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Frequent Flyer: Bruce Poon Tip, CEO, GAP Adventures

You were an advisor to the TV show Survivor. What’s your best survival tip for travels into the unknown?
Carry a local phrasebook.

One must-do adventure before we die?
Antarctica, one of the the last remaining beautiful natural wildernesses on earth.

Most underrated destination?
Ecuador – no other country has the breathtaking Andes, the awe-inspiring Amazon rainforest and the truly unique evolutionary beauty of the Galápagos Islands, all within a day’s travel of each other.

What can’t you travel without?
My iPod. And wine gums.

Best budget tip?
Look for travel providers who use local guides, businesses and accommodation. It saves you money and gives back to local economies.

Top in-flight advice?
Take a yoga class on the day you fly – it will limber you up, relax you and let you sleep.

Where to next?
The very edge of space, in July, aboard one of our newest trips out of Russia.

WEB EXTRAS
Why do you travel?
Because I’ve always had a natural curiosity about foreign cultures, history and where I fit into the much larger picture of the natural world.

First trip overseas?
Moving from Jamaica to Canada, age 4.

What’s your packing procedure?
Long pants first, then socks and undergarments on one side, shoes on the other and finally everything else on top.
 
Why is voluntourism eco-friendly?
I prefer to think of it as culturally or socially ‘friendly’ rather than ‘eco-friendly’ as in most cases you are volunteering your time to help individuals or communities in need. This could take the form of building stoves for families in Peru, assembling wheelchairs for landmine victims in Cambodia, or working with street children in India, but all involve supporting the local community in invaluable ways. In this way you are contributing to something that will – in the long run – become vital to sustaining the specific community in which you are volunteering. 

Most adventurous destination?
Costa Rica – because it really is a country that is focused on naturally adventurous activities. Whether you wish to go hiking, biking, rafting or rock climbing, Costa Rica has everything for the active and adventurous traveller, and I genuinely applaud their focus on natural activities that embrace this lifestyle.

Are you adventurous with food?
When embracing new cultures and traditions for a living you kind of have to be. I’ve tried chocolate-covered grasshoppers in Cambodia (surprisingly not bad, and high in protein), yak butter tea in Tibet (so horrible that I had to summon every shred of my inner-adventurer to keep it down – but there’s not much you can do when it is part of the tradition of welcoming someone into your home) and camel yoghurt in Mongolia (Run! That’s all I can say... just run!).

Biggest culture shock?
The Hunz Valley in Northern Pakistan: so beautiful and uncrowded, but completely rural and isolated from almost all forms of tourism... to the point that we almost felt famous as we constantly had an audience everywhere we went – bathroom included.
 
Where are the friendliest people?
Without a doubt, Iran.

Optimal length of holiday time?
In a perfect world six months to one year. But realistically, when it comes to making the most of limited holiday time, three to four weeks.

Best/favourite time to travel?
I always like to plan in advance, to time my travels around either festivals or other large events of cultural significance. It really adds to the authenticity of the experience.

How do you reduce your travelling carbon footprint?
This is actually a concept I have built GAP Adventures around. In 2003, we started the Planeterra Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of people and communities around the world through the support of community projects, local organizations and international charities. Through Planeterra, GAP Adventures offers travellers the opportunity to lessen the impact of international air travel by partnering with MyClimate, a non-profit organization focusing on innovative solutions for climate protection, the promotion of renewable energies and energy efficient technologies. MyClimate provides individuals with a way to measure and offset the amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced by air travel. By using the carbon calculator located on the GAP Adventures website, travellers can offset their flight emissions by contributing to carbon-offset projects around the world. These projects focus on the development of sustainable energy sources, including wind energy in Africa, biomass electricity in Asia and solar power in Latin America.

What keeps you going?
The global network of like-minded people that makes GAP Adventures possible. We now have a staff of over 500 travel addicts working around the world in sales, marketing, operations, accounts, IT, in the field and on our ships. Our staff have travelled the seven continents, and have been to the places we all want to go. In the field our guides, leaders and expedition staff are the best of the best. They are a wealth of knowledge on the destinations we visit, and are there to share their passion for travel and ensure your adventure runs smoothly. It is for this amazing worldwide group of like-minded individuals that I continue on my mission to find the next undiscovered adventure destination.

Where do you go to unwind and recharge?
Belize – check it out and you will understand.

This article appeared, in part, in the April 2009 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.