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 Chris Braunlich - Conservation Volunteers International Program
Area/Topic
Conservation, Voluntourism, Human Connection
Chris Braunlich
Board Chair and CEO
Conservation Volunteers International Program
Chris is Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Conservation Volunteers International Program. She has a bachelor's degree in economics and an MBA in finance from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to retirement, she spent her career working in banking and in finance in the corporate world.
How did a person with degrees in economics and finance "end up" volunteering as CEO for an environmental conservation nonprofit? She always loved the outdoors, she has volunteered since she was in high school, and she prefers doing to talking.
Brought up in a time when children were free-range, Chris rode her bike, climbed trees, scrambled among the rocks along the ocean cliffs - outdoors was fun, freedom, inner peace. In college her husband introduced her to backpacking, and once they figured out how a 5'3" woman could happily hike with a man who had a 6'3" stride, hiking in the mountains with her husband became her favorite getaway.
https://conservationvip.org/
summary
Chris Braunlich is the board chair and CEO of Conservation Volunteers International Program (Conservation VIP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping sustain landscapes, cultural heritage sites, and biodiversity. The organization focuses on international volunteering and runs programs in various destinations. They rely on revenue from volunteers who participate in their trips and also accept donations. Conservation VIP aims to preserve and protect important places and projects, and they align volunteers with tasks that match their skills and abilities. The organization emphasizes the importance of good trails and the responsibility of global citizens to contribute to conservation efforts. Public lands, such as national parks, are precious places that are increasingly appreciated as urbanization limits access to natural spaces. The maintenance of national parks is a significant challenge, with an estimated $22 billion needed for maintenance in US national parks alone. National parks play a crucial role in protecting biodiversity and preserving natural habitats. However, it is important to balance human access with the need to protect and preserve the natural environment. There is an opportunity for tour operators to partner with conservation organizations to offer trips that incorporate volunteer work and conservation efforts.
takeaways
- Conservation VIP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to sustaining landscapes, cultural heritage sites, and biodiversity.
- The organization relies on revenue from volunteers who participate in their trips and also accepts donations.
- Conservation VIP aligns volunteers with tasks that match their skills and abilities.
- The organization emphasizes the importance of good trails and the responsibility of global citizens to contribute to conservation efforts. Public lands, such as national parks, are valuable and should be appreciated and protected.
- The maintenance of national parks is a significant challenge, with a large amount of funding needed.
- National parks play a crucial role in protecting biodiversity and preserving natural habitats.
- Balancing human access with the need to protect and preserve the natural environment is important.
- Tour operators have the opportunity to partner with conservation organizations to offer trips that incorporate volunteer work and conservation efforts.
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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