MEET IEXPLORE'S ADVENTURE EXPERTS

While the Internet has given consumers more choices and the freedom that comes from e-commerce, more and more online companies are realizing the need for customer service and human guidance.

Few, however, have been able to provide consumers with quality, around-the-clock support. But iExplore recognizes the need for superior customer service and has gone the extra mile with their Adventure Experts, specialists who provide skilled advice to customers both on the Web site and by phone (1-800-iExplore ), helping them choose and plan that special trip.

Organizing a trekking expedition, wildlife safari or architectural exploration can be a confusing and complex project. iExplore's Adventure Experts make planning adventure and experiential travel easy. Seven days a week, these experts help travelers find the trips that best meet their individual needs. They'll tell you the best time of year to travel, what to pack, and what travel documents and inoculations are required. Arranging the ideal adventure vacation is simple, thanks to their experience, expertise and proficiency in their respective fields.

The Adventure Experts have lived and worked in the worldwide travel destinations offered by the company and are certified as instructors or trip leaders in a wide range of activities. They hail from diverse backgrounds, ranging from a Junior Olympic skier to a naturalist for the Monteverde Butterfly Garden in Costa Rica. They are accomplished mountain climbers and hikers, have studied reef ecology, tracked endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda and have assisted with efforts to bring infrastructure to rural areas of developing nations.

Take Adventure Expert 46, Dennis DeCourcey (a.k.a. "The Birdman of Chicago"). Dennis was curator of all things avian at several zoos across the country, including Chicago's Brookfield Zoo, and founded Chicago's Bird Observatory. For the past 20 years, Dennis has led birding and wildlife expeditions to South America and Africa and shares his expansive knowledge when advising iExplore travelers on such explorations throughout the world. Or Adventure Expert 55, Jim Kittrell, a diver since the age of 12. Jim’s experiences as a divemaster and boat captain in the Cayman Islands--not to mention as co-editor of a book on diving--prove invaluable in helping travelers choose an underwater adventure. Then there's Adventure Expert 63, Joy Ladd, a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School in Lander, Wyoming, who has traveled throughout Central and North America. When this avid hiker and whitewater paddler isn't on the phone helping iExplore travelers negotiate the travel terrain, she can be found high in the Rockies. And let's not forget Simon Carey, Adventure Expert 18, who has logged more than 60,000 miles in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, as well as the Red and Mediterranean Seas. Travelers who want to set sail will have plenty to talk about with Simon.

Bringing it all together is John McKeon, formerly the training manager at Abercrombie & Kent, one of the world's leading international adventure tour operators. John leads and trains iExplore's team of Adventure Experts. John's expertise has been honed through the more than 15 years he's spent in the adventure travel industry, allowing him to bring top-notch customer service to iExplore. An avid cyclist, John also founded New England Bicycle Tours. John’s travels have landed him on every continent, except Antarctica. (Yes, that's next.) His passion for adventure and experiential travel comes across loud and clear to the Adventure Experts he trains--and the travelers iExplore serves.

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