TOURS OF A LIFETIME

Intrepid Travel Launches Largest ever Collection of Trips in North America

The world’s largest adventure travel company will introduce 38 new itineraries in North America, reimagining what travel within the United States and Canada can and should look like by incorporating more diverse perspectives and experiences alongside the iconic sites.

Intrepid Travel, the B Corp certified tour operator with a mission to create positive change through the joy of travel, has announced a collection of 38 new trips in the U.S. and Canada that will begin departing in 2022 – its most robust offering in the country since its inception over 30 years ago. Each trip was designed to provide opportunities to forge meaningful connections between travelers and the people who make this diverse country so rich in culture.

“We’ve thought for a long time about the unique role Intrepid can play in North America,” said James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Travel. “We felt compelled to not only offer sustainable and unique travel experiences for both domestic and international travelers, but to also ensure we use the power of tourism as a force for good.”

“We created these itineraries to showcase North America through a more authentic and diverse lens. While they will offer travelers the chance to see the country’s most iconic sites and cities, they also celebrate the lesser-known places, communities and highlights that make up the rich fabric of U.S. and Canada.”

“While we did include many of the well-loved places that get people excited to travel, we took it a step further by celebrating the small towns and varying perspectives that allow travelers to understand what North America is – not just at its surface, but rather at its core,” he added.

Intrepid’s new trips will incorporate the must-see attractions while giving travelers more curated, in-depth offerings. From enjoying local delicacies and going on human-powered active adventures, to spending time with First Nations tribes, each trip will provide a unique take on the destination.

Examples of new trips include:

South Dakota to Montana Parks Explorer

Travelers will visit the iconic sites like Mount Rushmore, Badlands National Park and Yellowstone to watch Old Faithful spray water into the air, in addition to an intimate visit to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, where they will join a Crow Nation Guide for a tour which provides an Apsaalooke perspective on the conflict. With a tribal historian at their side, they will traverse the battlefield and learn how Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors defeated the US Army on the Greasy Grass at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Portland to San Francisco Discovery

This tour takes travelers between two cities known for their outstanding culinary scenes, though food-minded adventurers will also enjoy traveling down the coast to Bend to explore the town’s lesser-known but thriving food scene. Guests will also enjoy a meal with the First Nations people of Warm Springs for a river to table native experience with a picnic lunch that acknowledges the role salmon played in tribal history, and shuck oysters at Hog Island Oyster Co., a fellow B Corp certified company. The itinerary also includes highlights such as witnessing the deepest lake in the U.S. located at Crater Lake National Park and the tallest living things in the world at Muir Woods National Monument.

Tennessee Music Trail to New Orleans

Travelers will make musical memories on this journey, taking part in a recording session with a professional sound engineer at the iconic Studio B in Nashville, walking in the famous footsteps of BB King and Johnny Cash at the Sun Studio in Memphis (known as the “Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll”), visiting Elvis Presley’s home at Graceland, and doing a jazz-inspired walking tour in New Orleans. Groups will also visit the Whitney Plantation to learn what life was like for those enslaved on a Louisiana sugarcane plantation. With a focus on the lives of the enslaved rather than the perspective of the plantation owner, exploring here is a sobering and eye-opening experience.

Best of Montana

Adventurers will follow in the path of Lewis and Clark exploring the “Gates of the Mountains” on a river cruise along the Missouri River and enjoy backcountry hikes with picnic lunches surrounded by the state’s scenic mountains. Taking travelers from Bozeman to Missoula via mountains, rivers, glaciers and lakes, this tour additionally showcases the customs and histories of the Blackfeet Native American culture.

Georgia History Trail to Nashville

This tour from Atlanta to Nashville takes travelers deep into the heart of America’s past for an in depth look at how it shaped today’s movement for human rights. Along with several culinary adventures, guests will also: visit a plantation that is known for being ethical in sharing the history of the enslaved and First Nations people; stop at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site to learn more about his legacy as a leader; and take a Black History walking tour in Charleston to immerse in the city’s rich history and complex past.

The launch of these new trips brings Intrepid’s total portfolio in the North America to 57 tours, together and including a mix of walking, cycling, multi-active, culinary and general sightseeing adventures.

North America will play a big part in Intrepid Travel’s future growth and vision as a company. To increase its capacity, ensure the utmost quality control over each trip and incorporate the highest sustainable and responsible measures, the business has built and launched its own dedicated American operations hub this year, which allows Intrepid to build more meaningful and impactful relationships with its suppliers.

For example, when creating the itineraries for its South Dakota trips, Intrepid made sure to acknowledge the sensitivities of certain tourist attractions in relation to the Indigenous experience. Following conversations with and recommendations from both the Crow Nation and Lakota tribe representatives, the company decided to not include a visit to Crazy Horse on its trips, while ensuring it pursues ways to incorporate the Indigenous American perspective during the visit to Mount Rushmore.

Future plans in North America include continuing to work with First Nations outfitters to run more specialized trips and experiences focused on several perspectives and cultures of the country’s various tribes, and aiming to introduce its recently launched Premium tour range, which will provide a sustainable travel option for the higher-end adventure traveler.

www.intrepidtravel.com

About Intrepid Travel
Intrepid Travel is a world leader in sustainable experience-rich travel that has been taking travelers off the beaten track to discover the world’s most amazing places for more than 30 years. The company offers more than 800 trips on every continent and every trip – whether closer to home or further afield – is designed to truly experience local culture. Travelers eat, sleep and get around the local way, going where the bigger groups can’t. With its own network of destination management companies in 23 countries, Intrepid has unique local expertise and perspectives. Globally renowned as a leader in responsible travel.
www.intrepidtravel.com