Adventure Life: More Than Just an Adventure Travel Company
With a focus on cultural immersion and responsible tourism, Adventure Life provides small-group, customized adventure travel tours throughout Latin America/
shared by Adventure Traveler
This original submitted content does not necessarily represent the editorial style, standards or view of American Profile.
With a focus on cultural immersion and responsible tourism,
Adventure Life (www.adventure-life.com) provides small-group, customized adventure
travel tours throughout Latin America, offering over 100 different itineraries
in Peru, Ecuador, Galapagos, Patagonia, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Guatemala,
Costa Rica, Belize, Panama, Antarctica and the Falkland Islands.
The Missoula, MT
based company, founded in 1999 by Brian Morgan, is committed to providing
quality tours that have a positive impact on the local culture and environment.
The company takes a holistic, grassroots, approach to travel and utilize local
guides, family run hotels, and the local transportation infrastructure. Itineraries are designed to visit
locations where sustainable travel is not only practiced, but has proven
effective. Each tour is designed to present the best of each region, at
the same time allowing freedom and flexibility for the unexpected and
unpredictable that makes each tour unique.
“We're far from your typical travel company,” said Morgan. “We
are dedicated to expanding ecological and cultural awareness amongst our
travelers, and believe that local people be need to be active partners in
developing a local tourism industry.”
In 1999, Adventure Life began offering Spanish language
study-trips, internships, and tours to Peru
and Ecuador,
attracting fewer than 100 travelers. Over the next eight
years Adventure Life expanded rapidly and today provides trips for around 3,500
travelers in more than a dozen different countries. The company also has
launched Adventure Life VOYAGES (www.alvoyages.com), which provides small-ship
expeditions throughout the world.
Adventure Life is an active member of the International
Galapagos Tour Operators Association, (IGTOA), where Morgan sits as
President. In November 2006 together with
IGTOA and other IGTOA members, Adventure Life launched a Galapagos
traveler-funding program for island conservation based on a voluntary donation
added to all of Adventure Life's Galapagos travelers’ invoices. Forty percent
of this donation goes to IGTOA and 60% goes to the Charles Darwin Foundation. Adventure
Life matches these donations with travel vouchers for future trips. As of June
2008, Adventure Life travelers raised nearly $40,000 for island conservation.
Adventure Life also provides an annual donation to the
Mantay shelter in Peru.
The shelter supplies young single mothers with a safe environment where they
are counseled, educated, and given training. Currently, the Mantay shelter is
the only place in Cusco that gives these young mothers
the opportunity to take on and develop their role as providers while at the
same time enjoying their adolescence. Adventure Life also provides an annual
donation to the Center for Traditional
Textiles of Cusco; an organization dedicated to preserving Incan textile
traditions and providing support to weaving communities, and incorporates
visits to the center for all of its Peru
itineraries that spend time in the Cusco region.
“Our mission is to be more than just an adventure travel
company,” said Morgan. “We want to provide a fun and exciting trip, while also
creating a better understanding between travelers and our wonderful hosts.”
Recently, Adventure Life was named one of the “Best
Adventure Travel Companies on Earth” by National Geographic Adventure and
garnered the “2008 Employer of Choice” award in Missoula, MT. For more information, visit www.adventure-life.com or call
800-344-6118.
submitted: 12/9/2008
Upload Your Own Stories, Photos and Videos
Every week, American Profile magazine brings you stories that celebrate the people and places that make America great.
Now we want to hear your stories and see your photos, videos and even audio.
Start Uploading Now!
Related Stories
If you enjoyed reading this story,
Adventure Life: More Than Just an Adventure Travel Company, then you might enjoy these other stories.
Discuss this Article
There are no current discussions for this article. Why not be the first?
Post your comments on this article