Next Step Thailand Team
Meet our local staff
Joe (Samart Srisoda)
Product Assistant
Samart was born in Mae Jeam district and spent almost eight years in the temple as a novice monk before going on to study for BA in Tourism Industry Management where he specialized in ethnic minority knowledge and elephants and has been a tour guide for over 10 years. He is a product assistant at Next Step Thailand and Spicy Villa Eco-Lodges but still finds the time to work as a tour guide for Next Step Thailand. He enjoys traveling, learning about different cultures and meeting new people.
Pan (Siam Sereeduangjai)
Tour leader
Pan has an easygoing and friendly approach to guests and is extremely knowledgeable and informative with excellent English skills. He didn’t always know that work in tourism was his calling so he studied economy for a couple of years and then worked in a variety of jobs before settling as a tour guide. He has worked as a licensed tour guide for nearly ten years now and enjoys working with guests from other countries and talking about local culture and nature.
Boon (Somboon Norsang)
Expert for Chiang Dao and Mae Taeng
Boon is a thoughtful and informative guide with over twenty years of experience as a licensed tour guide. As his guest you are in extremely capable hands. He was born in Chiang Dao and is especially fond of this area and therefore our expert for all tours to Chiang Dao and Mae Taeng. Before he became a guide, he worked on a family rice farm and cut and sold bamboo. He enjoys long trekking trips in the mountains and bamboo rafting. He has a daughter who studies fine arts.
Sun (Wasan Kayan)
Driver and tour leader
Wasan has known that he will work in tourism for as long as he can remember. He enjoys working with guests from around the globe, meeting new people, talking, exchanging opinions and making new friends. With a calm and friendly attitude, he is an amazing guide and driver, and possesses a well of local knowledge. He graduated from tourism studies in 1992 and has worked as a tour guide ever since. He lives in Chiang Mai and enjoys trips to countryside.
Sam (Sumsuk)
Expert for Doi Inthanon
Sam comes from a Karen tribe village in Mae Wang area and started working as a porter after high school. He got his guide’s license 18 years ago and has worked as a tour guide ever since. He is married and has two children, a boy and a girl. Sam is a calm and patient guide who especially enjoys long trekking trips and is our expert for tours to Doi Inthanon national park.
Kwan (Kwanchai Palasu)
Tour leader
Kwan comes from Mae Win and lives near Spicy Villa Eco-Lodges with his wife and two children. He studied computer sciences in Bangkok, but returned to Mae Win to work as a tourist guide when he realized that work behind a computer is not for him, and that he enjoys spending time in the countryside and showing guests around his beautiful home town. He has a positive attitude and is happy to teach his guests about local culture.
Mario (Somsak Palasu)
Tour leader
Mario first worked in 7/11 in Chiang Mai before he got a tour license and started working as a tour guide in Chiang Mai a little more than six years ago. A couple years ago he moved back to his home town Mae Win and started working as a guide for Next Step Thailand. Mario is a very fun and energetic guide and enjoys trekking, being in the nature, and talking with guests. He has a wife and a son.
Ho (Komklit)
Driver
Ho has been driving Spicy Villa and Next Step Thailand guests since 2013. He has a perfect record and enjoys driving and spending time with guests. He is always up for a good joke and is guaranteed to make you laugh. Before he started driving for us, he worked as bamboo rafting captain and he still likes to join our guests while they do water activities.
Ho is married and has a son who goes to primary school in Mae Wang.
Foon (Thanuslip Foon)
Guide’s assistant
Foon is a guide’s assistant at Next Step Thailand and plans to study and train to become a licensed guide. He comes from a Karen tribe village near Samoeng and worked on family farm before going to high school. After high school he decided to work in tourism because he enjoys spending time with tourists and showing them around northern Thailand.
Chai (Surachai)
Guide’s assistant
Chai is a new guide’s assistant at Next Step Thailand. He started working with us in 2015. Before working as a guide’s assistant, he worked and lived in Chiang Mai. Chai is from Huay Khao Leep village in Mae Wang which is a Karen tribe village close to Spicy Villa. He likes working with tourists and is particularly interested in cooking traditional Thai dishes.
Tim (Chalatpoon)
Cycling expert
Tim is a cycling expert at Next Step Thailand and we are lucky to have him as he enjoys his work and knows cycling routes in Mae Wang by heart. He is originally from Bangkok where he studied veterinary medicine, but he first moved to Phuket and worked as a diving instructor, and then came to northern Thailand to live and work in this mountainous region. Tim likes the peaceful country life, cycling and sharing his knowledge with our guests.
Boon
Guide’s assistant
Boon is a guide’s assistant at Next Step Thailand. He is a local from a nearby Karen tribe village where he lives with his wife and two kids. He used to work as a farmer on his family land, but took the opportunity to work with us because he enjoys spending time in nature, trekking, and doing other activities with guests. Boon’s guests are in reliable hands as he is hard-working, helpful, kind and enthusiastic about his work.