Condé Nast Traveler
April 2019
By Paul Brady and Christine Cantera
Whether it’s dune boarding in the Sahara or baking alongside locals in Sicily, the right “experience maker” will intuit your desires before you even know what they are—then they’ll make them happen. These travel specialists can do exactly that, no matter what your interests are.
The more unpredictable our natural and political landscapes become, the more we feel the urge to visit places untouched by the news cycle. So, as we continue to support and keep a close watch on those areas hit hardest by a rash of hurricanes, fires, and foreign-policy blunders, we’re craving the kind of life and perspective-changing travel that’s made all the more magical when planned by the pros—no matter how fearless and self-sufficient we sometimes feel. Because surviving in, say, the Bolivian jungle one day and meeting with the hottest artists in Lima the next requires both grit and access—to say nothing of a network of on-the-ground know-how that you quite literally can’t live without in some places. Here are the experts, fixers, and experience makers you’ll want in your foxhole.
Todd Smith
AdventureSmith Explorations
His trips to Alaska and the Galápagos are aboard small ships and charter yachts like the National Geographic Orion or the Sea Wolf, a historic wooden minesweeper.
