In 2020, Sam Freij’s Travel with Sam (@travel_with_sam) Instagram feed grew significantly. Today, the page has hundreds of thousands of followers, all of whom are eager to discover where Freij will go next and what the location has to offer in terms of beaches, resorts, beverages, and cuisine. Freij is only getting to go on his favorite vacations, but it is now so much more. He is an influencer who is rapidly gaining traction in the crowded digital media tourism market.
Traveling isn’t Freij’s main job, but it is his passion. When he’s not working as an automotive industry manager, he’s going to a new place and exploring the scenery and food in the area. Most of his page is filled with different, beaches, foods, and drinks. Each post on the page details where Sam is or what he is cooking or eating, even if he’s not on vacation, with many posts highlight his homemade scratch Roman and Neapolitan style pizza.
“I want people to feel like they’re traveling with me,” he explains. “Hopefully they like where I’m going or what I’m eating as much as I do and then they eventually try to experience the same thing themselves.”
Sam currently has more than 256,000 followers on his page and he loves to receive messages from those followers asking for his thoughts on islands and hotels in places like Cancun, Mexico among many others. Giving his followers advice and details on travel destinations is what the page is all about and Freij loves to help followers get a better idea of what places are like.
“When they ask questions, that lets me know that they’re really engaged with their following,” he says. “I like being able to know that my travel isn’t just fun for me, but it’s actually helping people too. Maybe they’re thinking about traveling to that same place, maybe they just want to see if they can get a similar experience somewhere else. Whatever it is, I’m helping them out.”
Sam considers himself to be a self-made entrepreneur. He got to where he is in business today almost entirely on his own and that self-starting attitude has allowed him to be in a place where he can afford to travel and build up content on his Instagram page with so many amazing locations.
“My first job only lasted a week,” Freij explains. “But I was able to build off that and it made me stronger. Every experience I just try to learn from and use that to help me in the next experience. That applies not just to business, but even to my travel too, I want to make every one of those experiences better using what happened the last time.”
Sam’s presence on Instagram started in March of 2020. At a time when so many were stranded at home unable to travel, the Travel with Sam Page offered a look at what life would hopefully be like again in the near future. Today, even as certain struggles continue, Sam is out and about, safely bringing that travel experience to people all over the world.
“I think people just needed an escape,” Sam said. “They were looking for these dream locations and I could offer that to them. I’m glad I was able to be there for people and give them something that we could all be happy about.”
Freij has visited 24 countries, but one keeps calling him back. He has repeatedly visited Cancun, Mexico to the point where he is known in the area for his travels and his Instagram page, including getting a feature in the Intercontinental Presidente Cancun publication.
“They know me, they know what I do, they know what my page can do,” he explains. “It’s great exposure for them and it’s a great trip for me. I just really love the environment and I’ll never turn down the chance to visit.”
For more information, follow the Travel with Sam page (@travel_with_sam) on Instagram.
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