Gavin D. - Travelstride Destination Expert
Africa, South America & Adventure Travel ExpertAfrica, Europe, Central America, Caribbean, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Morocco, Russia, trekking, hiking, wildlife viewing.
6 continents, 40+ countries and 35 US states. Passionate tour taker AND independent traveler. Gavin has worked in the online travel industry since 2001. He first got the bug for international travel while doing a study abroad program in high school living with a host family in rural central Mexico.
Since then he's gone to every continent but Antarctica, and each of them multiple times (except just once to Australia). His first small group tour was a G Adventures trip to Peru including hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Since then he's backpacked independently and taken guided trips to Africa, Southeast Asia and cruised on the Yangtze River from top tour operators like Intrepid Travel and Victoria Cruises.
Rare animals, waterfalls, castles, unique architecture, nature, historically significant locations, mountains, adrenaline activies, serene hideaways, places that feel very different - these are the typical motivations for his travel, and he'd love to help you experience any of them your way as well.
Gavin has a penchant for unfortunate close encounters with wildlife, probably due to his quest to get up close and personal beyond normal good sense. A few experiences include:
- - Chased by crocodiles in the Zambezi River after falling out of a raft in rapids - Victoria Falls
- - Touching a lion on the open African savana - Safari
- - Bitten by a wild Tibetan macaque (monkey) while climbing one of China's 4 sacred Buddhist mountains - China
- - Paddling a canoe almost on top of a swimming bear, thinking it was a lost dog - United States
- - Swimming with sharks, cageless - Belize
- - Missing a photo of the elusive cassowary despite practically stumbling on it - Australia
Despite these encounters and more, Gavin loves animals, and his dog is the inspiration for Stride's mascot, Rover the Travel Guide Dog
3 week trip to Peru seeing Machu Picchu, the Inca trail, the Amazon rainforest, Lake Titicaca, and more with G Adventures. Stayed with family friends in Lima and natives on an island for a homestay in Lake Titicaca, with awesome authentic local experiences.
G Adventures, Intrepid Travel, Victoria Cruises
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