Episode 8: Transformative Travel & Business Pivots (Maureen Gordon, Maple Leaf Adventures)

This episode is about the transformative power of travel and curiosity and immersing ourselves in the world of the senses. It’s about “grounding” our feet in nature, connecting through shared adventure and clinking glasses while we’re at it. Maple Leaf Adventures is an award-winning, small ship eco-tourism company which leads unique expeditions on the wild coasts of British Columbia and Alaska, including a Salish Sea “Wines & Islands” Cruise Expedition which explores British Columbia’s emerging coastal wine region. Maple Leaf is also a solutionist and leader of the Marine Debris Removal Initiative (MDRI). Through this ground-breaking and innovative “pandemic pivot”, more than 330 metric tons of marine debris were collected from 300-400 kilometres of British Columbia’s coastline in 2020, keeping a group of small tourism operators moving and members of their teams employed after global tourism ground to a halt. Tania and Maureen Gordon (co-owner of Maple Leaf Adventures) discuss wine exploring in coastal wilds aboard a luxury 135 foot ocean-going catamaran, what eco-travel adventure can look like on a small ship, and building a business which simultaneously supports local communities, a conservation-based economy and regenerative travel. This discussion looks back, but also forward. What will the travelling human spirit be seeking in the decade ahead?