Hi. I’m Sam!
Welcome to Checkoutsam! A travel blog and travel guide where I try to share with you the funniest and most interesting stories, the best travel tips, beautiful pictures and my craziest adventures.
This is a blog for people who love to travel and all those who want to start their holidays with confidence.
By carefully planning and preparing your future vacation, you can enjoy your travels to the fullest without too much stressing around!
There are many different ways that you can travel. Personally, I mostly head out with my backpack, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy luxury now and then!
In my opinion, you don’t need to book expensive rooms when you’re out exploring. But I do like to spend money on a nice restaurant, a relaxing spa or an exceptional excursion. You’re on holidays, after all! So why not pamper yourself a little?
Follow me around the world on social media!
Sam in the Sahara!
Why travel so much?
I think traveling is the best way to learn more about yourself and the world.
You open yourself to new and different cultures, you get to try out local culinary delights, history and culture gets a lot more interesting when you’re seeing it with your own eyes and it’s just lovely to see all the amazing sights of this wonderful world.
With this blog and travel guide I want to prove that traveling doesn’t have to be expensive, but also that there are a lot of other unknown destinations which are worth some of your time.
In this amazing time of planes, trains, cars and boats, the world is at your feet.
Don’t be paralysed by fear or because you think you’re not adventurous enough to travel. Because, let’s be honest… I don’t exactly look like a daredevil myself, right?! If I can do this, you can do too.
It feels great to step out of your comfort zone, but of course this often leads to awkward moments or stupid mistakes. With this blog you (and I!) can learn on from these travel mistakes and stories.
Sam enjoying the stunning views of Scotland.
But… How do I travel around the world?
My family and friends probably know that I’m a bit fickle. I have thousands of dreams and sometimes I seem to chase them all at once.
After my secondary school, I knew only too well that an office job between wasn’t for me and I decided to head to the Netherlands to pursue an education. At the same time I started an online business and I saved everything I could and I put all my free time in making it work.
Barely a year later, I moved to Los Angeles and once you live in the USA, you obviously have more than enough to go see!
What began with some a few trips in the USA, soon became my first trip around the world and in the meantime I have been traveling so much that I lost track!
My family and many friends still don’t understand how I do it. And I admit it, sometimes I don’t understand it myself either. But one thing I do know: I want to do this as long as possible, because I am sure that nothing in the world is so enriching and fulfilling as travel.
In 2015 I started Checkoutsam as a Belgian, Dutch and international blog and my goal is to make this one of the largest travel blogs and informative guides in this beautiful world.
Since 2019, I also started a German version of the blog!
I hope you got to know me a little better by now, and hopefully you’ll get to know me even better in the future. Without you (especially anyone who regularly leaves a message!) I would not have anyone to write for after all!
– Sam
Sam in Hong Kong.