Daniel Morris, a teacher by day and a traveler by night, has one of the most intriguing lives of anyone you will ever meet. 

Mr. Morris was born in Green Bay, went to UW-Madison for his undergraduate degree and then went to Indiana for his master’s degree in International Business.

Morris worked as a businessman for 35 years, but being a teacher had always been on his mind ever since childhood. During his career in business, he worked for 20 different companies.

“I personally love to learn, and I find the business of selling thoughts and ideas to be intriguing.  After a year and a half here…I don’t want to do anything else.”

After all those years of working as a businessman, Morris now teaches Business and Computer Apps at NDA.

One of Morris’ favorite things to do is travel, an interest instilled in him by his father.

“My father is a dreamer,” he explained.  “We used to go on family car trips every summer, and he would pull out the maps, and we would sit and figure out what path we would take… I wonder what’s beyond the next hill over there.’”

Morris has been to six continents, 95 countries, 49 states, and eight provinces in Canada. He has yet to visit Antarctica and Alaska. When he drives to Alaska, he said that he will visit the rest of the Canadian provinces.

His favorite trip?

“That’s like asking who is your favorite child.  There’s magic in every trip.”

Although it was impossible to pick only one, Morris did name a few memorable trips, such as Easter Island with its wild horses and giant carved stone heads, trekking in Nepal while seeing wild rhinos and walking through the dusty streets of the capital, Tanzania with its unpredictable events you would see on a safari and New Zealand’s beautiful underwater cave with a ceiling of glow worms that look like stars. 

Since Morris has been traveling for most of his life, he has many pointers to give to green travelers.

“Don’t be afraid.  The unknown can be scary, but it also makes for the best stories afterwards.”  Morris said he has made  some of the best memories by doing things spontaneously.

Another piece of advice that Morris would give is to plan but still be flexible. Have a plan so that you don’t waste your time finding a hotel to stay at. “I go with the idea that I may never be back, so I better not miss something.”

He also says to be flexible with your plan. Obviously, something might go unplanned, so be ready to change up plans.

Finally, Morris said to “just do it.” Feel free to be as spontaneous as you want. Some of his best experiences are when he got in his car and started driving.

The world traveler contends  he would never re-visit a place. “I already have my life mapped out…one adventure a year…a dozen trips and I’ll be in my seventies,” he said.

“Traveling fills your soul,” said the popular teacher. “We all have hard times in life and struggle with inner demons, but I can just close my eyes and see the swaying palms of a beach in Brazil, the wild orangutans of Sumatra swinging through the trees, or remember the beautiful color and  immense size of a whale shark swimming next to me…the darkness gets crowded out by the lights of your memories and encourages you to go grab a map and start looking for the next adventure.  Always be looking for your next adventure.”