Adventure Travel - Big World Made Small
Welcome to the Big World Made Small Adventure Travel Podcast, where we go far beyond the beaches, resort hotels, and cruises to explore the really cool places, people, and activities that adventurous travelers crave. If your idea of a great vacation is sitting on a beach at an all-inclusive resort, you’re in the wrong place. However, if you’re like me, and a beach resort vacation sounds like torture, stick around. You’ve found your tribe. My name is Jason Elkins, and as an adventure travel marketing consultant and tour operator myself, I am on a mission to impact the lives of adventure travelers, the tour operators they hire, and the communities that host them, creating deeply meaningful experiences that make this big world feel just a bit smaller. Are you ready to discover your next great adventure, whether that looks something like climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa, SCUBA diving in the South Pacific, or hot air ballooning in Turkey? Then you’ll be happy to know that each episode of the Big World Made Small Podcast features a fascinating interview with an adventure travel expert that has agreed to share, with us, their own personal stories, favorite adventure destinations, and even some incredibly helpful tips and tricks they’ve learned while in the field. I trust that by the end of each episode you’ll feel like booking a ticket to enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of these amazing places, and getting to know the incredible people that live there. I’ll be your guide as we explore this amazing planet and its people on the Big World Made Small podcast. I am a former US Army paratrooper, third generation commercial hot air balloon pilot, paramotor pilot, advanced open water SCUBA diver, and ex-Montana fly fishing guide and lodge manager. I have managed boutique adventure tour operation businesses in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, off-shore in Belize, the Adirondacks in New York, and the desert of Arizona. I also spent nearly a decade with Orvis International Travel, leading a talented team of tour operation experts, putting together and hosting amazing fly fishing and adventure travel excursions around the world. I have tapped into my experience and network of travel pros to put together a weekly series of exclusive expert interviews that I am excited to share with you. For the last couple of years I have lived a fully nomadic lifestyle, feeding my passion for exploration, creating amazing adventures, and meeting some of the most fascinating people along the way. I record every episode while traveling, so in a sense you’ll be joining me on my journey. Let’s discover some great adventures together and make this big world feel just a bit smaller. And, don’t forget to take a quick trip over to our website at bigworldmadesmall.com and join our adventure travel community, where you’ll benefit from new episode announcements, exclusive adventure travel opportunities, and special access to the experts you’ve met on the show. You can also follow us on social media, using the links in the show notes below. And, if you’re getting value out of the show please help us grow by sharing it with your friends, family, and anyone else you know that wants to get far beyond the beaches, resort hotels, and cruise ships, the next time they travel. And finally, if you’re listening right now, chances are you’ve found some great off-the-beaten path locations and met some great tour operators in your travels. I’d love to hear about them as well, so please let me know what ideas you have for the show by reaching out directly at jason@bigworldmadesmall.com. I’ll publish another episode soon. Until then, keep exploring. It’s the best way to make a big world feel just a bit smaller. https://bigworldmadesmall.com
Episodes
Area/Topic
Ecuador, Galapagos, Luxury Cruising
Fernando Diez
Marketing Director
Quasar Expeditions
Born and raised amidst the natural wonders of the Galapagos Islands, Fernando Diez is a proud Ecuadorian who has dedicated his adult life to sharing the unique beauty and rare wildlife of this enchanting archipelago with adventurous travelers from every corner of the globe.
Fernando is the proud ...
Area/Topic
Chile, Bicycling
Fernando Padilla
Co-Founder
Cicloaustral Chile
Fernando, is 34 years old. He was studying Ecotourism when he started Cicloaustral as a school project for a marketing and entrepreneurship class, and now runs one of the most respected cycling tourism companies in the Chilean Patagonia. In 2012 he traveled 2.200 km by bicycle in the Carretera Austral route, and fell in love wit...
Area/Topic
South Africa, Hot Air Ballooning
Dale de Klerk
CEO
Bill Harrop's Original Balloon Safaris
Dale de Klerk is a passionate aviator!
Having developed an interest in aviation at the age of 7 he has not stopped learning, embracing new opportunities and …becoming fully involved in all aspects of aviation from hang gliding, microlights, gliders, power flying, paragliding and holding r...
Area/Topic
New Zealand, Nomadic Lifestyle, Travel Writing
Lisa Jansen
Modern-Day Nomad & Writer
Life Done Differently
Lisa Jansen is a writer and digital nomad based in beautiful New Zealand. She spent almost five years travelling full-time in her RV, meeting amazing people, challenging society's norms and exploring the great outdoors of New Zealand. Lisa shares her journey in her latest book,...
Area/Topic
Worldwide, Climbing, Personal Discovery
Oliver Browne
Founder
True Summit Adventures
Professional guide, adventurer and coffee lover.
I am the founder of True Summit Adventures and I love travelling - typically to high mountain arenas but I am up for all sorts of adventures - in January I rowed the Atlantic.
https://www.truesummitadventures.com/
Summary
Oliver Brow...
Area/Topic
Guatemala, Bicycling & Trekking
Matt Hartell
Owner, Lead Guide
Old Town Outfitters
Matt originally from North Carolina moved to Antigua, Guatemala in the late 90's after a brief visit to Guatemala. Drawn by the vibrance, color, history and seemingly endless singletrack, he Knew Guatemala was the place that needed to be explored more deeply. He packed up the car, drove down and hun...
Area/Topic
Jordan, Mixing Culture & Adventure
Bader Abdel Jawad
Founder
B Adventure
Meet Bader, the adventurous soul behind B Adventure, a true explorer with an unquenchable thirst for the extraordinary. Bader's deep love for creating personalized journeys in Jordan, combined with a heartfelt connection to the country's hidden gems, is nothing short of heartwarming. With a genuine commitm...
Area/Topic
Worldwide, Tuk-Tuk Adventure Travel, Challenge Travel
Julian Carnall
Co-founder
Large Minority Ltd
Born and raised in Kenya, Julian began travelling at a very young age and has never looked back. He has always harboured a great fascination for discovery, and it was while in the early years of his career that he discovered his true passion - adventure travel. This led to Julian co-founding ...
Area/Topic
Worldwide, Guide Stories
Kaitlyn Shinney & Lainie Reisman
Adventure Guides
Adventures in Good Company
Kaitlyn lives just south of Boston along the ocean with her husband and rescue pup GoodGirl. She first became part of the AGC family in 2007 with backpacking the Grand Canyon, Northern Cascades, Kilimanjaro and Greece. She was hired in 2017 and led trips to Acadia, Martha’s Vineyard &...
Area/Topic
Sweden, Fishing, Spirituality, Sami People
Per Jobs
Owner/CEO
Fish Your Dream
Per Jobs is the jazz composer with a fishing passion that almost 20 years ago turned his love of nature into a full time business. While operating lodges on several locations in Sweden, he tries to push the boundaries of sustainable tourism and conservation of the fisheries, local people and nature. While having fu...
Area/Topic
Worldwide, Luxury Travel Trends, Remote Bespoke Camps
Sam Bradley
Finance and Operations Director
Cookson Adventures
Sam is a travel and adventure enthusiast. He works for Cookson Adventures organising luxury holidays to remote parts of the world, and most of his spare time is spent travel writing for various websites and magazines. He's a devoted husband and dad to three mischievous da...
Area/Topic
Patagonia, Fly Fishing
Pablo Negri Edwards
Associate Director
Palatine by Viajes Temixco
With over three decades of professional luxury travel experience, I hold a BA degree and an MBA in International Business.
I'm a well-known ecologist, active conservationist, fly fisherman, high-seas sailboat captain, and professional photographer, with top-notch expertise in Patagonia.
Area/Topic
Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand
Elodie Courzadet
Senior Business Development Manager
Vivu Journeys part of TMG
Hi ! My name is Elodie. I was born and raised in France, got a BA in foreign applied languages and a Master’s degree in tourism management.
Having difficulties finding a job in the tourism industry right after uni, I decided to look for something in Asia and left...
Area/Topic
Ecuador, Adventure Travel, Ecotourism, Business
Henry Sisa
CEO-Founder
Adventure Journeys
I love adventure travel. I have been in the tourism industry for more than 15 years, almost all of that time as a naturalist guide and adventure trip leader throughout Ecuador and The Galapagos. I am particularly interested in the Amazon rainforest, and enjoy sharing it with guests while trekking, bikin...
Area/Topic
Chile, Chiloe Island
Cyril Christensen
Director
Chiloe Natural
Cyril is originally from Santiago de Chile. With a bilingual background he studied forestry and his first job was as a Park Ranger for the Chilean Forest Service. He then worked in the cruise industry as a Photographer and met his wife in the city of La Serena in Chile. Together they moved to the remote island of Chiloe as Englis...
Area/Topic
New Zealand, Maori, Spirituality
Jean-Michel Jefferson
Owner
Ahipara Travel
Jean-Michel Jefferson is the founder and CEO of Ahipara Luxury Travel. Educated at various schools in North Africa and the Middle East (son of a diplomat), then Rugby School, and the universities of Exeter and Sheffield, Jean-Michel spent 9 years with Price Waterhouse as a Management Consultant and Aviation Strategi...
Area/Topic
Worldwide, Fly Fishing, Photography, Travel Writing
Jess McGlothlin
Freelance Photographer and Writer
Jess McGlothlin Media
Jess McGlothlin sees her mission as a simple one: tell stories. Working as a freelance photographer and writer in the outdoor industry, while on assignment in the past few years she’s learned how to throw spears at coconuts in French Polynesia, dodge saltwater crocodile...
Area/Topic
Africa
Julia Nesbitt
Director
African Safari Company
Julia’s summers as a child were spent exploring her grandparent’s farm in Zimbabwe, game parks throughout the region and visiting family in South Africa. These experiences shaped her more than she could have imagined, and in her early 20s she packed her bags and headed to Zambia to manage a camp in the South Luangwa Valley. After running t...
Area/Topic
South America, Destination Management, Career
Dalia Gibu
Regional Sales and Marketing Director
Abercrombie & Kent Latin America
Born and raised in Lima, with grandparents from Peru and from Okinawa.
Dalia always had a love for geography and arts. She studied Tourism management in Lima's San Martin University and afterwards two Master Degrees -one from the University of Ali...
Area/Topic
Sweden, Fishing, Tourism Business Development
Helen Lundgren
Founder & Administrator
Catch & Relax
I am married to my husband Bo, 2 daughters 22 and 17 and our dog Minnie.
Running Catch & Relax since 2005 and Business Improvement Consultants since 2002 and have my coaching Program Life On Your Terms for 1 year.
I live on an island in the Stockholm Archipelago and t...
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