Al is at home anywhere on the globe, and he has never met a stranger. For more than a decade, his love of life and people has led to journeys of discovery and fulfillment across the planet. His open, motivational nature and constant customer focus keep travelers coming back to Thrive Adventures for a diverse array of projects and experiences.Al got his start guiding for a University travel-study company in New Zealand and Australia. With an Adventure Tourism degree and experience in hand, launching a company of his own was on the horizon. Service in the Minnesota Army National Guard would first bring a deployment. Contemplating the future in a Containerized Housing Unit in Southern Iraq, Al told his wife, Jen, that he didn’t want to just sell travel; he wanted to build a company that would offer authentic, personalized, unforgettable travel experiences to fulfill, diversify, and create lasting joy in the lives of travelers. Jen quoted to Al the wise words of a contractor on base: “No matter where you are in the world, you gotta do more than just live. You gotta thrive.”​Thrive Adventures’ expansion beyond its original South Pacific focus began with the first guided tour of the Sacred Valley of Peru. A fellow Army Veteran, resting on the Inca Trail and staring out at the Andes, said to Al with great peace that there was nowhere else in the world he’d rather be. Spurred by this type of impact in travelers’ lives, Al began building partnerships with local guides and adventure experts. Thrive Adventures’ Special Projects division now offers travel with emphasis on leadership & development, wellness & nutrition, mental health & flow state, and other areas of expertise added by guides and affiliates. Al’s long-standing dreams of a Veterans’ Thrive initiative and a Voluntourism division are now under development, and itineraries in Costa Rica, Patagonia, Iceland, Australia, Tanzania, and Switzerland are on schedule through Thrive Adventures’ Pilot Series.