"Adventure is the pursuit of curiosity...I always follow my curiosity" - Matt Prior

Matt Prior is a world record holder for the Highest Altitude Reached by a Taxi - 17,143ft. A former fighter jet pilot, an adventurer, and photographer. He recently just completed the world's first circumnavigation of Lake Baikal, in winter, on the ice, in a WWII era motorbike.

I really wanted to have him on the show to talk about his newest venture, the Matt Prior Adventure Academy, which is a new niche of adventure tourism that combines expert coaching with an over-land travel expedition in Indonesia.

In this episode, Matt and I find out that we have a lot in common, including a childhood obsession with staring at maps, exploring the extremes of earth, and the pursuit of curiosity.

In the episode we get into a lot of travel and expedition specifics including partnering with sponsors and navigating tricky border crossings. Then we get into how he started the adventure academy, how he tested it, and captures feedback, and how the whole trip is run. This is a great episode for anyone who loves adventure travel or wants to put on live events!

Quotes:

"I'm curious about the extremes of the world" - Matt Prior

"The more you plan and the more rigid you are, it takes away from your experience" - Matt Prior

"Adventure is the pursuit of curiosity...I always follow my curiosity" - Matt Prior

"My first Mongolia trip made me look at the world differently" - Matt Prior

"Don't ask for cash from sponsors, imagine what they want" - Matt Prior

"We were basically strangers going off into the wilderness" - Matt Prior

"I'm convinced people are bored of generic travel" - Matt Prior

"People love watching crazy expeditions" - Matt Prior

"I help people with not just the 'what' but the 'how' and tailor for individual needs" - Matt Prior

"Human beings remember experiences" - Matt Prior

What you will learn in this episode:

-How to get sponsors for anything and everything for an expedition

-How to approach those sponsors

-How to document your adventures

-How to deal with tricky border crossings (and Matt's experience in Turkmenistan)

-Why Matt created the Matt Prior Adventure Academy

-How to sell/fill your live event

-How to test a live event and get good feedback

-How to find your target market for live events or travel experiences

-How to add value to your live event customer experience

Continue the Adventure:

Matt Prior's website

Matt Prior Adventure Academy

Matt's amazing adventure photos on Flickr

Thanks Matt Prior!

If you enjoyed this session of The Art of Adventure Podcast, let Matt know by clicking on the link below and sending him a quick shout out on Twitter:

Click here to thank Matt on Twitter

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