Adventure Travel Podcast - Big World Made Small

Guest Bio Aiste Stanley is the founder of Trabeona Travels, an award-winning boutique travel agency specializing in meaningful, immersive, and highly personalized travel experiences. Born and raised in Lithuania, Aiste brings a global perspective to her work as a luxury travel advisor, helping clients move beyond surface-level vacations and into journeys shaped by culture, connection, learning, we...

Guest Bio William “Will” Blair is the manager of Best of the Wild , a pioneering explorer, conservation-minded fly-fishing guide, and destination developer whose career has been shaped by remote rivers, wild fisheries, and a deep respect for places few travelers ever reach. Through his work with Best of the Wild and Best of Kamchatka, Will has spent decades helping anglers experience some of the w...

Guest Bio Nuno Santos Fernandes is a mentor and partner at Walking Mentorship, a Portugal-based personal and team development company that uses walking in nature as a powerful setting for reflection, clarity, and growth. A lifelong walker with a curiosity for paths less traveled, Nuno’s professional journey has moved through marketing, entrepreneurship, animal care, environmental work, veterinary...

Guest Bio Daan Oxener is the co-founder of Home of Friends Guesthouse & Community Experiences Uganda, a community-rooted guesthouse and adventure travel hub based in Kapchorwa on the slopes of Mount Elgon. Originally from the Netherlands, Daan’s path to Uganda began with an early fascination for Africa, later deepened through travel, social entrepreneurship, youth development, and sport. Over...

Guest Bio Sally Guillaume is the founder of Undiscovered Mountains, a specialist adventure travel company based in the Southern French Alps. Originally from the UK, Sally’s path has included work as a science teacher, outdoor pursuits instructor, and BBC journalist before her love of mountain life led her to France in 2005. Through Undiscovered Mountains, Sally helps travellers experience a quiete...

Guest Bio Justin Wateridge is the Managing Director of Steppes Travel, a specialist tour operator known for designing immersive, tailor-made journeys around the world. With decades of experience in the travel industry, including previous leadership as Managing Director of Abercrombie & Kent UK, Justin brings a deep understanding of both luxury travel and meaningful exploration. Raised in Zambi...

Guest Bio Dimitry Elias Léger is an award-nominated novelist whose work blends global storytelling with deeply human themes of identity, resilience, and belonging. A finalist for the PEN Open Book Award, his writing has appeared in leading publications including The New York Times, Time, Fortune, Granta, The Miami Herald, Literary Hub, and The Millions. Before focusing on fiction, Léger built a ca...

Guest Bio Samrawit Moges is the Founder and CEO of Travel Ethiopia, a private, eco-conscious tour and safari company established in 1994. With a career in Ethiopian tourism that stretches back to 1981, she has spent decades helping travelers discover the many dimensions of Ethiopia, from its historic landmarks and cultural traditions to its wildlife, landscapes, and living heritage. She built Trav...

Guest Bio Julie Fishman is the Partner and General Manager for the U.S. at Adventures Overland, where she is leading the expansion of guided driving expeditions for American travelers. With more than 25 years of experience in corporate leadership, Julie built her career around delivering exceptional customer experiences—an approach she now brings to the world of adventure travel. Her passion for e...

Guest Bio Andrew Lamb is the founder of Wales Outdoors, a premier guided hiking and touring company showcasing the landscapes, history, and hidden gems of Wales. With more than 30 years of experience as an outdoor professional, Andrew began his journey pioneering mountain bike guiding in the Brecon Beacons before evolving his business into a full-service adventure travel operation focused on immer...

Guest Bio Matt Hoffman-Beals is the founder of Breaking Away Adventures, an experience-driven motorcycle touring company focused on community, exploration, and personal growth. An adventure-driven entrepreneur and lifelong traveler, his journey has taken him from a career in hospitality and event management to the open road on two wheels. After more than 20 years creating memorable experiences in...

Guest Bio Yvonne Halling is a hospitality business coach, consultant, and founder of Bed and Breakfast Coach, where she helps independent accommodation owners transform the way they run and grow their businesses. After spending 17 years operating her own bed and breakfast in France’s Champagne region, Yvonne evolved what began as a modest side venture into a highly profitable operation generating...

Guest Bio Mark Phillips is the Founder of Nomad Stays , a platform created to help digital nomads find comfortable, reliable accommodations built for long-term remote work and travel. A tech-driven entrepreneur and global business leader, Mark has spent years building ventures and relationships at the intersection of technology, hospitality, and international travel. Across an entrepreneurial care...

Guest Bio Lindsay Nieminen is the co-founder and owner of Amman Food Tours, a culinary experience company based in Jordan’s capital, and the travel writer behind the blog Carpe Diem OUR Way. She has been exploring and documenting Jordan since 2016. After repeatedly returning to the same local cafés, bakeries, and family-run restaurants in Amman, she began envisioning a way for visitors to experien...

Guest Bio Alexander Souri is the founder and executive director of Relief Riders International, an organization he launched in 2004 to combine adventure travel with meaningful humanitarian work. Through Relief Riders, Alexander designs and leads horseback-based missions that deliver medical care, educational programs, and community support to remote villages where access to services is limited. Th...

Guest Bio Lucinda Rome is the Founder and Managing Director of Ganders Travel, a bespoke travel company specializing in journeys throughout East and Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean. Her deep connection to Africa began nearly twenty years ago when she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for charity and followed it with a safari in Kenya’s Masai Mara. What started as a single adventure quickly became a d...

Guest Bio Linda McCall is the co-founder of Nomad Stays, a global accommodation platform designed specifically for digital nomads seeking community-driven, longer-stay experiences. Raised in the remote outback of Australia’s Northern Territory, Linda grew up dreaming of faraway places—though she never imagined her journey would include serving as an international first-class flight attendant, work...

Guest Bio Keren Mikva is the Director of Alpengirl, an outdoor adventure program dedicated to empowering young women through immersive experiences in nature. Originally from Chicago, Keren discovered her love for the outdoors during summers spent at sleepaway camp in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. After earning a B.A. in Political Science from Stanford University, she realized her path lay far b...

Guest Bio Dana Skogstad is the Sales Director, Canada at Travelzoo, a global members club for travel enthusiasts. With extensive experience leading sales teams in the travel industry, Dana specializes in strategic growth, partnership development, and helping travel brands connect with highly engaged audiences. Raised in Southeast British Columbia and now based in Vancouver, Dana developed an early...

Guest Bio Genevieve White is a travel and tourism copywriter and coach, and the founder of Campion Copy, based in the Shetland Islands, where dramatic landscapes and close-knit community life shape both her work and worldview. With a background in education and writing — and a lifelong fascination with travel — Genevieve helps travel businesses express the true value of the experiences they create...

Guest Bio Lisa Pagotto is the founder and CEO of Crooked Compass, a pioneering adventure travel company redefining how people engage with the world. With a deep commitment to cultural integrity and immersive experiences, Lisa has carved out a space for meaningful, off-the-beaten-path journeys that challenge traditional tourism models. Her leadership empowers travelers to connect authentically with...

Guest Bio Bryan Lewis is the founder and CEO of Tenon Tours, a boutique travel company specializing in custom-crafted vacations across Europe. With over two decades of experience in the travel industry, Bryan has turned a college-era passion for organizing trips into a thriving business dedicated to creating immersive, flexible, and deeply personal travel experiences. Under his leadership, Tenon T...

Guest Bio Charlie Krarup is the Owner and Managing Director of Adventure Base , a leading adventure travel company specializing in experiences across the European Alps. With a deep passion for mountain sports and a knack for big-picture thinking, Charlie leads a dedicated team that designs unforgettable alpine adventures—from mountaineering and trekking to ski touring and trail running. A lifelong...

Guest Bio Keith Sproule is the Executive Director of Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy (AKP), where he oversees a global portfolio of 73 community-led projects across 30 countries. With a career spanning over three decades, Keith has worked extensively in sustainable tourism and development, advising ministries and nonprofits on five continents. His expertise bridges ecotourism, conservation, an...

Guest Bio Azdean Elmoustaquim is the creator and host of the Destination Morocco Podcast , an immersive audio series that explores the heart of Moroccan culture, travel, and hospitality. Originally from the vibrant city of Marrakech, Azdean grew up with strong family ties to the nearby village of Telouet. After moving to the United States in 1995, he eventually settled in Houston and began finding...