ADVENTURE OPTIONS

This episode is an interview with Michael Bennett, who is the founder of Muddy Shoe Adventures, and a co-founder of Explorer-X. We discuss everything from car wrecks, to love letters, to Saturn. And of course we talk about transformational travel. To read "Love Letter to Myself" go here: https://www.explorer-x.com/travel-stories Visit explorer-x.com to learn more about the adventures that we discussed. Remember to "travel with intention, travel with heart".

Brian Mullis is interviewed in this episode. He is currently the director of the Guyana Tourism Authority. We talk about Brian and his early career as a line cook in Yellowstone. We talk about the different ventures that he undertook and what he learned from each of his positions. Brian shares what the "Travel Better Certificate" is and how you can earn one. He also tells us all about Guyana and what you can expect when visiting the country.

Vicky Smith is the founder of Earth Changers and we have a lovely chat in this episode. Vicky shares some of her life changing moments and some of the jobs that helped get her to a place to create Earth Changers. Vicky's website is a great resource for anyone who would really like to study sustainability in tourism. You can check it out at earth-changers.com. One of my favorite quotes from Vicky was "Emotion is what travel is about".

This episode is all about life and the pursuit of happiness brought to you by Maria who is the founder of the Sojourn Experience. Maria has 3 different avenues that she works through: tv, adventure, and mentoring. In this episode we talk about living a full life which I think you will agree Maria does. We talk about Maria's career in television and how it helped to fund her love of travel. We talk about Africa and the transformational powers it gives people. We get spiritual and philosophical as we explore happiness and life. You can check out all that Maria has to offer at sojourn-intl.com, and as a bonus Maria has graciously offered a discount to you for her happiness mentoring program. You can enter code: OWA40 for a 40% discount! While you are there be sure to sign up for the free "8 good things" email that she does for a little splash of happiness in your inbox.

Kurt is the founder of Wildland Adventures and in this episode he shares how he got where he is today, plus as a bonus we find out why he is "definitely a romantic". Kurt talks about his childhood and how it paved the way for adventure travel. He shares a harrowing story from the tip of South America and the moment where he encountered death. Kurt shares his take on sustainability and walks us through some of the exciting trips that Wildland will be hosting including a spiritual journey through India. Visit wildland.com for more information.

This interview with Nicky was a hoot from start to finish. We talked about how she was more or less dragged into the adventure/travel industry and how she loved it. We talk about her late husband Steve, and the impact his love of adventure had on Nicky's life. Then we get funny. We talk about the charity arm of Angama and we spend a lot of time talking about a particular toilet. Then Nicky gives us a 1st class reenactment of a giraffe eating. If you need a good smile, then this episode is for you. Visit agama.com for more information.

Tyler Davis is one of the managers of the Angama Mara lodge in Kenya. In this interview, Tyler tells us about his background in adventure travel which started as a child. He walks us through his different roles in the industry and how he and his wife became the managers of the Angama. Tyler then tells us all about the exciting things that are happening at the Angama and the many ways that you can experience the bush and the people. Tyler highlights the companies role with "Travel Without Plastic" and what they are doing to protect our natural resources. Visit Angama.com to learn more about the lodge.

In this episode I interview Jo who is the dynamic creator of Travel Without Plastic. Travel Without Plastic helps hotels reduce their single use plastics. They have a super ambitious goal of eliminating the need for over 1 billion items by 2020. Jo explains that it is so much more than just the breakfast items. There is single use plastic all over the industry. Jo has the perfect personality to tackle such a large goal. She shares her wisdom that it really is the little things that can make all the difference. Check out Jo's site at www.travelwithoutplastic.com to get help as a hotel manager, see who Jo is partnering with all over the globe, or just to see what she's up to.

Erik is one of the co-founders of VOPO (latin for "voice of the people") and they are doing some amazing things. Erik and I chat about growing up in Venezuela and moving to Australia. He shares his love of conservation and how he figured the best way to help with the flow of plastic into our oceans is to shut the tap off. Vopo works with NGO's putting waste management systems in these remote villages that otherwise don't have the infrastructure. Erik is sincere in his passion and he shares about some of the relationships that have been fostered through his efforts with Vopo. Visit vopo.earth for more information.

Ty is the co-founder of ROAM fitness which is a gym in the middle of the airport! That's right, you can work out, shower up, and get on with your travel arrangements. We talk about how the concept came up and what kind of red tape Ty has to go through to make fitness accessible in the airports. Ty and his co-founder (Cynthia Sandall) met in grad school where they came up with the concept. They wanted to make sure that the gym would be located past airport security so people on layovers wouldn't have to leave and go back through. They then had to get a very rigid industry to see that not everyone wants to drink and eat the whole time they are waiting for their flights. They came up with the genius idea to have shoes and clothes available for rent (at no extra cost) for those of us who don't travel in our gym wear. Then they put luxury shower rooms to freshen up. (Not gonna lie, I would go just for the shower if I didn't have time to workout). Ty's piece of advise at the end is golden. Try to make the airport experience the least anxiety provoking possible. It's the little things that make the experience enjoyable. Also, leave the booze for the destination, not the journey. That stuff with dehydrate you right out. Visit www.roamfitness.com for more information

Jake tells us about his rise through the travel industry starting with Evergreen Escapes. Then he gets vulnerable as he shares "what entrepreneurs and small business owners go through". He tells us his thoughts on why travel should be transformational and what that means to him. Then he takes us to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro with a story that will make you say the word "tender" out loud, and then wish you had his friends! Finally, Jake tells us how we too can be HERO's. Visit transformational.travel and explorer-x.com for more information.

Shayna interviews one of the co-founders of Latinspirations, Maike Berkemeier. They talk about Maike's start in the adventure travel industry and what brought her to South America. Maike shares how she fell in love with Chile and what her favorite destinations to visit are. She talks about the screening process that they use to make sure that the tour companies they work with are socially responsible and share their ecotourism and sustainability values. Maike is amazingly eloquent in her 3rd (or is it 4th or 5th) language and she walks us through her journey. Visit latinspirations.com for more information.

Nigel is one of the co-founders of the Adventure Junky App, which is earth's adventure travel game. We talk about the rise of the app and the future that I hope for it (calling all Amazing Race people). Nigel tells us "where life begins" and what a "bilennial" is.

Dan is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to ecotourism. In this interview we talk about sustainable travel, tour guide guidelines, vocabulary words and the ATTA. Visit Padion.biz to learn more about Dan's consulting work.

I interviewed Stephen Oddo, one of the co-founders of Walks of Italy and Take Walks. Stephen "walks" us through his journey in Europe and the "steps" he took to create his companies. Visit takewalks.com to learn more about their services.