The fatal implosion of an OceanGate Expeditions submersible captured the world’s attention, and it shed light not just on the sub Titan, which took ocean experts and paying guests wreck of the Titanic, but also on a small but thriving subsection of the travel industry known as extreme travel. Who are these travelers? Where do they go, and why? And who are the experts who help them do it?

On today's episode are two travel advisors who specialize in extreme travel, Joshua Bush, CEO of Avenue Two Travel, and Craig Curran, president of the DePrez Group of Travel Companies, as well as our editor in chief Arnie Weissmann. All three are expedition, adventure and extreme-travel enthusiasts -- in fact, Curran and Weissmann were mission specialists on an OceanGate Titanic trip, just weeks before the Titan imploded on a dive to view the Titanic. The episode is hosted by Rebecca Tobin and senior editor Nicole Edenedo.

From the bottom of the ocean to the edges of Earth's atmosphere, we’re talking about travelers who push themselves, their budgets and the possibilities of travel to the very limit.  

This episode was recorded June 30 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic https://www.expeditions.com

Our guests:

Avenue Two Travel https://avenuetwotravel.com/

Galactic Experiences by DePrez https://www.galacticexperiencesbydeprez.com/

Arnie Weissmann https://www.travelweekly.com/arnie-weissmann

Related links:

OceanGate saga isn't expected to dampen enthusiasm for extreme tourism https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/Extreme-tourism-expected-to-venture-on

At the junction of exploration and tourism (August 2021) https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Exploration-tourism

Arnie Weissmann's series of articles on his aborted dive with OceanGate Expeditions:

Part 1: Preparing to dive https://www.travelweekly.com/North-America-Travel/Mission-Titanic-part-1

Part 2: Delays and an unsettling statement from OceanGate's CEO https://www.travelweekly.com/North-America-Travel/Mission-Titanic-Part-2

Part 3: Trouble ahead, trouble behind https://www.travelweekly.com/North-America-Travel/Mission-Titanic-part-3

Coverage from other news outlets:

Washington Post: Titan CEO spoke of 'discount' parts, journalist invited on submersible says https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/06/23/titanic-submersible-ceo-carbon-fiber-rush/

Wall Street Journal: Titanic sub company promoted ties with aerospace giants https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/06/23/titanic-submersible-ceo-carbon-fiber-rush/

A note about the Folo: This will be our last new episode before the Folo goes on its summer break, but we’re not going dark: We’ll be releasing our best-of series of recent episodes each Monday, and we’ll return with new episodes in September.

 

 

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