LiveMore Adventures

I had a great time in Penticton on Wednesday where I spoke at the Get Active Penticton Speaker Series. My host Bob Pope was phenomenal in arranging every detail including having a local sponsor advertise the event on their sign (in the photo gallery). The crowed was very warm and appreciative. I had my speech professionally video taped with the hope of eventually producing a short promo for my keynote speeches.

This Speaker Series is sponsored by Penticton Steps Out, an award winning program designed by Bob Pope and being adopted across the country.

Other speakers in this year’s series were the extraordinary Silken Laumann, Canada’s Olympic rowing and comeback queen, Darren Wride, author of ‘Release’ and Juno Award winner and inspirational speaker Susan Aglukark.

Recently I was flying to Reykjavik Iceland from JFK airport in New York. After braving two hours of public transit from my friend’s apartment on Madison Ave in the city I arrived at JFK toting my 53 pound wheeled duffel bag. As I pulled up to the counter and laid my bag on the scale I asked for an exit row (as I always do for the leg room). She replied “sir, your bag is over weight!” I am thinking that’s just great now I have to hold up the line as I rearrange things into two bags so I will be three pounds under. (I have never under stood how a plane all of a sudden can carry more baggage if you pay money. Are you paying to extend the wing span or extra fuel to get you off the ground?)

As I am about to open up my bag and start moving things around the ticket agent asks me if I am Mr. Stratton as she is looking at my passport. I reply “yes,” she says “oh you are flying Executive Class don’t worry about the weight you have a higher weight limit. Let me see if I can get you an empty row.” She really didn’t think the ticket was for me at first because I asked for an exit row. What an idiot I am, but I really had know idea as the ticket was provided by Iceland Air who was sponsoring the event I was attending in Reykjavik. Her whole attitude change toward me when the last thing she said was “Mr. Stratton you can use the British Airways Executive Lounge past security up the stairs to your right, enjoy your flight.” At this point I could hardly contain my excitement but I had to act super casual, “great thanks” I replied and sprinted up the stairs to full advantage of the lounge.

There is nothing better than being surprised with a First Class ticket after you have traveled over 112,000 km on planes to 5 continents in the last 12 months!!

Shawn.

Here is a note I just sent to the Long Island Railroad at Penn Station in NYC.

I have been meaning to write for a couple weeks now to let you know of a very kind ticket agent.

As a guy from small town Canada, visiting NYC can be very intimidating especially Penn Station with the thousands of people going in every direction. Well I was so concerned about getting the right train on time to JFK I left my wallet at the ticket counter after I bought my ticket. As I was on my way to the airport to fly home it would have been devastating to lose my wallet. Once I found my track to Jamaica Station I dragged my bags down the stairs and was just about to board the car when the ticket agent that had sold me the ticket found me in the middle of hundreds of people rushing to get the train. All he said was “did you just buy a ticket from me?” I replied yes, and he said “you forgot this” and then he was gone. Holy crap I could not believe it!!!!!!

The magnitude and chances of what happened started to sink in as I took my seat. Who ever says New Yorkers are not friendly probably has not visited New York!!

Thank you soooooo much!!

Shawn Stratton
Vancouver, BC Canada.————-

This is a letter I just received from the Long Island Rail Road in response to the note I sent them.

Hope you take the time to write someone that has helped you archive success your made you smile in the last day, week, year.

———————-
Thank you for your e-mail commending an MTA Long Island Rail Road employee who assisted you on February 11, 2008.

We deeply appreciate it when customers take the time to inform us of outstanding customer service. I was delighted to learn that a ticket clerk at Penn Station made an extraordinary, and successful, effort to locate you and return your wallet, which you had inadvertently left at the ticket counter. The initiative and integrity he displayed are among the most important qualities we train and encourage our employees to exhibit.

A copy of your e-mail has been forwarded to our Passenger Services Department so that he can be identified and recognized for his efforts. A portion of your letter may be published in our weekly employee newsletter, Track Record, to exemplify for our employees the type of service that they all should strive to offer.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience with us, and thank you for riding the LIRR. I hope you enjoyed your stay in New York City, and visit us again soon.

Sincerely,

T. Nespeco
Manager - Public Affairs

I have just gotten off the plane in New York from a week in Iceland! That’s right Iceland in February and it was incredible. I was attending the Mid Atlantic Travel Seminar hosted by Iceland Air in Reykjavik. During my time there I met with local adventure travel operators to work out different itineraries that would cater to LiveMore’s student groups and custom adult adventures. All the geothermal activity in Iceland make it a very attractive destination, especially in the winter. I look forward to posting several new itineraries for Iceland on the web site in the coming weeks.

Now I am off to Newfoundland to run a winter camp for the Community Youth Network.

Shawn

LiveMore Adventures has just wrapped up two very successful trips in Newfoundland with the Fox River Country Day School, Elgin IL and the Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville NJ.

The Grade 7 and 8 students from The Fox River Country Day School participated in a week long environmental studies trip to eastern NL. Highlights from their trip included sea kayaking in Cape Broyle with the legendary Stan Cook senior, and spotting Minky Wales and icebergs while on Coastal Connections educational fishing vessel. The group also completed a full day service project in the small fishing community of Petley. With gardening tools supplied by the Mayor, the Fox River students went to work with pick and shovel cleaning out the shrubs and trees from an overgrown ball field.

The Lawrenceville outdoor pursuit’s class completed an abbreviated 4-day sea kayak trip in Terra Nova National Park. Because of flight cancellations, the group had to shorten their expedition by 3 days but that didn’t stop them from making to most of their in time on the Rock. They kayaked and even hiked a seaside mountain in near perfect weather. The hearty group swam in the fringed North Atlantic every day and kayaked with in a safe distance of a towering iceberg.

To see photos of these trips go to LiveMoreNewfoundland page on flickr.com

A friend of mine, fellow Newfoundlander and NOLS Instructor, TA Loeffler is currently in the middle of her Mt Everest expedition. Encourage her and follow her every move with daily updates from the mountain on her web site www.taloeffler.com.

Shawn

President and Founder, LiveMore Adventures

It has been a while since I have written so I am going keep this posting as a short update of what has been going on with LiveMore Adventures the last couple of months.

- I am happy to announce that two schools have signed up for exciting student trips to Newfoundland in June. The grade 8 class from Fox River Country Day school in Elgin, IL will be traveling to St. John’s, NL for a week long environmental studies trip. The outdoor education class from The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, NJ will join LiveMore Adventures for a 7-day wilderness skills and leadership, sea kayak expedition in the beautiful Terra Nova National Park.

- In the next couple of weeks I have hope to have at least four new outstanding voluntourism itineraries up on the web site. There will be volunteer opportunities in the Andes, the Cloud Forest, and the Galapagos Islands focusing on environmental sustainability and cultural interaction to choose from. Different trips will also include “soft” and “hard” adventure activities.

- I will spend the next week in Chicago visiting the Fox River Country Day School. I will be teaching classes on Earth Day and run an information session for those students on their Newfoundland trip. I will also visit other schools in the area and have an information booth at Chicago area Boys and Girls Club Vender Fair.

Today I am writing from the Atlanta airport where I have been patiently waiting (9 hours) for my connecting flight to Vancouver. After getting only a couple hours sleep on the over night flight from Quito to Atlanta and pushing my tight schedule to the last minute I am officially exhausted. Yesterday I went on an amazing white water kayak / rafting trip and arrived back in Quito only an hour before I needed to be at the airport. Once I packed up and got some food, I did not even have time for a shower. As I write here in the Atlanta airport, I still have sand in my hair from the river.

As I start to reflect on my last three and a half weeks of extensive travel throughout Ecuador, I am very excited about all the possibilities for LiveMore Adventures to offer some incredible adventures and voluntourism projects. Over the next few weeks, I am going to work with my local contacts to develop several unique, exciting, itineraries and customized programs throughout the country. Stay tuned.

Finding myself in another world!

Shawn,
President and Founder

I am back in Quito, Ecuador’s capital city, after an amazing 4 days in the Galapagos Islands. The place is amazing! I was traveling on one of the larger ships carrying 90 passengers. Through our many shore visits, I managed to get closer than I ever imagined and really observed much of the fascinating sea life I have seen over the years in Baja, Mexico. Now I realize why Baja (where I have sea kayaked over 200 miles of coastline) is referred to as the Galapagos of the North. Standing or swimming only feet away from so many sea birds, iguanas, turtles, penguins, sea lions and tropical fish is the real highlight of these extraordinary islands. The conservation effort to protect the islands and regulate visitors is remarkable and could be a model for many of the world’s unique marine environments.

I will be in Quito for a couple days of meetings and on Sunday I travel to the Amazon to check out several jungel lodges and community development projects

In Ecuador, living more adventures.

Shawn
President and Founder

I am currently traveling in Ecuador on a “scouting” trip until February 11. I am traveling with 12 other operators and journalist from North America as guests of Tourism Ecuador. For the last week our days have been filled with one regional highlight after another as we have snaked our way along the spine of the Andes. Yesterday we left the mountains a traveled from 13,500 ft to sea level in under two hours. We are now in the biggest city in Ecuador, the port of Guayaquil. Tomorrow we visit a local pacific surf town for a day at the beach and then on Monday, we fly to the world famous Galapagos Islands for a four day cruise around the islands.

The organized trip ends on Feb 1 but I am staying an extra 10 days to visit the Amazon and some community development projects. So far, the highlights have been visiting the thermal pools of the mountain town Papallacta where the resort had pools literally 10 feet from our cabin doors. Other highlights include the warm welcomes we have received from every community visited and observing the overwhelming human and bio diversity that makes up this small country the size of Nevada.

I look forward to developing many exciting educational adventure based itineraries when I return to Vancouver in a couple weeks. Stay tuned…..

Keeping the adventure alive!!

Shawn
President and Founder