Why GeoEx?

A little tent in Tibet

Geographic Expeditions was born in 1981 when a group of trekkers, huddled in a cold tent at the base of Mount Everest’s North Face, cajoled a spunky gal named Jo Sanders into starting a travel company. An adventure travel company, of all things.

The idea was a little audacious. But it made sense. Whole swaths of the planet were opening up to the outside world. A Golden Age of Travel was upon us. We were raring to get up and go. We believed in the great, sometimes transformative, always instructive worth of travel. We were charmed to the core by the people we met, and we wanted our travelers to get to know them.

A quarter of a century later…

So we’ve been at this great task for a while now, enjoying it immensely. Bursting out of that little tent, we’ve expanded from the Asian heartland into just about every global nook: voyages, treks, trips, expeditions of all kinds to all seven continents. With 25 years of experience under our belts, our love of travel undiminished, our solidity and success a source of pride (and, for our old-timers, amazed glee), we’re still chomping at the bit, still deeply charmed by our well-peopled world.

Recognition

Rather than beat our own drum (not that it doesn’t make a fine tune), we’ll let the travel world speak: GeoEx has consistently been recognized by Travel & Leisure’s readers as one of The World’s Best Trip Outfitters. Conde Nast recently named us a Top Travel Specialist. Outside magazine has chosen our trips as Best of the Year. National Geographic Adventure has included us regularly in its Best of Adventure roundups.

More important, our travelers are loyal—76 percent of them are referrals or repeat clients. And they’re pleased—our post-trip questionnaires reveal a 96 percent satisfaction rate.

Just a quick tap of the drum (we can’t resist rolling out these great names, for one thing): GeoEx pioneered adventure travel to and forged bright new ways to experience places that most of us had just dreamed about. Backcountry Tibet. Far western China. The Kangshung Face of Everest. South Georgia Island. The length and breadth of Bhutan. The mountains of northern Burma. Kilimanjaro’s Western Breach. Snow leopard haunts in Ladakh. New corners of Patagonia. Etcetera and onward. And—with lots of pioneering to be done and many familiar places to savor—we’re firmly established as one of the planet’s great travel companies.

Why travel with us?

The travel business is intensely competitive, and the modern traveler is increasingly sophisticated and aware of their options. We’re very proud that the readers of Travel + Leisure have consistently voted Geographic Expeditions one of the World’s Top Ten Tour Operators and that our travel planners are on the prestigious Condé Nast Top Travel Pros list. Here are some of the reasons GeoEx should top the list of companies you consider.

Personal Service
For 30 years we’ve built our business around personable, highly individualized service.  We know discerning travelers expect it, and we expect it of ourselves.  

Experience and Passion
There’s no substitute for boots-on-the-ground experience; seamless, fulfilling, beyond-the-ordinary travel involves more than a few mouse clicks. We’re a company full of travel enthusiasts, map browsers, book readers and dreamers. There’s nary a nook or worldly cranny we haven’t explored, with eyes-open gusto.

Quality and Attention to Detail 
We are dedicated to creating a journey that meets your expectations and we’re persnickety about details large and small: creative trip design, permits, enrichment leaders, daily activities, vehicles, restaurants and more. In fact, GeoEx is one of the few companies with an in-house air reservations/support team.

Innovation
Since we launched the business three decades ago, GeoEx’s mission has been to provide our travelers with experiences that would be challenging or impossible to create on one’s own. From our roots pioneering travel to the ends of the earth, we have incessantly searched for new delights and remarkable ways to experience time-honored destinations. 

Value 
We urge you to surf the net, call our competitors, and check the fine print. Our prices are comprehensive and inclusive, especially considering the expertise and highly  personalized service that go into every one of our trips.  

Safety Net
GeoEx  maintains an around-the-clock logistical, air, security, and emergency assistance center with our partners  Global Rescue, Travel Guard, Control Risks Group and the Travax Health Information Service. We automatically include $300,000 medical evacuation and $50,000 medical expense insurance for each traveler.

References
Since repeat and referred travelers are GeoEx’s mainstay, we urge you to ask us for references from the individuals, prestigious museums, academic institutions, foundations, and nonprofit organizations for which we’ve created and operated trips over the years. 

Employee Owned 
GeoEx is one of the very few companies in the travel industry with an employee stock ownership plan.   Our staff is a passionate group of travel-lovers, intimately acquainted with their regions and countries, dedicated to dotting every i and crossing every t.

Traveling Responsibly
We love the places we’re privileged to visit and we’re committed to careful, mindful, respectful travel.  We work around the world with nongovernmental organizations and our in-country partners to advance sustainable, wise travel. 

Our suggestion

We’re not the only folks who know that we’re in the midst of a Golden Age of Travel. People around the world, as never before in history, are hitting the road with gusto. Supply, as we spend 99 pages pointing out, is vast. But demand is increasing (our most coveted trips fill 9 to 12 months in advance). So bookings at many of the most sterling destinations are tight and getting tighter. If we may, we suggest you keep in mind our old buddy Seamus O’Banion’s dictum that “wanting to go someplace is as important as actually going there,” but don’t forget Cole Porter’s admonition:

There’s no cure like travel
to help you unravel
the worries of living today.
When the poor brain is cracking,
there’s nothing like packing
a suitcase and sailing away.

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