GeoEx Trip Leaders Who Are Rock Star Adventure Travel Guides

By GeoEx Staff | June 8, 2023

Travel plans are often sparked as adventure destinations unfold through TV documentaries or bestselling accounts of faraway places. If you’ve ever yearned to step into those stories, here’s your chance. Trace a historic Himalaya crossing alongside the original trailblazer. Reach remote corners of Africa with a modern-day David Livingstone. Here are a few of our renowned adventure tour guides you don’t want to miss.

Brad Hansen: Safari Specialist

An explorer from a young age, South African-born Brad Hansen spent his youth in the wild. After studying agriculture, Hansen’s sense of adventure led him to the conservation-minded Field Guides Association of Southern Africa and a decade-long career in guiding and tracking. His profession has led him across the continent, from Namibia, Zambia, and Malawi, to Kenya, Angola, Chad, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Republic of the Congo.

Don George: Travel Writer & Leader

An award-winning travel writer, Don wrote the bestselling Lonely Planet Guide to Travel Writing, has edited numerous travel anthologies, and released his own collection of stories in The Way of Wanderlust. Swap travel tales with him in one of his favorite adventure destinations, while on Journey Through Ancient Japan, Unexplored Japan, or Mexico: Maya Traditions in Chiapas.

Vassi Koutsaftis: Condé Nast Traveler

One of our best-loved and most-experienced leaders, Vassi has been traveling in Asia for more than 30 years and leading treks since 1986. For many years, he has represented GeoEx’s Tibet expertise on the Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialists list and was named Best Cultural Guide by Outside magazine. Vassi has been on exploratory trips to Egypt, Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Mt Kailash, Oman, and Patagonia. Join him on a personal GeoEx adventure during our Hidden Nepal trip. Check out Vassi’s photography website for even more travel inspiration.

Kingsley Holgate: Africa Explorer

One of Africa’s most colorful and intrepid modern-day explorers, Kingsley has traveled to all 54 African countries and has been dubbed the “most traveled man in Africa”. Join him for more stories from his book Africa: In the Footsteps of the Great Explorers.

Bill Jones: Raconteur-Explorer

Bill has led tours in more than 180 countries over the past 40 years. He was one of the first Westerners to travel the Karakoram Highway from Pakistan to Kashgar. Join him on Algeria’s Shifting Sands, Southern Pakistan: Confluence of Civilizations or On the Road to Baghdad: Exploring Southern Iraq for an adventure to remember.

Tese Wintz Neighbor: Inspiring Trailblazer

With a master’s degree in China Regional Studies, it’s no surprise that Tese has traveled extensively around the world. She has led more than 50 trips as an adventure guide; join her on the journey-of-a-lifetime on Southern Pakistan: Confluence of Civilizations and On the Road to Baghdad: Exploring Southern Iraq.

Sarah Timewell: Adventurous Globetrotter

Working with GeoEx since 1989 and one of our most popular leaders, Sarah leads trips throughout Asia and the Middle East. She is also a freelance writer and published photographer. Let her enthusiasm inspire you on our trip Algeria’s Shifting Sands.

Sylvie Franquet: Arabic Specialist

A longtime and beloved GeoEx trip leader, Sylvie Franquet was born in Belgium and studied Arabic and journalism at the University of Ghent. She continued her Arabic studies at the Bourgiba Institute in Tunis and at Cairo University. She lived in Cairo for six years, where in addition to her studies, she worked as a translator and guide for specialized groups, such as archaeologists. She has traveled widely throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and you can journey with her On the Road to Baghdad: Exploring Southern Iraq.

Merlin Lipshitz: Mountaineer

Living most of his life in El Chaltén, Argentina, Merlin has been a mountaineer since age 15. He has done countless expeditions on the Patagonian Ice Cap and climbed the Bolivian Andes, Yosemite’s El Capitan, Mont Blanc, and more.

Mark Brazil: Naturalist, Author & Leader

Mark Brazil is a naturalist and widely published author with a passion for the landscapes, geography, and culture of Japan. A long-term resident of Hokkaidō, he has lived in Japan since 1998 and has decades of experience leading trips in and around his adopted home country. His many publications include most recently Japan: The Natural History of an Asian Archipelago as well as countless newspaper and magazine columns. Journey with Mark while on Unexplored Japan.

# # # # #

Questions about choosing the right adventure destination for you? Call one of our travel experts at 888-570-7108.