Adventure Travel Podcast - 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.
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://adventuretravelmarketing.com/podcast
Adventure Travel Podcast - Big World Made Small
Adventure Travel with George Kourounis - Royal Canadian Geographical Society
Area/Topic
Extreme Adventure, Storm Chasing, The Explorers Club, Nature Documentary Filmmaking
George Kourounis
Explorer In Residence
Royal Canadian Geographical Society
George Kourounis has a passion for the world’s extremes. As an explorer, storm chaser, TV presenter, and Explorer-In-Residence for the RCGS, he’s travelled to 80 countries on all 7 continents to document extreme forces of nature so that others can appreciate the power of Mother Nature’s temper tantrums. For 25 years he has chased tornadoes on the Great Plains, driven into the eye of hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, rappelled deep in the crater of active volcanoes in the Congo & South Pacific, climbed mountains in North Korea, and earned a Guinness World Record for become the first person to set foot at the bottom of the Darvaza flaming gas crater in Turkmenistan while leading an expedition for National Geographic.
http://furiousearth.com/Stormchaser.html
Summary
George Kourounis, an explorer in residence at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, shares his journey from being a musician and sound engineer to becoming a full-time storm chaser and adventurer. He specializes in traveling the world and documenting extreme forces of nature and natural disasters. George discusses the changing media landscape with the rise of social media and YouTube, and how it has both made it easier and more difficult for aspiring explorers and filmmakers. He also talks about his involvement with the Explorers Club and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and his passion for documenting extreme places and natural phenomena, particularly volcanoes. George Kourounis shares his fascination with volcanoes and his experience of getting married on top of an exploding volcano. He discusses the concept of adventure travel and the importance of stepping outside of one's comfort zone. George also talks about his expedition to Turkmenistan's flaming crater, known as the 'Doorway to Hell,' and his mission to study the microbes living at the bottom of the crater. He describes the challenges of obtaining permission and the intense experience of being at the bottom of the flaming pit. In this final part of the conversation, George Kourounis discusses the intentional efforts of Turkmenistan to put out the fire in the Darvaza gas crater and reclaim the gas for profit. He also talks about the unique architecture and empty streets of the capital city, Ashgabat. George shares his experiences connecting with locals in Turkmenistan and other countries he has visited. The conversation then shifts to the topic of food, with George sharing his most bizarre food experience of eating a piece of a 10,000-year-old woolly mammoth in Siberia. The importance of being cautious with food and water while traveling is also emphasized.
Takeaways
- George Kourounis specializes in traveling the world and documenting extreme forces of nature and natural disasters.
- The media landscape has changed dramatically with the rise of social media and YouTube, making it easier for anyone to create and share content, but also increasing competition.
- George is involved with the Explorers Club and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, organizations that promote discovery, exploration, and conservation.
- His passion lies in documenting extreme places and natural phenomena, particularly volcanoes. Volcanoes are fascinating and beautiful natural phenomena that can be both destructive and awe-inspiring.
- Adventure travel is about stepping outside of one's comfort zone and exp
Learn more about Big World Made Small Adventure Travel Marketing and join our private community to get episode updates, special access to our guests, and exclusive adventure travel offers on our website.
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