Answering My Call to Adventure

By Jake Haupert

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I REMEMBER THE DAY WHEN I first heard my own calling, my mind had been swirling, my soul entangled with some of life’s biggest questions. What was I meant to do, where was I meant to be, and what fulfills and inspires me? 

I sought out a nearby bluff overlooking the ocean in Solano Beach, California, At twilight that evening, I had my light bulb moment, I had identified my life purpose: leveraging the power of travel to cultivate personal growth, inspire conservation and bring humanity closer together.

Listening to my own internal compass, I returned home, to the beautiful Pacific NW, targeting the mecca for adventure travel – Seattle, Washington. I lived out of my Cherokee for a month, passionate canvasser for Green Peace by day, dedicated student in travel school by night. I was on a mission, I was going to start my own adventure travel company and I was going to make a difference. By combining my love for travel, natural curiosity, appreciation for authentic human interaction, reverence for the planet, and an unquenchable entrepreneurial spirit – I charted a course, set my sails, followed the stars and caught the wind.

Eight years later and I still never feel more alive than when I travel. Every single time, my journeys take my breath away, center me and invite me deeper and deeper into myself, my purpose, and my values. Whether it be the natural acoustics of a rainforest, the thrill of a wildlife encounter or the open arms of new people and cultures, I listen to my inner voice, follow the call and surrender to its magic. It’s like my consciousness is amplified and the answers to my struggles are illuminated. There is an interconnectivity that exists when we are open to it, and I find that travel acts as a conduit for internal change and personal growth. 

Interestingly enough, I am now realizing that the experience of place and interconnectivity that happens on safari, in the outback, in the mountains, and at sea, can also happen in my own community, back home. I no longer feel it’s necessary to be in a far away place or a culturally different “destination.” It’s more the lens we are peering through, the awareness we bring to being where we are in the moment, whether at our local park or tracking black-rhino in Namibia. When the call of adventure beckons, I reach out, touch it, drink it in, immerse with purpose and take those moments of awakening back home and integrate them into my life. 

These experiences, the stillness, the contemplative state it invokes, inspires me to be a better friend, a better partner, a better dad, and a better global citizen. I’ve dedicated my life to the transformative power of travel and want to share those experiences with you. We want to be a catalyst in your personal journey, invite you to be authentic, challenge who you are, explore where you are going, and chart a course to find what you are looking for.