Adventure Awaits: Transform Your Life with Richard Bangs
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Cathy Worthington:Welcome to Late Boomers, our podcast guide to creating your 3rd act with style, power, and impact. Hi. I'm Cathy Worthington.
Merry Elkins:And I'm Merry Elkins. Join us as we bring you conversations with successful entrepreneurs, entertainers, and people with vision who are making a difference in the world.
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Cathy Worthington:Hello. I'm Cathy Worthington. Today on Late Boomers, we're thrilled to introduce you to Richard Bangs, who is known as the father of modern adventure travel. He's been named one of the 100 great explorers of the last 100 years and is a pioneer in world exploration with a purpose. He has written more than 20 books.
Merry Elkins:And I'm Merry Elkins. I met Richard a decade or 2 ago on a river rafting trip not long after he started his, company, his travel company, Sobeck. And since he has led first to sense of 35 rivers, He scaled mountain peaks and put uncharted places on the map. He was one of the original founders of Expedia, and he's produced and directed award winning adventure films and television shows. Many of us boomers wanna forge new frontiers in our later years, Richard, so let's hear more about you and about some great trips you recommend for us.
Merry Elkins:Welcome to late boomers.
Richard Bangs:Thank you. It's good to be here. I think we are a big tribe, so I hope, I hope we can, find some fellow spirits in this, in this dream.
Cathy Worthington:Yeah. There's a picture of you in your book, The Art of Living Dangerously, taken when you were 11 on what looks like a hand built raft on the Potomac River. Where did this drive for wanderlust and danger come from?
Richard Bangs:You know, I think a a lot of it has to do with upbringing. I grew up in the Washington DC area, and my father, was a career officer at the CIA. So I think I was exposed, very early on to sort of international goings on. And, and I think, you know, became aware more than most people, I believe, of the sort of interconnectedness of all things. And and, you know, it was was was forever curious, particularly when my my father would come home and explain what was happening in different parts of the world, about which I knew little, and I hoped to see if I could understand more.
Richard Bangs:So that kinda set me off on this on this journey. I also was an avid river runner and spelunker, and climbed my horse. Years old? Well, not at 11. But but throughout my high school years, I I took off and and, became a member of the Canoe Cruises Association, a Washington DC based group that, that did pioneering canoe trips all over the country, including down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon.
Richard Bangs:So I got inspired by a lot of people around me, including family, in early years.
Cathy Worthington:Wow. Good.
Merry Elkins:Yeah. It's, something that not too many people do. And as known as you're known as the father of adventure travel, talk about that and how it differs from a conventional travel. And also to talk about how it changes people and maybe a little about how it changed you.
Richard Bangs:That's a great question. I mean, if we dial back and I think we're all of an age that can, when when people took vacations in the fifties sixties, it was primarily, to to be horizontal on a beach someplace, and active adventure travel really didn't exist. There were a lot of sort of mythopoetic personalities that I think we all admired during that era from Edmund Hillary to Jacques Cousteau and Thor Heyerdahl and others. But what they did just seemed to be too inaccessible for us mere mortals. They were great heroes, but, you know, who could follow?
Richard Bangs:And then, a lot of things came together. There was a beautiful sort of inflection point that happened in the seventies where where, airline deregulation came into being prior to that. IATA, the International Air Transport Association, controlled fare prices for all airlines internationally, and it was insanely expensive to travel to Europe or beyond. It was, you know, typically $2,000, which would be 20,000 in today's dollars to to fly fly overseas. And, and with deregulation, suddenly, the world was more accessible via airplane for for, much of of the world, much many Americans, for the first time discovered that they could travel, including myself.
Richard Bangs:And then there were lots of of sort of technological advances that allowed us to I started off running rivers overseas in Africa that allowed me to to bring portable gear and pack it onto an airplane and then unpack it, in in Africa and then head on down an unknown river. Prior to the seventies, that wasn't feasible to do. And there was a whole new sensibility, I think, that came out of World War 2, the baby boomers, where people began to to look inward as to how they could improve themselves, by traveling through travel. And that had really not been a dynamic that was that was expressed in any any large way. Mostly people took a vacation to to rest and get away from their job, but now people would lean into it, and we're looking for ways to improve their health, you know, through through travel, doing treks and and other active, activities.
Richard Bangs:And they were looking to learn and to come back better informed and and better, better connected to, issues around the world. And I personally, I think it was a very wonderful transition that took place. And and, as you alluded to, Mary, before, almost everybody who takes an adventure travel trip, comes out the other side different than when he when he departed, because, it's it's a very intense and profound, and wonderful experience to to challenge yourself along with other people and, and achieve, you know, a relatively short term goal. Much of us spend lives trying to achieve a a goal of financial freedom or or or something else, usually long term. But to be able to sort of compact that into, an expedition or an adventure and and and feel the the, the the great, self self actualization, let's say, that comes from, you know, climbing a mountain, from rafting a wild river.
Richard Bangs:You know, all these things are just really wonderful feelings that, I think brings clarity and sort of reevaluation of how life should be lived.
Cathy Worthington:A little bit terrifying to me too, but Well, yeah.
Richard Bangs:A little bit of fear is a good thing.
Cathy Worthington:Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And can you tell us what does travel with a purpose mean to you?
Richard Bangs:Well, you know, I spent the 1st 20 years, sort of exploring. So we would we would look at the map and and find places that didn't didn't have a lot of of relief or information, and then we would seek them out and, and explore. But, I noticed it was hard not to notice after 20 years or so of of exploration that many of the places that had given us such delight, and such energy were were gone. They were damned. Their their rivers were damned.
Richard Bangs:You know, deserts were were, expanded. Forest were felled. There are a lot of timber poachers in parts of the world that I personally loved and visited. Indonesia is a prime example. And, generally, the world was a much a much lesser place than when I had started off exploring.
Richard Bangs:So I decided to get involved with something that we called Adventures with Purpose, which is a PBS series that we ran with for about 10 years, and a book and, and a Yahoo effort. And it was to go to these places that are magical places, treasured places, and look at the issues that that, are relevant to a particular destination and then amplify them and try to understand the lessons that might be learned, that could be applied, anywhere on the planet or at least other places. So
Merry Elkins:Mhmm.
Richard Bangs:That was that was a a mission to to expose and to, bring to life solutions that that others have found around the world.
Cathy Worthington:That is a good explanation of that. Thank you very much. Tell us a little bit about your book, the art of living dangerously, and about some of the most challenging and dangerous places you've experienced. Are you ever afraid?
Richard Bangs:Oh, yes. As I I said earlier, I think fear is a good thing, and I've I've often been, afraid. But I think, there's been a sort of a judicial, approach to, to to many of the encounters, that I've had, you know, trying to assess risk and and determine, you know, what degree of risk is acceptable. I mean, the book is the book is 50 years of adventure travel from the time that I started, so back in 1973 until, the present. And so it it chronicles many of the pioneering expeditions that we did, in those early decades.
Richard Bangs:And then and then, you know, new explorations that that I got involved in, some of it was technology driven. As Mary said, I was part of the team that started Expedia, and got early involved with with, Internet communication possibilities. The fact that Mhmm. We did a series of virtual expeditions where we took the, the the burgeoning technology in the nineties down to Antarctica and broadcast live, the first time that had ever been done. And then, you know, did live chats from Antarctica and we did that like Galapagos, and then we started to take that concept around the world.
Richard Bangs:And at Microsoft, where I I worked for a spell, we we took, celebrities, to follow their their passion, and this is also in in the book. So we would take Martha Stewart sea kayaking in Newfoundland and Lyle Lovett on a on a on a motorcycle trip the length of Chile, and we took, Oh,
Merry Elkins:were they good travelers?
Richard Bangs:Yes. I I think without exception, all the people that we took on these trips well, part of the
Merry Elkins:trip Mick Jagger too, didn't you?
Richard Bangs:Yes. Yeah. We took, he was performing in Mexico City, which is I think around 8,000 feet. I'm I'm sure I'm off by something, but it's got a high altitude. So he wanted he he came to Mexico, week and half in advance and and hired us to take him up some of the volcanoes so he could get in good shape and dance the stay stage in Mexico City without altitude affecting him.
Cathy Worthington:Yeah. Because he's in phenomenal shape. But do you have close do you have close friends? Yeah.
Merry Elkins:Do you
Cathy Worthington:have close friends that do these trips with you that help plan it with you and decide what's gonna be our next adventure? Are you kinda more solo and you do it on your own?
Richard Bangs:No. No. I mean, the the the company, which is now called MTSOBEC, standing for mountain travel, we merged the 2 companies in the nineties, and, it's it's, you know, it's a small company, but we have about 40 people in the office. And, we, we design, and and orchestrate and conduct, trips all over the world. And, we've been doing this for 50 years.
Richard Bangs:So, yeah, we take a lot of a lot of well known people. Many, many celebrities have traveled with us. I've I took Jeff Bezos on 3 trips, and Bill Gates took him to Antarctica.
Merry Elkins:Oh, wow.
Richard Bangs:You know, many others. Barry Dillard to to, Botswana. It's a long, long list at this point. But yeah. So so it's it's cooperative thing.
Richard Bangs:There there are many people involved in exploring and finding new trips. We usually have about a 20% new product, mission, every year. So our cat our catalog is this dream of
Cathy Worthington:creating and creating all the time.
Merry Elkins:Yeah. Can you talk a little more about some of the more challenging or even dangerous yet totally rewarding trips that you've taken?
Richard Bangs:There are a lot. So, I mean, if you if I move right here, you could see there's a painting of of New Guinea, and you probably can't see it. But, there was a doctor who was a painter who was on a first descent of river we did with the BBC in New Guinea. And, we had a boat capsize that was carrying a lot of our vital gear, and it was being swept downstream, Classic. This is Indiana Jones.
Richard Bangs:Towards a a waterfall downstream. And so I was able to hail the BBC helicopter, and zoom downstream, and there's a picture of me jumping out of the helicopter right there.
Cathy Worthington:Oh, no.
Richard Bangs:On onto
Merry Elkins:the Were you were you on a line at least?
Richard Bangs:No. No. No. No. There's no lines.
Merry Elkins:So I just had to jump from
Richard Bangs:the helicopter onto the back of the raft and wrestle it over to shore, you know, before it went over the waterfalls.
Merry Elkins:Oh my
Merry Elkins:goodness. Oh,
Cathy Worthington:with you on it.
Richard Bangs:Well, I
Merry Elkins:I would have been it.
Merry Elkins:Was it a big well, a huge waterfall?
Richard Bangs:No. I didn't go over the waterfall. We got the raft to to shore. Yeah. No.
Richard Bangs:No. I have been over waterfalls before, but so and another scary thing. I mean I mean, you're you're starting to to poke the bear here. Yeah. We've had a lot of crocodile and hippo bites over the years.
Richard Bangs:Oh, yeah. Those are always a little bit disconcerting.
Merry Elkins:I think so.
Richard Bangs:Yeah. We had one, we did the first descent of a river called the Zambezi in Southern Africa. And we had LeVar Burton with us, and we were doing an ABC special, with LeVar Burton looking for his roots. And, about halfway down the river, we'd gotten a lot of good footage. It was a spectacular trip.
Richard Bangs:And, LaVar said he wanted to learn how to kayak. So we put him in a kayak, and he's merrily paddling around. And kayaks are very small boats, only a few inches from the from the surface of the water. And, and a raft out in front of him, suddenly had this explosion and a crocodile bit the boat. And, LaVar was just a few feet away from this and was was, quick to act.
Richard Bangs:He, he took his paddles and he sort of zoomed over to shore, almost lightning speed, and he grabbed 1 of the walkie talkies, called in the helicopter, jumped in the helicopter, and left. We never saw him again. So
Cathy Worthington:Oh my goodness.
Merry Elkins:Yeah. That's frightening. And even the and how did the helicopter get so close? You must have had 2 mountains on the side of you.
Richard Bangs:I mean, there are a lot of big beaches on on a river like this in Bizi, particularly at the water level that we did. So it was not difficult for a helicopter to land. And we we're moving the the film around by helicopter.
Cathy Worthington:About an instant reaction. Yeah. And then he left without saying goodbye?
Richard Bangs:No. He didn't think of I'm still waiting for him to say goodbye.
Merry Elkins:I'm waving. Yeah. I'm out of here.
Merry Elkins:That's weird.
Cathy Worthington:Yeah. Anything else that comes to mind dangerous and scary?
Merry Elkins:Oh, good. I'm sure a lot.
Richard Bangs:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the the book is is filled with stories, so and some of them are true. So
Merry Elkins:Okay. Then everybody will have to read
Cathy Worthington:the book. Oh, you will. You will. You've also flown with the Blue Angels. What was that like?
Richard Bangs:So they have a journalist program, and, Oh. And they invited me as part of the program. And you go through, you go to Miramar in Southern California and and do a a 3 day
Merry Elkins:was just there.
Richard Bangs:You were? Okay. Did you do the Top Gun thing?
Merry Elkins:Uh-huh. Well, I watched it.
Richard Bangs:Oh, okay. So they put you through the Top Gun course. And, one of the things that they do is they put you in a model, f f 16, I think it was, hanging above a pool, and you they you put on all your flight gear. And then, they wanna make sure that you you are comfortable enough and you can escape in case there's a a waterborne accident, an ocean accident. So they drop the plane into the pool, and they have divers there.
Richard Bangs:And then you have to, you know, unbuckle and find the exit and get out. And it was not difficult. They, you know, I I they dropped it in and, you know, I held my breath and swam over to the door and got out fine. And then but then they said, oh, we have to do it again. So I said, okay.
Richard Bangs:And got in the plane, and they lifted it up, and they dropped it, but they turned off the lights. So, so it's like, woah. I I I you know? And I finally figured out how to get out, but it was close before, you know, a diver, you know, gave me gave me his oxygen. And then they said, okay.
Richard Bangs:We got one more time. So then they put me up and they turned off the lights, and they turned it upside down and dropped me in. And I I could not find my way out. I was I was stuck hardcore. This is very
Cathy Worthington:hardcore.
Richard Bangs:This is hardcore. And, Yeah. Yeah. Somebody did yep. Yeah.
Richard Bangs:1 of the one of the divers rescued me and got me out. So, you know, I was thinking, well, maybe I don't qualify. But they took me up, and they teach you, a couple of of tricks because they don't want you to they go up to 5, 6 g's. They don't want you to pass out. So there's one thing called, pooping the watermelon.
Richard Bangs:It's an exercise where you you would try to push all the blood from your head down. Oh, interesting. The pilots, I I think they get some sort of satisfaction out of this or maybe there's an internal conflict. But they they try to get you to pass out or or Oh. To, to upchuck.
Richard Bangs:And, you know, I I was I was able to, you know, poop the watermelon. I I your your whole sort of vision sort of closes in on you as you're getting to higher g's, and you feel like you're gonna pass out, and then you push it back. So I was okay with that. But, on some of the loop the loops, my stomach didn't make it. So I there were there is a little bag, and, and they have a little camera that they take a photo they take a video
Merry Elkins:of you. Oh, thank you.
Richard Bangs:So I have this video on my shelf. I've never looked at it. I've never looked at it.
Merry Elkins:I guess it. I can't guess it.
Cathy Worthington:Not. I guess not.
Merry Elkins:Well, they they're amazing, though, because I when I was at Miramar, I saw the air show, and they did perform. And I understand that they perform, like, 18 inches apart.
Richard Bangs:Yeah. Yeah. There have been some accents over the years. But Yeah.
Merry Elkins:But they're all they're tradition
Merry Elkins:Glad I didn't see them. So moving on, in your new your other new book, 50 Best Adventures on Earth, you've curated trips for all ages and all abilities.
Merry Elkins:Yep.
Merry Elkins:Would you talk about some of the places that would be ideal for older people that might not scare them as much as, you know, a a crocodile bite or a bug haphatizing? What would be amazing mind bending experiences for them and and giving them the feeling that they've really accomplished something and or made a difference.
Richard Bangs:I mean, there's there there are many, many classics, and I I would like to believe that that every trip in this upcoming book, is something that somebody over 50 can enjoy. I I will share that at that, at SOBEC, our our average age is around 63. Mhmm. So I think, you know, we we appeal to a certain certain age group in clientele.
Merry Elkins:Mhmm.
Richard Bangs:And there are many classics. You know, of course, when you when you get to a point where you you can you can enjoy the time off and travel, many people look to the classics. And those are things like, the Inca Trail in, in Peru where you get to see Machu Picchu. It it's also interesting, you know, we've been doing this for 50 years, and we had a much younger crowd and it was much more adrenaline fueled in the early years. But things have gotten softer and our demographic has aged with us.
Richard Bangs:So let's say, let's say, you would you're interested in doing the Inca Trail, which is a profoundly meaningful and beautiful experience, but you don't like the idea of camping, and that has become that has become a a real, a a real, I guess, mindset for a lot of people.
Cathy Worthington:Well, you know, all
Merry Elkins:the people have some back issues sometimes, and sleeping on the ground may not work.
Richard Bangs:Yes. Exactly. And then, we always have porters, so you don't have to carry anything on any of our our tracks. But, you did if you do the traditional Inca Trail, you do camp out, and you also camp at altitude. So we've we put together several years ago now, a series of lodges.
Richard Bangs:So you can, they're called the mountain lodges of Peru. So you can stay in these beautiful eco lodges along the way. Oh, wow. And have Portis carry everything for you. I just came back from seeing the mountain gorillas in, in Uganda, which is which is a fantastic trip.
Richard Bangs:I recommend everybody do that. And we have several departures both in Rwanda and Uganda. And I just came back from Uganda, and my son came with me, 29 years old, and he had just been in a in a an accident at work. So he didn't he didn't think he could walk. It it can be a mile, it can be 4 miles or something to see the mountain gorillas.
Richard Bangs:So, we just put together a sedan chair for him, and actually the locals have several of these sedan chairs, and so they carried him like like somebody out of King Solomon's mines.
Merry Elkins:I was about to say that.
Richard Bangs:Yeah. And he loved it. I mean, it was great. He got he got to see it. So
Merry Elkins:I bet he did.
Richard Bangs:It was accessible, and it's something that, you know, anybody who might have some challenges when it comes to ambulatory adventures, you know, can can use utilize that. So,
Cathy Worthington:That's pretty cool.
Merry Elkins:Yeah. Tell us I I would be walking.
Cathy Worthington:And can you tell us a little bit more about how adventure travel helps to preserve the Earth's ecosystems and diversified cultures?
Richard Bangs:That's such a that's such a great, great question. And I think there there are multiple ways to answer that and multiple reasons why I think this type of travel is good for the planet. Firstly, it it does celebrate diversity, more than almost anything else. Most still, most tourism today, I think adventure travel might be about 10% of all all tourism. But most tourism today is a very insular experience.
Richard Bangs:So, the best surprise is no surprise, epistemology, where you go to some resort in some exotic locale and you check-in and you you you order a cheeseburger on the menu. Let's say you're in Burma or something or Miramar. And then you you come down to the lobby and you watch some dancers perform, something that you don't understand, and it's all flashy and beautiful and rhythmic. But, you know, there's no interaction between you and the and the people who have been brought in to perform. And then you move around on on on insulated air conditioned buses, and you don't really get to understand or know, the the the the people, the culture, you know, with whom you are, sharing landscape.
Richard Bangs:And, the adventure travel dynamic is so much different because the idea is to have 1 on 1 encounters with the people and the culture, along the way so that you really do get to shake hands and look them in the eye and talk to them, and they, us, and it can bring down all sorts of barriers and and lead to, I think, a better, appreciation and understanding of of the others, of differences, but also it showcases the universe universalities of of humanity and how we're all ultimately the same. I I'd led a trip to North Korea, and that that that was a
Merry Elkins:When did you do that?
Richard Bangs:It's been about, 8 years ago now.
Cathy Worthington:And you all came back.
Richard Bangs:We all came back, and I think we all came back feeling enlightened in some way and feeling that we made a small difference, and that we we met many, you know, North Koreans throughout the tour and, and saw much of the the country. And it was enlightening, I think, to meet children, and and their parents who had these terrible opinions about us as Americans. They generally believe that we wake up every day trying to think of a way to destroy North Korea. They've been taught that. Wow.
Richard Bangs:And there are posters all over all over Pyongyang and and and throughout the country, you know, of American soldiers bayoneting babies and things like this. It's Oh. Oh, it's awful. But they're taught that. And for them to be able to meet us and and and shake our hands and, and share a, you know, a story or a joke or a song, I think brought down a lot of that disinformation very, very quickly.
Richard Bangs:And they were delighted with that experience, and we have of of them. And I think that that's not unusual, you know, traveling to to different cultures around around the world. And, you know, that's one of the benefits of this type of travel, I think. As far as, the environment, you know, there's nothing better than to to showcase, in in an emotional way, I think, how the planet is being reshaped by by some of our, some some of our our policies that, they're not not as healthy as they could be. You know, global climate change is is certainly the most the most evident one.
Richard Bangs:But there are many other situations where you can be exposed by traveling to threats to, to a region, to a peoples, to, to wildlife, to to, to to forest, etcetera, etcetera. You can you can see those, and they're all very abstract if you if you are at home and you read about it in the newspaper or see it in the news. But when you're there, there is this sort of emotional connection because you you are seeing and feeling and experiencing the magic of a particular place, and it becomes very personal. It it there is an emotional connection. It's like family.
Richard Bangs:And then when you return, hopefully, if if you have learned or you discover that the area that was so meaningful to you on a visit is threatened that you can become a constituent to help, help avoid, you know, one of these catastrophes. You can contribute time, money, voice, editorial, and travelers are the ones that do this because they've seen it. They've they they understand it. They know it. So,
Cathy Worthington:It's it's that's so beautiful that you said that because so much discussion around, oh, there's no climate change here. All that comes from people who have never traveled
Merry Elkins:Yes. Who
Cathy Worthington:have nothing to compare, who don't relate to any of those landscapes. They can deny it because they haven't seen it, and they don't see it happening, like, with the icebergs and the way they're disappearing and all that stuff. But if you haven't gone and seen it, you don't have any heart for it. You just don't care.
Richard Bangs:Yeah. That's so true. I've been to so many places where, where there used to be a resort that was that was strategically placed. So we did a we did a river trip down the Jordan River from its source in Mount Hermon on the Syrian Jordanian border all the way to the Dead Sea. And, at the Dead Sea, you can stay at these resorts, that are about a mile from, from the water.
Richard Bangs:They used to be used to be water that would lap up on their decks, but the, mostly Israelis, but also Jordanians have diverted the water almost a 100% of it for for cotton and other thirsty crops. And and and that's, you know, that's that's a shame, and it should should be there are many discussions on how to resolve this problem, but it's ultimately a political problem. And then Yeah. You you mentioned, yeah, you mentioned ice. There's so many places in the world you can go and see the remains of extraordinary, once extraordinary glaciers, once magnificent glaciers who have retreated so much Yeah.
Richard Bangs:Mhmm. That there are resorts that are now miles away from what used to be a glacier that lapped by its, by its front door.
Merry Elkins:Yeah. Yeah. I I'd love to hear more about that, but I'm also curious about how many countries you have visited and where you have yet to explore.
Richard Bangs:Great. I I haven't put, pen to paper, to figure that out, and things change all all all the time. I mean, South Sudan is a new country. I was there this year. Mhmm.
Richard Bangs:And, I have not been to Timor Leste, which is also a relatively new country. I'd love to go there. It's used to be part of the it's part of the Indonesian or the Malay Archipelago. Used to be part of Indonesia, but has found independence. And I don't boy, there there are quite a few other places that that I have not been.
Richard Bangs:And, you know, it's one of the one of the the the ironies of travel, and that's the more you do travel, the more you recognize you have yet to see. Yeah.
Merry Elkins:Uh-huh. So true. Sure. Yeah.
Cathy Worthington:Yeah. What would you say is your favorite favorite?
Richard Bangs:That I've been to or or hoping to go to?
Cathy Worthington:That you've been to.
Richard Bangs:Boy, there's so many, and they're all that's like trying to pick up the favorite favorite child.
Merry Elkins:Kid. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Merry Elkins:And I do have one.
Richard Bangs:I do have some that that that I I go back to repeatedly. Ethiopia, which is where we started, So, Beck, has always been something very dear to my heart, and it's a unique destination. It's unlike any other place in Africa or the world.
Merry Elkins:Why is that?
Richard Bangs:Well, it's a it's a mountainous, kingdom, well, former kingdom. It's got an average elevation of about 8,000 feet, and many of the highest mountains in Africa are are are there. And it also has the lowest point in Africa, the Danakil Depression, I think, around 300 people at sea level. So there's a lot of relief. Wow.
Richard Bangs:It's mostly a mountain kingdom area. And, the people who live in Ethiopia, the Amhara and other tribal groups, but Amharas are the prominent one, are a unique blend of of Hamites, Semites, and Cushites. So you you've probably noticed that Ethiopians have a different look like Aman, the model. She's actually from from, Somalia, but it borders Ethiopia, and it's the same sort of genetic, unique, uniqueness. So, you know, high cheekbones, aquiline noses, and coffee colored skin.
Richard Bangs:So very different than much of of the rest of Africa. And it's a it's a spectacular country.
Merry Elkins:It's got,
Richard Bangs:you know, the the churches of Lalibela, some of the oldest churches in the world. It's where the king Solomon's mine supposedly, or it's where the ark of the covenant supposedly was hidden. Lot of history, lot of culture. I love Ethiopia, but there are many other parts of the world I love. I love Indonesia.
Richard Bangs:Been back many times. And, there
Cathy Worthington:No. You're not afraid to repeat the trip. If you love it, you'll go again
Richard Bangs:Exactly.
Cathy Worthington:Even though you've got so many more to see.
Richard Bangs:Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Cathy Worthington:Oh, well, has geopolitics affected your travels?
Richard Bangs:All the time. So we have to be somewhat Yeah. Nimble and flexible. I was in Sudan, last year, and it was just as as some of the bombs started to go off in Khartoum. And now Sudan is a wreck.
Richard Bangs:It's probably probably the worst landscape, I think, in in in the world at the moment.
Merry Elkins:And the famine.
Richard Bangs:The famine is terrible, and, it's a it's a internecine war that's going on between 2 rival powers. And, and I think hundreds of thousands of people have fled into Chad and other other areas to try to get out. Many people dead, many, many, many, and and much of the infrastructure destroyed. It's it's it's sort of showcase hotel and cartoon has been utterly destroyed. And it's not as much in the news as as other other conflicts around the world, but it is a disaster, and it's sad to see.
Merry Elkins:And it's spreading to South Sudan too.
Richard Bangs:Yes. It is. South Sudan is where most of the oil is.
Cathy Worthington:So when you when you come across issues with geopolitics and you've got a trip planned, I mean, how do you get into the country, or do you just have to change the trip completely?
Richard Bangs:We've we've certainly had both situations.
Cathy Worthington:Oh.
Richard Bangs:Where was it? I know a few years ago, we had a trip a trekking trip to Algeria, that got canceled because an ISIS group, had had killed a French tourist and and taken over much of the the Hogar Mountains where we were going to do our trek. But we had a full trip, so, I was able to switch them to Ethiopia. And we went trekking in the Simeon Mountains instead, and it may have been a superior experience. Wow.
Richard Bangs:Yes. We have. We politics gets in the way. Natural disasters get in the way. Mhmm.
Richard Bangs:You know, economic disasters get in the way. So there are all sorts of things to deal with. You know, it's
Cathy Worthington:And as we're taping this today, we just got the news about Syria.
Merry Elkins:Right.
Cathy Worthington:Yes. Big upset and a big and we have to wait to see how that sifts out and who's gonna be
Merry Elkins:Right.
Cathy Worthington:In charge there and stuff.
Richard Bangs:Yep. Nobody really understands, where this is going to net out, but most Syrians or many Syrians around the world have been celebrating.
Merry Elkins:Yeah. So it's Yeah. Yeah.
Richard Bangs:They don't
Cathy Worthington:know. Wanna come back, the ones that had to leave.
Richard Bangs:Oh, yes. I I have Yeah.
Cathy Worthington:Very interesting.
Richard Bangs:I have several Syrian friends and, and some have families, you know, back in in Aleppo and and other reasons. So they're they're, they're enthused. They they're hopeful that this will make a difference.
Merry Elkins:Yeah. Fingers crossed. We all wanna make a difference in the world, and I've heard a lot about volunteer travel. Can you explain what it is, and do you have any recommendations for us and late boomers?
Richard Bangs:Yeah. And it's a it's a very, significant part of the sort of travel landscape, where folks can can, sign up to help, in in a particular region. And so you're working while you're while you're on your on your on your vacation, let's say. I was part of 1 years ago in Madagascar, with a woman named Allison Jolley, who is sort of the Jane Goodall of lemurs. And, and there were a number of people who were able to sign up and come and help her with her research.
Richard Bangs:So you spent 10 days or so sort of logging the behavior of lemurs, which would contribute to her overall assessment of and and hopefully understanding of of lemur behavior. Mhmm. And there there are many of these around the world. Some are are reactive to natural disasters in Nepal. After the earthquake, we offered a series of trips to to, to travel to Nepal, which is a very important part of our repertoire, but to come to Nepal and and help rebuild houses, help people relocate, and, and generally, you know, help out in the disaster.
Richard Bangs:And that's happened many times over the years. So, it's a it's a really rewarding way to travel because you do come back feeling that you've contributed and perhaps you've made a difference. So
Cathy Worthington:Yes. Indeed.
Merry Elkins:Yeah. For sure. Yeah. Oh, well, it's, something I'd love to do, but I don't necessarily want to go into a a war torn place at all.
Richard Bangs:Well, I don't think you can do volunteerism in a war torn place, but, but Yeah. But after does that natural disasters, it it often makes sense. They look for volunteers.
Merry Elkins:Yeah. Yeah. So, Richard, what would you like our audience to have as a takeaway today?
Richard Bangs:Uh-huh. Well, I think that, it's it's usually a good thing to to get out of your comfort zone and to stretch, and to try something that's new and different. And I would say, particularly for the over 50 crowd, because there's a tendency to sort of fall back into the familiar, when we reach a certain age and try to eliminate risk. And, and not not, put oneself in a in a situation where there there may not be, climate controlled or, you know, or or or com complete comfort, I guess. And, it's all almost always a good thing if you if you're willing to take a, you know, a step off the path and and try something different, new, and have have fresh eyes.
Richard Bangs:Do do, you know, a reset. I mean, there's nothing there's nothing like, watching, you know, a young child with with enormous eyes seeing something wonderful for the first time and reacting, you know, with giddiness and excitement. And everything's a possibility when you're 4 5 years old. There there could be dragons. There could be Santa Claus.
Richard Bangs:And it's all all exciting stuff. And I think that this type of travel sort of rekindles that that sort of youthful, eyesight where, you know, you're you're bending, you're turning corners that you've never turned before and you're seeing things that are thoroughly unfamiliar, and, you know, discovering things about places that you didn't know and about yourself, I think, in the process. So Yeah. I I think I guess, you know, a message is, don't be too afraid to to try something along these lines, and it may be it may be utterly rewarding, in a way that not that was not anticipated. So
Cathy Worthington:Brilliant.
Merry Elkins:Yeah. Yeah. I'm I'm ready. I'm signing up.
Richard Bangs:Okay.
Merry Elkins:Not sure where I'm gonna go, but I wanna talk to Richard more, and I know the people that are listening would love to talk to you more. Thank you so much. Our guest today our guest today on Late Boomers has been Richard Bangs, author, world renowned explorer, entrepreneur, and father of adventure travel. And you can reach out to Richard Richard via his website, richardbangs.com. That's richardbangs.com.
Merry Elkins:And I wish we had another 2 hours to talk to you to learn more about these exciting adventures. So thank you very much.
Richard Bangs:Thank you. I think we should do a remote one on a trip.
Merry Elkins:Okay. Okay. I I like that idea.
Merry Elkins:The the
Merry Elkins:3 of us, we're coming.
Cathy Worthington:Get if you get good Internet connection to talk to us.
Richard Bangs:We can.
Cathy Worthington:Or or we're all going?
Richard Bangs:Yes. Of course. Yeah. We we can do that. Okay.
Cathy Worthington:Alright. Alright. Well, we wanna urge our listeners to tune in next week
Merry Elkins:Yeah.
Cathy Worthington:When we'll be meeting TEDx speaker, Deborah Heiser, founder of the mentor project. And please subscribe to our Late Boomers podcast on YouTube, and take us along in the car and on walks on your favorite audio platform. Let us know what gets you inspired. We are on Instagram at I am Cathy Worthington and at I am Mary Elkins and at late boomers. Please share the late boomers podcast info with your friends who may not yet be listening to podcasts.
Cathy Worthington:Bring them along for the ride or for the travel. Thanks again, Richard.
Richard Bangs:Hey. Thank you. Thanks, Kathy and Mary. Be out.
Cathy Worthington:Thank you for joining us on Late Boomers. The podcast that is your guide to creating a third act with style, power, and impact. Please visit our website and get in touch with us at lateboomers.biz. If you would like to listen to or download other episodes of Late Boomers, go to ewnpodcastnetwork.com.
Merry Elkins:This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and most other major podcast sites. We hope you make use of the wisdom you've gained here and that you enjoy a successful third act with your own style, power, and impact.
