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Richard Bangs Interview with Richard
Bangs: Global Explorer, Author
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Richard has enjoyed an enviable travel
career - over the past 30 years he's explored much of the world,
made a number of first river descents and founded or was an integral
part of several major travel companies. Recently we had a chance to ask
Richard about his travel philosophy, career accomplishments and recent projects.
Q. Tell us
how you became an adventure traveler and what still fuels your
appetite for this type of travel?
I think I ended up in adventure... it was inspiration
from my dad....he was a career officer in the CIA, part of the first
class that came from Yale, and he truly believed he could change the
world for the better, as the OSS did before him. He later found
disillusionment with The Company, and returned to
school to finish his doctorate, and he next became a sex therapist....even
had a radio show, "Ask Dr. Bangs"....so, he inspired me in a number of ways.
Q. Tell us
about your PBS special, "Richard Bangs, Adventures with a Purpose" and a
little bit about these shows including your latest, "Quest for Pura Vida"
filmed in Costa Rica.
I spent the early part of my career exploring the hidden crooks of the
wilderness world, and was delighted to share the magic of these special
places uncovered...but over time as I returned I couldn't help but notice
how these extraordinary spaces had been degraded, dammed, diluted,
desiccated, or outright destroyed...I also knew that when folks found a
personal connection with these places, they then treated as though family,
and would fight for preservation and integrity.....but, visitation numbers
would always be low...figures inversely related to remoteness....so, I set
out to reach a broader, influential audience, PBS, and moved forward with a
series of specials that hopefully celebrate a destination, but also tells
its stories in an evocative, emotive way, one that elicits connectivity,
inspiration to visit, and to become involved....I believe it's working.
Q. You
obviously have the entrepreneurial spirit - during your career, how did you
go beyond the "safety net" and overcome your fear of actually following out
your passions? I.e., there are a lot of reasons for people never to go
beyond their comfort zone and as a result I think passions are often
rejected in favor of what might be perceived as stability.
It's too easy to succumb to the low hum of ordinariness; the drone of
stability....you are most alive when you can imagine your own demise....risk
is the flame of the evolution of consciousness....I would rather die trying
something new than live a long life of mediocrity.
Q. As
somewhat related to the prior question, what would you tell the next
generation as they explore how to purse meaningful work?
Pursue your passion....it is the only way.
Q. You have
been on rivers and exploring rivers for much of your career (first descents
of the Yangtze in China and the Zambezi in Southern Africa - and founder of
Sobek Expeditions with its roots in river rafting) - what first turned you
on to adventure river travel in particular?
The audio attached is a good tale of currents (see below) ....beyond the
childhood immersions, though, I found the canoe while in high school, and
paddled (and capsized) the rivers of the Eastern Seaboard, from the Potomac
to the Shenandoah, the Cheat to the Youghogheny, the New to the Chattooga...then,
when 19, I became a guide on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon,
and that spun the axis of my identity to guidedom. It was reading about a
failed British attempt to raft the Blue Nile in 1968 that set up eyes to
Africa....
Q. Which
travel authors do you admire and expand on why you admire them? Bruce Chatwin... the 20th century nomad
John le Carré... who takes us from the salons of Berlin to the Peak in Hong
Kong to Lake Turkana in Kenya to the mission songs of Rwanda
Paul Bowles... who entices us to get lost in the desert
Richard Burton.....he snuck into Mecca for god's sake.....the devil drives.
Philip K. Dick... plug in and take a trip to Mars or anywhere.
Vladimir Nabokov... Lolita is the ultimate road trip
Ken Kesey... he once crashed in my dorm room, so I owe him
Lord Byron... he was the first adventure traveler, hiking the Swiss alps,
decoding the sublime, and singing its praises, inspiring millions to follow
in his footsteps
So many more....
Q. You have
been a supporter of Eco-Tourism for a long time - what is your role in
promoting Eco tourism and who are some of the relevant organizations you are
involved with? The tension will always exist between the short-term economics of extraction
and the long view of sustainability; I'd like to think emotional currency is
part of the equation, and hope I can bring a voice to wildlife and wild
places, a song of romance that comes with knowing and embracing...I'm a
sucker for any organization that works to sanctuary our wildness...I was
president of Outward Bound; several of my books were published by Sierra
Club; I have boarded on International Rivers Network, Four Corners School of
Outdoor Education, and others.
Q. While you
are traveling, what inspires you? Ahh...it is the only thing that approximates the wonder of childhood, where
every corner turned is new, and every sight and sensation is
fresh....travel, as Mark Twain supposedly says, is fatal to bigotry and
prejudice, but it also reignites the internal combustion engine of the
soul....I love finding new light, turning over new stones; falling into new
holes...I love getting lost.
Q. Out of
all your achievements in your long career, what are you most proud of and
why? Boy, there is a primal fission that is felt when you climb a peak or run a
rapid....and as transcendental as that can be solo; it is even more
apotheotic when shared....that's what makes me proud...sharing these places
and the feelings they evoke.
Q. I see you
strategically live close to LAX in Los Angeles (it is always a wise decision
for chronic travelers and explorers to locate near major airports!) - what
attracts you to living in LA and what are some of your favorite places to
visit here? It is close to the best airport in the world; but I love the sense of
community and the ethos of environmentalism and the deep love of nature that
courses thru the veins here....it is an intellectually curious place, but
also one that doesn't just muse, but actually does....it is about movement,
forward momentum, and fruition... I can't tell you my favorite
places....nobody knows them, and that's what makes them special and quiet...
Richard Bangs has often been called the father of modern adventure
travel, having spent more than 30 years as an explorer and
communicator, pioneering “virtual expeditions” on the World Wide Web
and leading first descents of 35 rivers around the world.
Explorer Richard Bangs has often been called the father of modern
adventure travel. He has spent 30 years as an explorer, leading
first descents of 35 rivers around the globe, including the Yangtze
in China and the Zambezi in Southern Africa. During that period he
founded Sobek Expeditions, the first multi-national river running
company and the pioneering outfitter for global active wilderness
travel.
Author and Producer Richard has published more than 1000
magazine articles, 19 books, a score of documentaries, several
CD-ROMs,
and all manner of digital media. He has lectured at the
Smithsonian, the National Geographic Society, the Explorers Club and
many other notable venues. He writes a semi-regular feature for HuffingtonPost.com, occasionally freelances for other print and
online publications, and produces and hosts “Richard Bangs’
Adventures with Purpose, as seen on national public television.
Entrepreneur
In the early 1990s Sobek merged with Mountain Travel to become
Mountain Travel-Sobek (mtsobek.com),
then as now a leader in international adventure and eco-travel. He
began TerraQuest, one of the first online travel projects, and went
on to Microsoft as founder and editor-in-chief of Mungo Park, a
pioneering interactive publishing effort. He was part of the
founding executive team of Expedia.com, and served as its
Editor-at-Large.
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