What is your favorite travel memory?
My cycling trip to Morocco was the one that really solidified my “ok, this is it, I have to go everywhere and see everything” feeling. I assembled my bike in the baggage claim of Marrakesh airport, met people over mint tea, cruised along a the Draâ river valley, cranked up the Atlas mountains and careened down the other side. I spent 5 days riding and saw desert, oasis, snowcapped mountains, and lush orange and olive groves. If you ever go, of course you’ll enjoy the tagine and couscous, but don’t be afraid to snag a camel meat sandwich from a street vendor, either!
Which destination is most underrated? Conversely, which is most overrated?
Mexico. It's more than Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, people! There are 31 culturally unique states in the entire country. If a Google Image search of Guanejuato, Oaxaca, Mexico City, Chiapas, Morelia or Zacatecas aren't enough to inspire you to check it out, then you're hopeless!
Call me crazy, but any and all beaches, in my mind, are a bit overrated. I'm not the guy to seek out white sands, blue waters, etc. It just ain't my bag.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
Being a part of a team that all geeks out about the same thing. In Greenheart Travel's case it's, well, travel. Specifically, we get jazzed about the cultural exchange a participant experiences while they are abroad. So Greenheart Travelers beware: we've spent many a happy hour having a great time chatting about your wacky, amazing, and impactful jaunts abroad.
What unique qualities does your company possess?
It's the relationship each program manager develops with each participant that makes the difference at Greenheart Travel. I would say that for us, it's not about simply sending a person abroad in to the world. We genuinely care about how they apply that experience later in life. We try to stay connected with all of our participants when they return.
We help them to articulate their time abroad in a way that would be relevant in their career search, for example.
Describe a time when you felt especially proud to be part of your current team
That time is right about now. We closed the year nearly doubling the amount of people we sent abroad last year. That means we doubled the amount of goodbye hugs in airports, doubled the amount of passports being stamped, and who knows how many more Greenheart Travel hashtags on instagram. 2015 has been our most successful year by far. It's all smiles! :)