Explore Worldwide’s Aaron Fitzpatrick: Experiential Travel is All About Connection

“I don’t think it’s just about experiences. I think the right word is connection. Connection is the thing people actually want, why people want to travel like this.”

At the end of a thrilling week-long journey through southern Morocco’s dramatic landscapes hosted by Explore Worldwide, Travel Market Report Canada sat down with North American BDM Aaron Fitzpatrick to reflect on the experience.

Making connections — with destinations, trip leaders and fellow travellers — was a recurring theme during our conversation at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, as we travelled home following the 45-year-old UK-based company’s first-ever North America advisor familiarization trip.

Experiential travel is often talked about in terms of activities, culture, sustainability and authenticity – and there was all of that in spades on our Morocco trip — but Fitzpatrick passionately believes that what travellers remember most about small group travel is the human connections they make. 

It’s tough to dispute, especially considering that our small group was hugely diverse – and we quickly formed a strong bond.

There were two American travel advisors on the trip:

• James Pierce is a veteran advisor and agency owner from Texas, whose massive size and proficiency in martial arts was belied by a sweet, ever-helpful personality. 
• Mia Riley is a tiny, bubbly 27-year-old woman living in Kansas City, just a month into her travel-selling career after several years in social services. She could quite possibly be under five feet, but just try and stop her.

The Canadians were: 

• Bev Furniss is a retired civil servant who now manages an Expedia Cruises location in Ottawa. She had to push her limits on the hiking and cycling parts of the trip, and did herself proud. 
• GTA-based Scott Constance, who six months ago decided to make a career shift and left a quarter-century in IT sales to become an Independent Travel Consultant with Onvigo. 
• Ayman Salama, an Egyptian-Canadian based in Calgary, who is CEO of VIP Flight & Vacations.

Explore’s Fitzpatrick is another refugee from corporate life, trading years of IT project management and business analysis experience for the chance to promote Explore’s purposeful, meaningful, sustainable adventure travel product. Like others at Explore’s Canadian operation, he was hired by Regional Director Katy Rockett for his passion and purpose rather than his industry experience.

Fitzpatrick describes the Explore philosophy as finding a “sweet spot” where travellers are pushed slightly beyond their comfort zone but never beyond their capabilities.

“Adventure can be as simple as being exposed to a place that doesn’t use your language,” he said. “You don’t have to go on a camel in a sandstorm to do an Explore trip.”

You don’t have to, but we did, as our familiarization trip included elements of hiking, cycling and camel-riding, to give us a broad sampling of Explore’s offerings. We also experienced a variety of accommodation styles, from a basic but atmospheric riad to a four-star urban resort to a sturdy, comfortable desert tent.

Building a Brand in North America

Explore is still in brand-building mode in Canada and the U.S. Founded in 1981, the company now offers more than 400 trips in over 100 countries. As North American demand for sustainable, active has taken off – witness the growth of companies like G Adventures, Intrepid Travel and Exodus Travels – Explore is making a concerted effort to tap into this market.

“Introducing the company is the conversation every time,” says Fitzpatrick. “People come to our booth at a trade show, or come across one of our campaigns, and they say, ‘Explore? Who are you?'”

Despite the lack of familiarity with the brand, Fitzpatrick says travel advisors are naturally curious about the product. “You don’t need to be salesy with travel advisors. Most of them want to know. Their clients are asking for the kind of product we offer.”

He acknowledges that when it comes to group travel, many consumers still imagine old-fashioned coach tours, with groups of 40 or more. Explore’s groups average just 11 members.

Bolstering his contention that connection is a key travel motivator, Fitzpatrick said: “People love the tours, but they really, really, really love the groups. You start out a little standoffish with each other, and by the end of it, what are you not talking about?”

He describes Explore’s trip leaders as the company’s “secret weapon.” In our case, the leader was Boubeker Boutkhoum, a thoughtful and well-educated man who hails from a village in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains. 

“The trip leader is the friend in the destination,” Fitzpatrick said. “They take all the emotional baggage you bring. By the end of the trip, everybody’s hugging them.”

Everybody was hugging everyone at the end of our week-long trip. We had gone from complete strangers to fast friends who shared experiences, laughs, great meals and challenges with smiles on our faces. 

“We pushed ourselves a lot this week,” said Fitzpatrick. “You don’t have to do that on an Explore tour, as we offer such a range of trip styles from easy to challenging. But it’s always gratifying to find out you’re capable of more than you think.”

Explore Worldwide’s Aaron Fitzpatrick will be at the booth during this week’s trade show at Travel Market Place Toronto. TMR Canada’s Bruce Parkinson will host a panel on Tuesday afternoon focused on the rise of experiential travel, with three advisor panelists including Scott Constance who participated in Explore’s Morocco fam.