backpacking trip and a real eye opener. It's a very interesting place that I can only describe as an assault on the senses.

Yes, I worked in advertising in London for a few years. My itchy feet soon got the better of me though, and I headed out to South America where I spent 18 months hiking, mountaineering and enjoying myself.

Yes, after South America I ran out of money again so it was back to the UK in order to save up for my next trip. I'd heard good things about a place called Laos so once I had the funds together my next adventure was to SE Asia via Thailand. That trip took me well over a year and I loved it.

The plan was to cover in-depth and serious issues and being able to travel the world and make money taking pictures. The reality is somewhat different. I jumped the gun a bit by coming straight out to SE Asia instead of establishing myself back in the UK.

There's a lot going on over there. I was freelancing at the Philippine Daily Inquirer where I covered both scheduled assignments and breaking news stories. My assignments led me to experience the vibrant diversity of the Philippines - political turmoil, military funerals, murders, protests, sports events, dengue outbreaks, suicide jumpers, high profile court cases, and the Filipino President.

I met a lot of teachers during my travels and it had always been in the back of my mind as a viable career option. I have done volunteer teaching in Peru and Laos, but my real teaching experience has been in Thailand where I taught for about 3 years.

My original plan was to use teaching to pay the bills until I got my photography sorted, but it didnt quite work out. Its hard to cover breaking news stories when you have lesson plans to prepare. Also, my first teaching position was through an agency and I got a raw deal so it put me off quite a bit.

I worked as a tour leader after that job and eventually went back into teaching and really enjoyed my second stint as a homeroom teacher. Teaching can be incredibly rewarding and it almost became my career option,

While I was teaching I got itchy feet again and decided I was going to cycle to Korea and Japan via China, then maybe onto Alaska, Canada and down to Central America. (Always good to have a dream)!

In the end I started off in Krabi and headed up through Laos and into Vietnam. China was having a late winter and it was 3 degrees and snowing so I looped down to South Vietnam before heading back up the Mekong and finally into China two months later when the weather was warmer.

The scale of China is awesome. in one place I rode 45kms uphill and then had the next two days practically freewheeling all the way alongside a river.

I had planned to find a teaching job in China to top up my funds. After three months there I realised China wasn't for me. Its a very interesting place and I met some lovely people, but I don't think I could live and work there. Once you get used to Thai culture it seemed a bit raw over there. I cycled back down to Thailand and then had a break over in the UK. I'd not been back home for over three years so a visit was long overdue.

Indeed. I began working for Grasshopper nearly three years ago. I was looking for a job that combined what I enjoy doing and this job ticked all the right boxes - cycling, travel, interesting and varied work, meeting people, providing a great customer service.

We operate multi-day tours in almost every country in S E Asia, and day tours in Luang Prabang, Mandalay, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Here in Bangkok we have a variety of half and full day tours to choose from.

As long as you can ride a bike you can easily do our day tours. The way is mostly flat. Some of our day tours include lunch, and all tours include drinking water and snacks along the way. Our focus is on safety, having a good time, and soaking up the local culture.

Our 'Bangkok Countryside' tour is very popular, especially for those wanting a bit of fresh air and greenery

I'd like to offer a 10% discount to teachers on all our day tours in the Bangkok area. Just have a look on our website for information about each tour. Please bring proof of teacher status to qualify. If you think you know Bangkok, give our tours a try - you might be pleasantly surprised.

For me it's a combination of climate, people, and food that make Thailand so livable. It is also a very clean and safe place compared to other countries. Admittedly, prices are creeping upward, but the quality of life here is hard to beat.