An interview with travel entrepreneur Richard Bangs

November 21, 11:11 AMNY Budget Travel ExaminerSusan Finch

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Richard Bangs at Mount Aspiring

I value that travel allows us to experience the world as though it is earth's first morning; that we can discover over and over all the wonder of a child looking under a bed or turning a corner for the first time...and that validates us, and propels us forward with keen curiosity and bliss. -- Richard Bangs  

Richard Bangs is a distinguished travel entrepreneur and adventure traveler who has traversed the globe many times over. He's been called the father of modern adventure travel and the pioneer in travel that makes a difference. Bangs has published over 1,000 magazine articles, 16 books, produced documentaries and CD-ROMs, has been a guest lecturer at the Smithsonian, the National Geographic Society, the Explorers Club, and writes regularly for the New York Times.

Bangs' career journey also lead him to Expedia, where he was part of the founding executive team and served as editor-at-large and creator of Expedia Travels Magazine. He also co-directed the popular IMAX Film, Mystery of the Nile and co-authored a book with the same title. He won the National Outdoor Book Award for his work, The Lost River: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Transformation of Wild Water.

Most recently, Bangs has been hard at work as the executive producer of Richard Bangs Adventures on Yahoo and is producing and hosting the new American Public Television series, Richard Bangs' Adventures with Purpose.  He recently released a book with the same title, which I had the had the pleasure of reading. 

Anyone who reads my column knows that I believe value takes precedence over budget. Traveling is about the experience, your own personal core values, and the value you bring to the journey.  It's also about being a good guest in someone else's country, state, and city.  Of course, I thrive on making my travel goals congruent with uncovering the most efficient and budget-friendly means to fund those adventures.

And what resonated with me most about Bangs' work is his own foothold on the concept of value and connection while traveling. He embodies what it means to travel with a purpose, to learn and experience and soul search and truly connect with the world. Travel is clearly a lifestyle for Bangs, something that enriches his quality of life and transcends consciousness.  I also get the distinct impression he forgets travel is actually his job.

Adventures with Purpose tackles one of the most challenging issues in travel: conservation. Bangs' mission is to explore disappearing cultures, people, and habitats to show his audience the catastrophic consequences of these places being lost an irreversibly damaged.  He travels to Bosnia, Libya, Panama, the American West, Rwanda, Thailand to seek its teetering ecosystems and rivers.

I wanted to know more about his thoughts on the differences between purpose, connection, and value while traveling. I got my opportunity when Richard and I caught up recently to talk about his latest travel endeavors.

Q: How did Adventures With Purpose come into fruition?

---It's articulation evolved slowly over my 35 years of adventure travel,
though it was a potent subtextual element from the beginning, as my personal
goals in travel were always about seeking understanding, about making the
magic personal, but understanding the challenges and issues, and then
unearthing solutions. My travels were never trophy shoots, never pure
hedonism or tags, but rather about making a difference through profound
interconnections with the whole of the world. I started to overtly brand the
concept about four years ago, and it has found a certain resonance today.

Q: What purpose do you give your own personal travels?

--They are always about peeling back the layers and finding the essence,
about pulling back the veils and seeing the universal truths that exist as
synecdoches in every destination. They are not passive or horizontal
travels, but rather active and two way, cutting the filters, and celebrating
our commonalities; they are about bringing down the walls of prejudice and
bigotry and unqualified judgment....they are about showcasing the solutions,
and inspiring others to find the joy in being part of the healing of the
planet.

Q: I believe budget travel should really be called 'value' travel to reflect
the core experiences and adventures that money can't buy.  What do you value
about travel?

--I so agree that it is more important that travel have value, not just cost
savings. You can take a bike and save money, but the value is in the seeing
and the wind on the face and the sun on the neck. You can take a helicopter
and miss the value of the music of the brook or the voices of the glacier or
the perfume of the frangipani. Value is about making the trip worthy, and a
worthy trip is one that discovers and delights, and evolves our
consciousness. I value that travel allows us to experience the world as
though it is earth's first morning; that we can discover over and over all
the wonder of a child looking under a bed or turning a corner for the first
time...and that validates us, and propels us forward with keen curiosity and
bliss.

Q: Your new site richardbangs.travel uses the tagline "The ultimate guide to
visualizing your next travel adventure".  For some of us, visualization is a
powerful tool in achieving success and fulfilling our dreams. Why did you
choose the word 'visualizing' and were you playing on its powerful
connotation?

--Yes, exactly that....it is a form of virtualization, but with the
dimensions of sounds and moving sights, and it can stimulate the imagination
in a way that no other medium can, and provoke the desire to then go and
participate in the real thing. There is no way to duplicate the pleasure of
pushing the spiritual, cerebral, and physical envelopes, to feel the sweat
on the back, and down the soul.

Q: And how do you see richardbangs.travel contributing to the "purpose" of
travel?

--The purpose of travel is to move, and through movement we motivate change,
and through change we reach clarification, elucidation and the set of keys
that unlock the doors of perception.

Q: What's coming up next with Small World Productions?

--Ahh...we are off next to Assam, India, in search of the last of the
one-horned rhinos....want to come?

I'm thinking Assam, India might be the perfect experience for my next column... 

See a video from Adventures with Purpose featuring Mount Aspiring...

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Email me your budget travel questions and challenges at travelexaminer@yahoo.com.  I'll post them here and help you get on the open road.