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Traveling to Kurdistan with ATTA’s CEO Shannon Stowell
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If I could summarize this conversation with one phrase, it would be something Shannon said: “When people meet each other they find out that the other is not so other.”
Shannon Stowell is the CEO of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, an organization for travel industry partners that believes travel can be a powerful force for good in the world. Shannon has spent over 30 years working in adventure travel, e-commerce, outdoor retail, and environmental science. Shannon and I met in person on a trip to Jordan this February, and we immediately connected around our shared belief about what travel could be.
In this conversation, Shannon takes us to Kurdistan, an autonomous region in Northern Iraq, where Shannon traveled with his son in 2017. You’ll learn about the meaning of the Kurdish saying “The Kurds have no friends but the mountains,” and what it feels like to visit the Yazidi sacred village of Lalish. We also discuss Shannon’s must-see places for people like me who have already traveled a lot, the Tomorrow’s Air initiative led by ATTA, why Shannon believes travel is a privilege, not a right, and what is a soft ambassador.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- How Shannon defines adventure travel
- Shannon’s trip to Kurdistan in 2017
- What living off the grid in nature is like
- What Maslow's hierarchy of needs has to do with modern depression
- Must-see places for people who've already traveled a lot
- The impact of media on destinations
- Meeting the current moment: travelers' role in times of strife
- The story of “To kill a white person”
- What gives Shannon hope right now
Featured on the show:
- Learn more about the Adventure Travel Trade Association
- Check out Explore Mesopotamia tours in Iraqi Kurdistan
- Read The New York Times story about Kurdistan
- Check out Shannon's book, Riding The Hula Hula to the Arctic Ocean
- Learn more about the Tomorrow’s Air initiative
- Follow ATTA on Instagram
Get more information at: Going Places website
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Going Places with Yulia Denisyuk is a show that sparks a better understanding of people and places near and far by fostering a space for real conversations to occur. Each week, we sit down with travelers, journalists, creators, and people living and working in destinations around the world. Hosted by Yulia Denisyuk, an award-winning travel journalist, photographer, and writer who's worked with National Geographic, The New York Times, BBC Travel, and more.
Learn more about our show at goingplacesmedia.com.
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