00:00Walking Adventures International has its base here in Vancouver, Washington,
00:05and we chose a very historic spot to shoot this little video. Behind me are the grounds of Fort
00:11Vancouver. It's a historic site that started in the early 1800s based on Hudson's Bay fur trading
00:17commercial pursuits. It's actually the oldest permanently established settlement non-native
00:24in the Pacific Northwest. At one time there were like 35 different ethnic groups,
00:29so many different languages existed that they developed their own unique language. They called
00:33it Chinook jargon so that they can communicate with one another. Fort Vancouver was actually the
00:38end of the Oregon Trail. Walking Adventures was founded on the principle of combining walking
00:44with a conventional motor coach style of travel. We're trying to share with people the authenticity,
00:50the reality of what makes a place unique and special. The faster you go, the harder it is
00:56for you to connect with the surroundings. Walking is the ideal form of transportation,
01:00the oldest form of transportation. Travel puts you in a position of challenging your preconceptions,
01:07and that's a huge advantage in growth. The world is an amazing place. New Zealand,
01:13it's incredible. They have just about every kind of terrain and scenery you can imagine there. Brazil,
01:19Igwasu Falls, Amazon, the Pantanal wetlands, just incredible wildlife. So we're very privileged to
01:25be able to go to all seven continents, including big number seven, Antarctica. Some of the surprise
01:31destinations for me were India. I had a fun experience in the little village of Deogar. Two little girls
01:38actually came up to us at the encouragement of their mothers. They were probably 11, 12 years old.
01:44They were excited to connect with an English-speaking person, practice their English. It was a charming
01:51moment that's indelibly etched on my mind of connecting with the locals.
01:58Sometimes people will ask me what's the most valuable or important lesson that I've learned in
02:04my days on the trail. I would have to characterize that lesson as the difference between
02:11a digital worldview and an analog worldview. The West generally veers towards the digital way of
02:19organizing life, regimented, systematic. The East generally veers towards an analog way of dealing
02:26with things that's much more interactive. We live in a universe and on a planet that reflects more an
02:33analog reality than a digital reality. I am relieved to conclude that relationships are more
02:40important than efficiency and processing and encourage people to think about analog versus digital both
02:47at home and as you're traveling. It'll also make your travels a lot more stress-free. I'll be retiring
02:53here in a few months and we have a very interesting combination of new owners, new managers that are
03:00taking over Walking Adventures. We're passing the baton to some of our key guides that have been with the
03:06company for years and a company called Borealis, a Portuguese travel company that we met 10-12 years
03:13ago. They really epitomized the connection and the combination of culture and cuisine with the history,
03:20culture, and scenery that we build our trips around. Borealis is really a natural fit with the Walking
03:26Adventures model and we're so excited to see what they're going to be doing to take Walking Adventures
03:32into the next chapter. Clearly we are deeply indebted to all of you who have traveled with us over the
03:38years. So we thank you especially for your loyalty, for your trust, for returning after difficult years
03:46following 9-11, the 2008 financial crash, and of course the most recent COVID pandemic. You guys put your
03:53hiking boots back on and you came back to see the world with us again and for that we will always be
03:58grateful. As I mentioned earlier, it's time for me to retire and my last hurrah will be the Tucson
04:04Rendezvous that's taking place in January. It's a reunion tour. We're inviting all of our former
04:10travelers to join us to celebrate 37 years of walking the world together. We're just excited about seeing
04:16as many of you as can make it and grateful that we have this opportunity for one more trip and one more
04:23farewell in lovely Tucson. You cannot appreciate your own home and your own surroundings without traveling.
04:30It's an amazing world, there's so much going on, there's so much to pick from,
04:35and we're just privileged to be able to share it with you.
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