Industry Interview: Kevin Jackson
Kevin Jackson, owner of EXP Journeys, is our go-to-guru for all things American adventure. Whether he’s lassoing his fellow guides while dressed as a sharpshooter in rural Wyoming, accompanying travelers as they summit peaks like California’s Mt. Whitney, fly fishing on the Snake River, or arranging a weekend-long buccaneer-themed treasure hunt in the Bahamas for a group of 50, Kevin and company are in the business of helping us blow people’s minds. Whenever the Local Foreigner Team wants to remind clients what’s possible in their own backyards, we turn to Kevin and his trusted team.
The day before he headed out into the wilds of Utah for some time off the grid at a luxury tented camp he and his team erected, Kevin sat down (virtually) with TLF Travel Consultant Jordy Lievers-Eaton to chat about underrated national parks, surf culture, and their shared connection to San Diego, where he is based.
Tell us your "story" – your background, your home, your passions and priorities, and how you got into travel.
I was born and raised in the Cleveland area, but my family is all from Vancouver, British Columbia. Growing up, I had a really active background – we spent a ton of time hiking, biking, and just generally being outdoors. My mom was a ski instructor in Whistler before I came along, so skiing was also a major part of our lives. So basically I was outdoors all the time, and it’s where I felt most comfortable, but that doesn’t mean I necessarily thought spending time outside could be a potential career – it was more a hobby, the common denominator of all my interests.
When I graduated from college, I took a job in Newport Beach, California working in the aerospace field for four years when I wasn’t surfing. So when it came time to go back to school to get my MBA, I decided to do it in Australia, where the surf and surf culture is particularly epic. Now that I look back on it, if I am being honest, I miiight have chosen the school for the surf first and the MBA second.
I always had a dream of starting my own company, and in business school, I met some like-minded people from Chile, and together we decided to start a business around travel. It’s taken a lot of turns since then, but that is how I got into travel – through the MBA program, and through Australia. I was down under for two years, but when it was time to return to the States, I decided to base the business in San Diego, where I had never lived before. The weather is gorgeous, there’s great access to the outdoors, and of course, there’s the surf, so that’s where I decided to put down roots.
“There is something about Lake Powell - I have probably been on the lake 200 times, and the day before I am taking guests out there is usually the happiest day of any trip for me.”
There is so much to see and explore across the US, but what destinations do you return to over and over again?
Lake Powell, every time. There is something about it – I have probably been on the lake 200 times, and the day before I am taking guests out there is usually the happiest day of any trip for me. I’m like a kid on Christmas Eve, just feeling like, “I can’t wait for you to see and experience this!” Watching the guests’ emotional reaction when they see the lake is so special.
What's an under-the-radar US destination you think more travelers should add to their bucket list?
There are really two that come to mind – the first is Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. It’s probably the most underutilized national park in the country, which makes it so amazing. And it’s crazy because it’s right in between all these big-ticket destinations, smack in the middle of Arches, Moab, Canyonland, Bryce, and Zion. For some reason, it’s just a spot that most people miss, and it has amazing hikes, and great fly fishing, which is surprising for a southwestern destination. There are lots of Native American archaeological sites and experiences, and the lodging is even pretty good.
Another one would be Glacier National Park up in the Rocky Mountains in Montana – it’s so well-known but it’s actually very seldom visited or requested by clients. Scenically it’s probably one of my favorite national parks.
Can you tell us a little bit more about your tented camp experiences? Where are they built? What are the accommodations like and what can guests do there?
Funny story - [TLF Partner] Brooke Lavery was actually the inspiration for the camps, after a trip we did together years ago. We realized that guests wanted to be closer to the National Parks, so we created American Safari Camp to showcase these remote and wild landscapes in style. They can be set up in the Zion, Grand Canyon (in either the North and South Rim areas), Yellowstone, Lake Powell, Monument Valley, Moab, Escalante, and on any private land. Every camp is created specifically for each departure, and we only do them on a private basis. Travelers have a camp manager and camp chef, and tents are queen or twin bed configuration with en-suite toilets and hot showers on demand. We always set up the camps with games and activities like blow darts, tomahawks, and corn hole, and then invite guests to enjoy a private dinner under the stars, followed by s’mores and campfire stories.
What’s the coolest experience you’ve ever created for a client?
This is a tough one. Obviously we specialize in the American west, but we’re also able to apply our creativity and logistical resourcefulness abroad. I think the coolest thing we’ve ever done was actually in Costa Rica, where we recreated a live-action Indiana Jones movie for a multi-gen family. It involved zip lining off a pirate ship (that we constructed), digging for buried treasure, navigating a blow dart course, diving for ancient relics, cracking open coconuts, and building totems to reveal custom maps. It was epic.
We’re both San Diegans – I was born and raised in Encinitas, and you chose Solana Beach for your headquarters for its laid-back, Aussie-adjacent vibes. It’s such a beautiful part of the country, and for many people is a travel destination unto itself. If you could craft the perfect day and night in greater San Diego, what would the plan include?
For someone who would be like-minded, we would wake up for a morning surf session with a private coach in La Jolla, and then have breakfast at The Cottage in downtown La Jolla, which is a classic spot with a big outdoor terrace and a picket fence. Then in the afternoon, we would go paragliding over Torrey Pines Reserve to see the coastline from a totally different perspective – on a good day you can just soar for miles, and you fly tandem so the instructor takes care of everything and you just get to look out over the Pacific and the amazing landscape along the coast – you can even go inland and dip into the canyons and admire all the beautiful homes on the cliffs in La Jolla.
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There is just so much to offer in San Diego.
A lot of people think of it as Legoland, the San Diego Zoo, and Sea World – but there is so much more than that.”
Or, if someone wasn’t super active or up for the adrenaline rush of paragliding, we could go out sailing in the San Diego Bay on the America’s Cup. In the evening, I would take people downtown and do the dinner on the USS Midway with folks who served on the ship, so we could listen to their stories and experiences. San Diego has a lot of military history, and I think it’s cool to learn about that side of the city firsthand on the ship in the port. There is just so much to offer here – if someone wanted to go learn to shape a surfboard, or go behind the scenes in a craft brewery, those are things that would be super fun to do in the area. A lot of people think of San Diego as Legoland, the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, Sea World – but there is so much more than that.
Quarantine has given us all a lot of time to dream about the adventures we want to take once the world opens again. So, let’s play dream vacation: You have a long weekend with no commitments and an unlimited budget. Where are you going, who and what are you taking with you, and what are you doing once you get there?
I am jumping on a private plane with my whole family – my wife, kids, parents, brother, and 4-6 of my best friends, and we’re chartering to Indonesia, where there is a yacht waiting for us to take us off the grid. We are surfing for three days, catching fresh fish, enjoying the boat, taking advantage of the amazing snorkeling and diving opportunities. All private, just spending time together super isolated in the middle of this gorgeous landscape, with great surf – It’s a place I have never been and always dreamed of going. I have been looking at pictures of friends in Raja Ampat, or these little places outside of Bali, and there is just something that seems so special about it. I think part of the appeal is that the landscapes are so different from what we see in the American West and Southwest, and in all our national parks in the US. Especially in Raja Ampat, there’s such amazing underwater life and diving, which I don’t have exposure to here in the US on the trips we do. Having the world be put on pause has reminded me that when it’s available, I should take the opportunity and go – what am I waiting for?