jeff and kelly travel

Boston Marathon Hotels will be available to book starting Wednesday, June 26, 2024 at 12:00 PM Eastern Time. As the date gets closer, please visit our Boston Marathon page for additional details.

• Meet the Team

Thom Gilligan

Thom founded Marathon Tours & Travel in 1979 and has been the front-runner in destination marathon travel ever since. His previous professional experience with British Airways, Air Canada and a tour wholesaler enabled Thom to start a career that combined his knowledge of the travel business with his passions for running and adventure.

Thom has also been featured in Runner’s World, the front page of The Wall Street Journal, on the cover of Travel Agent magazine, and named  the top specialist in running-related travel nine times by Condé Nast Traveler magazine. Thom personally leads groups to marathons in London, Madagascar, France’s Bordeaux region and more including Antarctica where he is the race director and expedition leader for the Antarctica Marathon® and Half-Marathon.

A former president of the Greater Boston Track Club, Thom has run 62 marathons around the world with a personal best of 2:30:45. An avid golfer, he holds a 6 handicap and admits that he is hopelessly addicted.

Jeff first found Marathon Tours & Travel as a client while pursuing his interest for international adventure travel. He is respected for being an innovative corporate and philanthropic leader with a passion for helping clients accomplish their goals.

Prior to joining Marathon Tours & Travel, Jeff enjoyed a 28 year career in various client centric leadership roles at Morgan Stanley. Jeff is a middle of the pack runner who enjoys a good challenge – like earning the Abbott World Marathon Major Six Star Medal twice and becoming a Seven Continents Club Finisher at the 2019 Cape Town Marathon

In addition to completing 44 marathons, Jeff is also an avid climber, skier and paddler. Jeff is a proud member of the Oceanites Board of Directors, President of T.O.U.R.S. (Tour Operators United for Runners), a Founding Board Member and Past President of the Make A Wish Foundation in North Texas, and recently concluded ten years of service on the National Board of Back on My Feet.

Nicole Langone

Senior Trip Designer | Administration Manager

Nicole joined us in 2011 with eight years of professional experience in international and domestic group travel and flight management. From middle school age, she has had the travel bug and loved being on the road and exploring new places.

With a year abroad and sometimes intentionally getting lost on a quaint cobblestone pathway in Belgium or Germany, it was the true history and beauty that struck a chord within her that keeps her travel passion still alive. Nicole currently manages marathon trips to Berlin, Rome, Reykjavik and Tokyo and also serves as Administration Manager.

Samantha White

Vice President of Operations

Samantha White joins as the team’s Vice President of Operations, a new senior leadership team role based in the Boston, US office. Samantha has more than 15 years’ experience in the active adventure travel space, previously as Managing Director of the student travel brands StudentCity, Real Gap, and Trek America and most recently as North America Director for the adventure travel experts Explore Worldwide. In her spare time, she loves exploring new places, and enjoys walking, running, swimming and tennis.

Business Development Officer | Senior Trip Designer

With more than twenty years of experience in travel logistics, conference planning, and marketing it has been a dream to blend her passion of running and travel with her career. Karen has completed 30 marathons, including Boston (2011, 2022, 2023), one ultra-marathon, and many half marathons and local races. She earned her Abbott Six Star Finisher Medal in London (April 2023).

Karen is certified as a running coach with Road Runners Club of America, a member of USATF and Marathon Maniacs, is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), earned her MS in Marketing Communications from the University of Kansas and BS in Economics/Finance from Bentley University. In addition to working on Marathon Tours & Travel marketing efforts, Karen manages our programs to Bermuda, Israel, Kenya, the Italy Coast to Coast Relay, Madagascar, Scotland, Athens and supports our U.S. packages to Big Sur and Boston. She is always looking forward to the next adventure!

Brendan Fox

MD Destination Sport Experiences

Brendan is Destination Sport Experiences’ Managing Director in the UK.

Brendan graduated from the University College of North Wales with a degree in Banking and Finance and has been working in the travel industry since the mid-1990s. Brendan helped found Destination Sport Experiences in 2021 and has overseen Marathon Tours & Travel, Sportive Breaks and Tri Travel join the company since its foundation.

Brendan is a keen athlete and during his time as Managing Director has also run in the New York City and London Marathons, as well as cycling in many locations around the world. He recalls with fondness the start of the 2019 NYC Marathon as “great as I managed to slip into the tail end of wave 1, so virtually had the Verrazano Bridge to myself going across it, although I was eventually gobbled up by the Nike shod Wave 2 runners in Brooklyn a few miles later!”

In his spare time, Brendan loves cycling, both riding and following the professional scene. He has previously competed for Great Britain at Mountain Bike Orienteering when he was younger, which he describes as “a lot of fun!”

Allyson Johnson

Senior Trip Designer | Hotel Manager

Allyson joined the Marathon Tours team over five years ago after enjoying a successful start to her career in the hotel industry. As a Group Sales Manager at The Langham, Boston, Allyson learned about Marathon Tours and their role with the Boston Marathon. Allyson now manages our hotel partnerships around the world by delivering exceptional value and service related to the lodging we offer our clients. While assisting with hotels for many of our international trips, Allyson also manages Boston, Chicago, New York, and our Sydney hotel program.

During her time at Endicott College, Allyson studied abroad in Florence, Italy and fell in love with travel and Italian cooking. She travels as often as she can with her family, and enjoys hiking, cooking, and being active outside.

Ann Haebler

Senior Trip Designer

Ann joined the Marathon Tours & Travel team after spending five years working as Group Sales Manager for a domestic tour operator specializing in train travel. She has now been a member of the team for eight years and hopes to continue to expand her knowledge of the world. Since her seventh grade world geography class, she has had an interest in learning about all the world has to offer.

During her time majoring in geography at the University of New Hampshire, her love of travel really kicked into high gear after spending a semester abroad in Australia. Let’s just say it was love at first flight! She has completed several half-marathons, 10K and 5K’s around the globe and in her local community.

Ann currently manages trips to Bhutan, Dragon Challenge, Comrades Ultra Marathon, Rio de Janeiro, Big Five, the Australian Outback, Sydney, Cape Town, Dublin and Patagonia in addition to being an Oceania Cruise Line Specialist.

Marcie Clawson

Trip Designer | Cycling Product Manager

Born and raised in Canada, Marcie discovered the magic of road cycling in grade six after earning a 10-speed bike selling oranges for her school fundraiser. Although active in soccer, basketball and rowing during her school years, she admits that physical activity took a backseat to a career in design.

While raising her kids in New England, she rekindled her love of cycling in 2016 and, as a personal challenge, added running and swimming in 2018 to compete in her first 70.3 Triathlon in Prague, CZ to celebrate her 50th birthday. Since then, she has completed two full and five half distance triathlons; and a number of gravel and CX races. Her love of travel and cycling has spurred her to ride her bike more than 24,000 miles in the last six years including multi-day adventures across Czech Republic and three different states. She has circumvented Lake Champlain and conquered mountains in Austria, Canada and the US on two wheels.

Though competitive in nature and fueled by the excitement of a new venue, Marcie found that her greatest joy in racing Triathlon came from the challenge of planning for the unexpected and getting to know people along the course, hearing their stories and motivations and finding out their “WHY”.

A self-admitted “Jack of all trades”, Marcie comes to MTT with work experiences as both a bicycle mechanic and a producer of custom cycling endurance apparel. Marcie currently manages running packages to Big Five, Petra, Iceland Volcano, Polar Circle, Midnight Marathon, Lost City, First Light, Queenstown, Great Wall, and our very own Patagonia Running Festival. She is excited be a part of your journey and to help you to achieve your “WHY”.

Christine Rosenfeld

Trip Designer

Christine has been working in the health and fitness industry for more than 25 years. Christine is a Registered Massage Therapist, Multisport coach, rehabilitation and personal trainer and a Registered Clinical Counsellor. She operates her own coaching and counselling business and works part-time with the Health Authority in BC. Most recently Christine works with athletes as a Mental Performance coach helping athletes with the mental side of sport to enhance performance.

Christine has worked as a Multisport coach since 2007. She has trained athletes of all levels in long distance swimming, marathons, ultra runs, sprint, Olympic and lronman triathlons. Christine has completed 10 Ironman races, qualified for the World Championships in Kona, has run multiple ultramarathons, ultra swims, and was the first woman at Ultraman 520 in 2019. Christine also does contract working as an Adventure Concierge, driving zodiacs in Antarctica and on the east coast. Christine has been working with MTT as a trip specialist since 2012 and recently joined the MTT Team fulltime!

MaryKate Riordan

MaryKate joined the Marathon Tours & Travel team after receiving her B.A. in Sport Leadership & Administration from UMass Boston. Prior to completing her degree, MaryKate spent five years as a stewardess in the private yachting industry where she developed strong skills in customer service, travel logistics, and cultural immersion while exploring the world on the high seas. These remarkable years fueled her passion for travel and led her to a new hobby: marathon running. MaryKate has completed multiple marathons including Boston (2022) and Chicago (2023) as well as a variety of ultramarathons including the Comrades Marathon (Back to Back finisher 2018-2019). She also enjoys playing tennis, skiing, swimming, and searching for the best cup of coffee in town. She is excited to bring the knowledge she has gained from these experiences to the team where she will assist in cultivating many unforgettable trips.

Haley Sweet

Haley joined the Marathon Tours & Travel team after working multiple years in the Hospitality and Tourism Management industry. She lives every day with a great sense of adventure, passion, and curiosity – which travel brings to life. After living in England for a year and exploring as many countries as possible, a love of trip planning emerged. She now hopes to help as many people as possible experience the world. When she isn’t traveling she can be found running, photographing, designing and playing volleyball. Haley manages trips to Marrakech, New York (United Half), London, Cape Town, and Havana.

Administrative Assistant

A graduate from Northeastern University with a degree in Sports Leadership, Joyce joined Marathon Tours & Travel in a supportive role as an administrative assistant. She has always been passionate about travelling and sports and is more than thrilled to create new adventures with the team while helping clients create lasting memories! To her, there is nothing better than being able to combine her passion with profession. With experience traveling to multiple countries and studying abroad in Europe, she wants everyone to have the opportunity to experience and explore an unfamiliar territory while doing what they love­—running!

Oliver Mack Jr.

Marketing Manager

Oliver Mack Jr is a recent graduate of Syracuse University, with dual undergraduate degrees and a Master of Business Administration, he brings considerable marketing experience across multiple industries. A digital marketing specialist, Oliver possesses a suite of digital marketing skills, spanning across social media, advertising, web management and SEO and email marketing. With an innate passion for sports, Oliver is perfectly placed to lead on targeted marketing strategies, to help drive the brand to the next level.

Marie Howarth

Running Product Manager

Marie grew up in England, however lived nearly 30 years in South Africa. She is now back home in England and enjoying time spent with her family and exploring the outdoors. She sees herself as a ‘Mum’ and a social runner with a competitive and stubborn streak! She has some road cycling experience as well.

Marie tells the story that her couch was her friend until 2005 when she guided a group of runners on a trip to the London Marathon. Whilst on the train from the Expo, other passengers started to include her in their good luck wishes (even though she explained she was not running the marathon). The next day, she noticed that runners are all shapes, sizes, ages and vowed to start training after the trip.

London Marathon 2006 was her first marathon and will always be the most special to her. Since then, she has completed numerous marathons around the world and ultra marathons (Comrades & Two Oceans). She has 37 years experience in the travel industry in many different roles. Her passion remains helping clients reach their goal and creating their own sporting memory.

Sarah has always been a lover of sport for the unique way it unites people and instils a sense of community. So much so, she was able to explore sport tourism as part of her degree. After graduation, she joined a leading adventure travel tour operator and spent six wonderful years working on amazing worldwide products and itineraries, across some major brands in the industry.

She feels very fortunate now to be working amongst giants in the sports travel world, with a team of passionate and knowledgeable people. Sarah said the one and only downside is her continuous FOMO. She has already upped her running miles, inspired by challenge seeking customers.

Her weekends are usually filled with country walks (including pub breaks) with her husband, or out running with her dog on the trails of Yorkshire and visiting family. If there’s a Liverpool FC win in there somewhere, then that’s an added bonus!

Polly Hughes

International Running Operations Specialist

Alan Maloney

Head of Business Development

Jade Wright

Head of Marketing

Amy Martindale

Customer Service Manager

After finishing a degree in Tourism Management, Amy got the travel bug. She has visited some amazing places in the past few years, from the British Golf Open to watching a League 2 football team in Vietnam and working two seasons in Ibiza.

She is trilled to now be able to combine her passion for sports and travel into her job. She loves being part of people’s sporting experiences and seeing them achieve their goals. In her free time, you’ll find her playing football (soccer) or trying some new random activity!

Olivia Elliott

Product Executive

James Morrissey

Customer Service Executive

Australia Team

Shannon Stacey

Senior Project Manager

Marketing Executive

Jenna-belle Smith

Group and Event Manager

Ashleigh Gal

Travel Manager

Specialists

Gillian Bedrosian

Gillian Bedrosian is a race timer with over ten years experience in eight countries. This is her first time with Marathon Tours. She is excited to meet the participants and celebrate them finishing their race.

Gillian started race timing as a summer job while studying biomedical engineering and never stopped. Race timing has given her many amazing opportunities including spending her birthday timing a triathlon in China and timing a marathon where 14 Guinness World Records were broken. When not working on the computer at the finish line, Gillian works as a project manager in Ottawa, Canada. She loves to travel and enjoys a good patio.

Team Specialist

Matt is a Colorado based photographer with very diversified interests. Having acquired a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Arizona, his main passion is wildlife photography.

Recently retired from 30 years as a high school Biology and Chemistry teacher, Matt is now free to travel and spend more time in the field.

Matt also enjoys all forms of human powered outdoor recreation in all seasons. Rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, cycling, skiing, and backpacking are among his favourite pursuits. Matt has run two marathons as well. He resides in Colorado with his wife and two children. Matt serves as one of our Antarctica Marathon and Half-Marathon guides.

Eric Juneau

Eric Juneau is an emergency physician practising in Vancouver, BC, Canada. He is board-certified in family medicine and emergency medicine, and also practises in critical care units. Areas of medical interest include disaster medicine and trauma care.

When he is not working he can be found downhill skiing or hiking in the beautiful British Columbia backcountry. He will run (jog) up to 10km when pressed but you are unlikely to find him doing laps around the race course

Jacqui Kaufman

Trip Specialist

Born and raised in Great Britain, Jacqui has worked on and off in the travel industry for more than 20 years. She has traveled extensively and lived in numerous countries around the world including Dubai, South Africa, Jakarta and Uruguay before settling in the U.S. in 1980.

Passionate about running and adventure she has completed more than 50 marathons and has competed in ultra events such as the Leadville 100, the Himalayan Stage Race, Alaska’s Iditasport 100 and 350 and the Yukon Arctic Ultra, to name a few. Addicted to the outdoors, Jacqui lives in Boulder, Colorado where she enjoys trail running, hiking, climbing, winter sports and yoga. One of her most memorable experiences is spending the summer of 2010 rehabilitating lions in Zimbabwe.

Katerina Kolarova

Katerina is a Czech girl living in Los Angeles. Her favourite hobbies include eating, cooking, running, yoga and travelling. She is always excited to meet new people, learn more about different cultures and experiences of others. She first was introduced to Marathon Tours & Travel in Prague in 2018 when she worked for the Prague Marathon, then paths crossed again at the Los Angeles Marathon. She is excited to bring runners to Berlin and Prague to share exciting places, food and creating unforgettable stories through sport.

Will Lapsley

Will has plenty of experience in the running world, both as a participant, and in event operations working for DMSE Sports since 2015 on events such as the Boston Marathon and Falmouth Road Race. Prior to DMSE, he worked for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health as an infectious disease epidemiologist.

This year is Will’s second time to Antarctica with Marathon Tours. While he doesn’t have any marathons under his belt, he enjoys racing anything from 1-mile to the half marathon. He is also an avid hiker with a passion for food and travel.

Leonie Stander

Leonie Stander is a medical doctor in rural South Africa, practicing as a GP with general Surgery as special interest. She has always been a keen adventure traveler, combining her travels with running, hiking and skiing. She is a three-time Comrades finisher and most recently completed running a marathon on all seven continents when she finished the 2016 Antarctica Marathon. Her special interests are astronomy, geology and music. She is most proud of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Catherine Rubinstein

Catherine is a family nurse practitioner in Charleston, SC and works with children who undergo open heart surgery for congenital defects on a regular day. The other days she is in search of running adventures and challenges near and far. In the last 5 years she has completed a full Ironman triathlon, Rim2Rim2Rim Grand Canyon run, and completed all Seven Continents. She is, however, most proud of being a mother to two boys!

When she is not running with her tribe in Charleston or abroad, she can be found spending time with family and friends, painting, or pushing her limits with photography. Marathon Tours has been her “dream job” so that she can help others pursue their life long dreams!!!

Following a 37 year career as an attorney and trial judge, Joan welcomed the chance to encourage and support others in pursuit of their running goals. A decades long runner, Joan entered her first race only recently; much to her surprise she wondered why she waited so long!

Although she loved growing up outside New York City, Joan realized over time that she was more suited to a jeans and tee shirt lifestyle. She has called Cape Cod home for over 40 years, relishing the many advantages the outdoor life offers. Beach combing, bird watching, British television, golf, gardening and shellfishing are some of the activities she enjoys- not necessarily in that order! She now spends part of the year in Maui in her newly completed dream house.

Matt West comes to Marathon Tours from DMSE Sports, a leading road race management company. Currently the Senior VP of Operations, Matt handles the day-to-day operations as well as directing many of DMSE’s events. With more than 15 years of special events experience, Matt has focused on creating new events, course and venue management. He has been a part of the operations staff for more than 200 races, including playing a key role in all the B.A.A. events.

He is proud to be the Finish Line Manager for the B.A.A. Boston Marathon! While not a speed demon on the roads, Matt has pounded the pavement in more than a few 5Ks, 10Ks and Half-Marathons. Matt has been part of the Marathon Tours team in Antarctica for the past three years and looks forward to many more to come!

Paul is an avid athlete and former lronman competitor. He is a seasoned veteran of the Antarctica Marathon and of traveling around the Antarctica Peninsula. When he is not traveling, he builds homes on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, his home for 30 years. An accomplished marathoner with a 3:04 PB, his real passion in sport has been competing in lronman Triathlon events around North America.

He has completed 10 events and twice competed in the lronman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Paul is a private pilot and enjoys flying in the mountains of British Columbia and exploring the coastal areas in his Cessna 182.

John Vinson

Bill Serues

Bill Serues has been in the travel industry for over twenty years. He has guided Marathon Tours clients to events on seven continents . As a competitive runner, he has nine Boston Marathons finishes among his many races and has also served as a race director, club president, timer and any volunteer job that needs attention for his running clubs in Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

For over forty years he has been a member of the US Professional Tennis Association and has played and coached at all levels of the game. He now calls North Myrtle Beach, SC his home.

Stephanie Madsen

Born and raised in Chicago, Stephanie started running in elementary school, breaking city records at the age of 12! Job opportunities facilitated a move to Italy and, since then, she has been globetrotting, learning French and German, perfecting her Italian and most importantly running marathons along the way. Her first race with Marathon Tours & Travel was in Antarctica in 2015 where she enjoyed the penguins cheering from the sideline and when she become part of the Seven Continents Club.

Stephanie is excited to be a part of the Berlin Team and is looking forward to supporting and inspiring other runners achieve their goals.

Alyssa Yell

Alyssa Yell is a professional writer on the outside, and an insatiable adventuress on the inside. Alyssa was introduced to Marathon Tours & Travel by way of Iceland, and fell in love with Marathon Tours while crossing the Drake Passage on her way to Antarctica, which remains her favorite place she’s visited. Her yearning to combine travel, running, and beautiful scenery is undying, and she brings an enthusiasm for exploration and a desire to see the world on foot to those around her.

Alyssa lives in the hills of San Francisco, California, and has completed dozens of marathons and ultramarathons on nearly every continent. When she’s not hitting the trails, she can be found backpacking, kayaking, and scheming up her next adventure.

Sonja Viljoen

Sonja Viljoen is a medical doctor in Kroonstad, South Africa practicing as a GP with a specialty in anesthesiology. Sonja has a 250 acre farm where she breeds white lions and has herds of other animals roaming her property.

She is a two-time Comrades finisher and completed her goal of running a marathon on all seven continents when she finished the 2016 Antarctica Marathon. She has spent a good part of the last four years roaming the world seeking running adventures.

Jane Serues

Jane Serues has enjoyed working with Marathon Tours for two decades. Having been a runner for over 40 years, she has completed 25 marathons, including the inaugural US Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials in Olympia, WA in 1984 (her PR of 2:46).

With a degree in Physical Education, Jane has been a teacher and coach and continues today leading a nationally-recognized women’s beginner workshop called First Strides®. She has been a race director and worked in advertising at Runner’s World magazine. Jane and husband Bill now reside in North Myrtle Beach, SC where she is active with her running club and golf.

Gil has been playing and competing in sports through most of his childhood. It wasn’t until 2013 that he decided to start running marathons. Armed with a Galloway training program book and a couple of running magazines, he began training for the L.A. marathon. He finished with a time of 4:02. That wasn’t good enough, so he continued to train and eventually whittled that time down to 3:03. This qualified him for the 2015 Boston marathon, where he ran his first sub three hour finish of 2:58. Still very new to the sport, he continued to pursue and challenge the distance with faster finish times.

He went on to complete the remaining Abbott World Majors, earning the six star medal in 2017 through Marathon Tours. He continues to race and is an RRCA certified running coach, helping others to achieve their own goals.

He enjoyed interacting with and appreciated what Marathon Tours had to offer and asked how he could be a part of the team. From there he began assisting the group with upcoming trips for the next waves of runners pursuing their six star and seven continents medals.

Jeff & Kelly

Jeff & kelly, august 17, 2023, our registry.

• $0-$50
• $50-$100

GIFT REGISTRY

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In ut accumsan turpis, ac gravida nunc. Donec egestas leo ut egestas semper.

Please see our registry HERE .

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.

Local company is taking off (on global adventures)

Growing up in rural New York State, Cherity Berryann didn’t travel much with her family. Her mother was afraid to fly.

As an adult, she has been making up for lost time. In recent years, Berryann, a Stoneham resident who is single and in her 40s, has traveled to Thailand and Croatia, camped in Peru and experienced Oktoberfest in Germany. She’s even been to Antarctica.

Now, she’s considering the whole megillah: a trip around the world. Until recently, she says, that wouldn’t have been an option. The expense was prohibitive, and the prospect of booking all those accommodations and connecting flights just seemed too daunting.

Advertisement

So she was thrilled when Kevin Foley and Jeff Kelly, the two local entrepreneurs behind the adventure travel group Global Expeditions Club, recently announced the first in a proposed series of round-the-world tour packages. Next September, the club will conduct the first of what it hopes to be many trips: a three-week, six-country journey spanning London, Paris, Dubai, and Hong Kong, with stops along the way to see the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China. At a base cost of less than $5,000, it seems almost to good to be true to Berryann.

“It’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she says.

But Foley and Kelly intend to make the dream of traversing the globe far more accessible than it’s ever been. Both veteran world travelers, they have pooled their experience to build an impressive, fully guided itinerary at an affordable price.

“You have to be so hyper-organized,” says Foley, sipping a Guinness at the Elephant & Castle in Boston’s Financial District. “Attention to detail is gigantic.”

He and his partner have picked up plenty of tips on how to successfully organize a group trip over the past several years, since they both renounced their careers in the financial world. Foley was working in Manhattan at the time of 9/11; the devastation of that event moved him to quit his job and head out on an overseas backpacking trip that lasted for more than a year. Along the way he started a blog, which quickly grew from a friends-and-family audience to a reach of more than 20,000 followers.

Kelly, a transplanted Englishman who lives north of Boston with his wife and three children, tracked his friend’s whereabouts online with more than a hint of envy.

“It was almost like ‘Where’s Waldo?’ ” he recalls with a laugh.

The two soon started an adventure club, offering guided tours that cater to what they see as an underserved market in the travel world. Young adults can join budget tours, they say; older folks can sign up for senior bus trips.

But most of the travel offerings for people who fall somewhere in the middle are for families or couples, they say.

“There’s really nothing for the huge, growing market of solo travelers,” says Kelly.

Berryann, who is one of about 70,000 members of the Global Expeditions Club, has gone on several international trips with the club’s tour groups, which typically number around 12-15 globetrotters. The founders themselves have accompanied a few of those trips, including the one to Antarctica.

“They both have very engaging personalities, and they both look out for me and the travelers in general,” she says.

One of the keys to the trips they offer, say the founders, is their solution to the “single supplement” — the travel industry premium assessed to solo vacationers. Their trips offer a free roommate matching service; those who choose to pay the supplement can do so.

Round-the-world tickets offered by air travel alliances such as Star, Oneworld, and SkyTeam have steadily gained in popularity in recent years, as increased competition leads to an easing of restrictions.

But those deals require travelers to make their own hotel arrangements and negotiate all those foreign stops on their own. If you’re not one of the lucky few who can afford to shell out in the high five figures or more for a luxury round-the-world trip — Four Seasons Hotels, for instance, offers a five-star, round-the-world “Private Jet Experience” — then making like Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne’s “Around the World in Eighty Days” (or less) has likely always seemed undoable.

Until now, as Foley and Kelly are banking. As Berryann decides whether she can take enough time off from her job as a medical software consultant to join GEC’s inaugural round-the-world trip next year, she applauds them for making it possible.

“The more traveling you do, the more you want to do, is what it comes down to,” she says.

James Sullivan can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @sullivanjames .

Tel : (573) 893-5262

[email protected]

• Travel Resources

• Request Information
• Email a Friend

Travel Answers, Inc. has served the leisure and business travel needs of the central Missouri area since October of 1986. We are a family-owned, family-operated business whose current owners, Helen and Steve Kliethermes, purchased the agency in May of 2001.

Travel Answers' personnel currently consists of four full-time professional travel consultants. Our areas of expertise include individual and family cruise and vacation packages, honeymoons, destination weddings, escorted and group tours.

We specialize in the following destinations: Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico, Florida, Las Vegas, Alaska, Hawaii, the rest of the United States and Canada.

Additionally, our consultants participate in the education and familiarization programs of the cruise and tour companies we represent. They include the Disney College of Knowledge, Princess Cruises OneSource Academy Commodore level, Sandals Specialist program, Norwegian Cruise Line Specialist Plus program, Celebrity Cruises Specialist program, Las Vegas Certified Specialist program and Marriott's Hotel Excellence program.

Travel Answers is a member of Travel Leaders Network, one of the largest sellers of luxury travel, cruises and tours in the industry. We are a Funjet Vacations 500 Club Silver agency, an Apple Vacations Golden Apple agency, a Globus Vacation Elite agency, and a Globus Vacations Elite agency.

We also have negotiated arrangements with St. Louis and Kansas City airport hotels for "Park and Fly" rates that include complimentary parking at the hotel and shuttle service to and from the airports for the price of one night's accommodation. You will appreciate the convenience and the time saved if your trip includes an early morning departure or a late night return.

CONTACT INFO

(573) 893-5262.

3103 South 10 Mile Dr, Jefferson City, MO 65109

• Destinations

© Copyright Travel Answers, Inc

• All Our Stories
• Agriculture & Animals
• Film & TV
• Food & Drink
• Heel To Toe
• Stories From Texas
• Texan Translation
• Typewriter Rodeo
• Weekend Trip Tips
• Where There’s Smoke
• Border & Immigration
• Business & Economy
• Crime & Justice
• Disability in Texas
• Energy & Environment
• Child Welfare
• PolitiFact Texas
• Week in Texas Politics
• Health & Science
• Military and Veterans’ Affairs
• Texas Newsroom
• Race & Identity
• Tech & Innovation
• Transportation
• Texas Standard
• Stories from Texas
• Show Archives
• Whole Shows
• How to Listen

Austin-based journalist’s new TV series ‘Never Say Never’ aims to show travel is for everyone

Share this story with a friend:.

Renee Dominguez / Texas Standard

"Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins" is available on Hulu and Disney+ and airs Sundays on National Geographic.

Staying within the limits of his comfort zone is not Jeff Jenkins’ style – his motto, after all, is “life begins where your comfort zone ends.”

The Texas-based travel journalist is the host of National Geographic’s new show “ Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins ,” and he’s more likely to find himself in a sumo ring in Japan, swimming with sharks in Mexico or dancing with penguins in Patagonia.

Jenkins spoke with the Texas Standard on how he got bit by the travel bug , what it means being a plus-size traveler and what places and companies can do to make traveling inclusive for everyone.

This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:

Texas Standard: It’s incredible what you’re doing with this new show. How did you get into this travel journalism bit? 

Jeff Jenkins: I used to be a high school choir teacher, and I actually taught at Manor High School; I did that for nine years, realized I didn’t want to do that. And I got into entrepreneurship and I asked myself the question, like, what do I truly want to do? If money wasn’t an option, if whatever I was to dream up was to actually happen for me, like, what would you do?

And I was like, I want to travel the world, help people and get paid to do it. And that’s what took me down this journey of content creation and becoming a journalist in the travel space. And then I realized that nobody was talking about like being plus-size and traveling around the world, and so I wanted to be that representation.

You are a poster person for “follow your dreams.” I mean, really, all that advice over the years – “follow your heart; go with what it is that you really want to do” – you made it happen.

Yeah, I’m not surprised, but I am surprised. And like, now I tell people, “yeah, I’m drinking the Kool-Aid.” It’s one of those things of – it sounds woo-woo in a sense – but like literally committing to what you wrote down or you dreamed up. Because I promise you, as a kid, I had really big dreams.

And then I think just as life started going on or adults always was like, “Nah, let’s be more realistic. Let’s just find a job that you can do and work for somebody just to have that security.” And if I just stepped out, which I started doing, and started dreaming again and gave myself permission to dream, it was really easy to commit to those dreams.

One of your earliest episodes, wasn’t it in Japan, sumo wrestling? What was that like?

Oh, man, it was incredible. Japan is my favorite country to visit. So to be back there, it was like very full circle. And to be able to do a lot of martial arts stuff that I never even thought to do – to be able to even get in a ring with a sumo wrestler who was a former world champion – it was definitely daunting and scary and a lot of stuff, but it was a lot of fun.

 You have a different take on the whole travel genre. You really throw yourself into this personally. Why do you want to sort of put yourself there? 

I want to redefine what travel looks like. I want people that look like me – plus-size people, people of color, people who just never thought about traveling – to just get out there and travel. And even in that New Zealand episode, there was a really cool moment when my guide kept saying to me, “There’s no dignity in caving.” So he was like, if you have to get on your knees, if it looks ugly when you’re doing it is totally fine because this is what caving is.

I think that authenticity is what comes out in this show. I think your motto – correct me if I’m wrong here – is “life begins where your comfort zone ends.”

Sure is. And that was one of the first mottos I got to hear when I went to Japan for the first time. It was my first international trip, first time getting on an airplane at 20 years old when I was at college at Florida.

And so for me, I’m thinking of it in the same way as traveling. Like you don’t have to look a certain way to travel and enjoy yourself.

Courtesy Jeff Jenkins

Can I ask you about that? You mentioned a couple of times you’re a plus-size traveler, and you’ve said there are other considerations that you just have to take into account when you’re traveling – like what?

Size restrictions, weight limits – those are two of the main ones. And then it’s just like more so just the industry hasn’t evolved, in a way, because one thing I feel like the show is teaching people is that if you make some modifications, small modifications in a safe way, you are now able to allow other people or a marginalized group of people to be able to do something.

And always go from the dollars and cents, like it actually makes sense for you, no pun intended, to make these modifications so that you can have more people and more business.

What kind of modifications, you mean? 

So, like harnesses: You can buy larger harnesses, and a lot of brands don’t even think to do that. Extended sizes on wet suits – I didn’t even know that there were wetsuits in my size. There are wet suits in my size, but brands or these different excursions don’t actually include it; they always stop at a certain size. And so to be able to just have extra sizes now will allow more people to be able to do and enjoy those experiences.

» GET MORE NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE:  Sign up for our weekly ‘Talk of Texas’ newsletter

You know, I would think that at some level, one of the big obstacles could be, you know, yourself, if you’ll pardon me saying, because like, for instance, you have an idea of how you present yourself, then you have that complicated by, you know, television. You’re getting into a sumo ring and you decide to take the shirt off, right? And I know that there are a lot of people who’d be really hesitant to do that, but you’re going to live this experience. 

Yeah. And so for me, I probably wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t doing it for my mission. But yeah, I really do think that … there’s just a lack of representation. And so I always tell people, representation really does matter, because when people see themselves represented, they’ll get out there and do it.

And so for me, I get to be that representation to a lot of people. Now they’re like, “Oh, I could go do that. Oh, yeah, I can see me out there because I see somebody that looks like me doing it as well.”

You have a favorite moment so far?

You know, one, I love my crew. My crew are just dynamic, from the film producers to the PAs to the editors. I just really, really enjoyed everybody.

But one of my favorite times shooting was when we were in Vietnam, and I felt like I got to be Anthony Bourdain. We did a whole street food experience and got to ride around on motorbikes around the city; we’re zipping and dodging through the traffic. So that was just an epic time. And like, I even felt like my crew were all enjoying themselves as well.

Okay, that’s a fun part. Is there anything so far that you wouldn’t do again?

Oh, yeah, there’s a lot of stuff, but one in particular is like, I don’t see myself ever crossing another suspension bridge over a mile in the sky with planks in the thing that were slippery – like, I could just slip. Although I was harnessed up and everything, it’s still like, no, I’m good. This is something I did once and I don’t have to do it again, you know?

You get a lot of praise for this show. I was looking at Rotten Tomatoes, and the score is pretty impressive , man. Are you surprised by all the success?

Yes, and, well, not yes – to the level, yes, I’m surprised. To get a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s like incredible; 9.6 on IMDB . But to see the impact it has been for multiple generations – so I feel like this is a multi-generational show – people are taking videos of like, “my child can never sit with me and watch a show, and they’re glued to the TV, and they’re entertained just as much as I’m entertained.” So it’s been beautiful to hear. It’s like, “this is a show I didn’t know I needed” – and that’s what I hear constantly.

“Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins” is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+ and airs Sundays at 9 p.m. CT on the National Geographic channel.

If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it  here . Your gift helps pay for everything you find on  texasstandard.org  and  KUT.org . Thanks for donating today.

More from 08/21/2023

‘We’ve got one shot to open up this bookstore’: First Light Books opens in Austin’s Hyde Park

Fort Worth schools close campus libraries for two weeks, remove over 100 titles from shelves

Investigation shows which Texas jails have the highest number of incidents

Lubbock residents advocating for historic neighborhood ahead of high-rise apartment vote

Expanding Medicaid improves everyone’s health. So why hasn’t Texas done it yet?

Central Texas farmers and ranchers are on the frontlines of this summer’s record-breaking heat

Texas Standard for Aug. 21, 2023: Jeff Jenkins travels the world for National Geographic but calls Texas home

The texas standard is a partnership of.

©2024 Texas Standard. A service of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin | Contact us

Get the Hottest Deals First!

The Collette Team

At Collette, our team of caring professionals believes that travel is vital to a life well-lived, and they come to work every day focused on making something special happen for our guests. Our employees are passionate about delivering extraordinary worldwide travel experiences that enhance the lives of our guests and enrich the many communities where we give back. With their shared sense of social responsibility, commitment and innovative spirit, our employees draw on a diverse set of skills, traveling the world themselves, to bring you the best experience possible.

Setting the stage and leading the Collette workforce is a team of trusted industry leaders who draw on their extensive knowledge and expertise to ensure our travel partners and guests experience the best the world has to offer.

As we continue to show you the world, it’s our history, our unwavering values, and our dynamic team of employees who pave the way.

Dan Sullivan Executive Chairman of Collette

Dan, Past President and CEO of Collette, has over 50 years in the travel industry and was a driving force in taking Collette from a regional tour operator to a global company and an industry leader. As Executive Chairman of Collette, Dan participates in the company’s overall direction and long-term strategy in an advisory capacity to the current leadership team.

Dan is a member of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) and the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP). He chairs the Collette Foundation board, Collette's global nonprofit, which partners with organizations working toward zero hunger, quality education, reducing inequality, and environmental sustainability. He sits on the Charitable Foundation board for Bristol County Savings Bank; is the former Chairman for Tourism Cares; serves as Co-Chairman of the Pawtucket Foundation, an organization committed to the continued economic development of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Collette's home city; and has served on the Fairfield University Center for Social Impact board since 2005.

Sullivan has worked for decades to instill corporate responsibility and a philanthropic mindset in Collette’s culture. An engaged supporter of nonprofit causes including the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Hospice, Hasbro Children's Hospital and Amos House, he was inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame for his contributions to the community, through philanthropic endeavors and significant contributions to the advancement of responsible tourism. In December 2017, Sullivan received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Travel Weekly.

Dan is a graduate of Fairfield University with a degree in marketing as well as Harvard Business School's Executive Owner/President Management program.

Dan loves Springsteen, traveling the world and relaxing at home with family, including his 8 grandchildren.

Jaclyn Leibl-Cote Chief Executive Officer & President

Jaclyn Leibl-Cote is Collette’s Chief Executive Officer and President, only the fourth CEO to head the 106-year-old company and its first female CEO. She leads Collette’s Executive and Strategic Leadership Teams, driving both the global company’s strategic direction and its day-to-day operations with a laser focus on fulfilling the company’s mission of enhancing life’s journey by creating extraordinary travel experiences.

Driven by the company values of Be Happy, Be Responsible, Be Trailblazers and Be the Legacy, Jaclyn, previously the President and Chief Customer Experience Officer, builds collaborative and innovative teams that constantly curate the best travel experiences with the customer in mind. From product evolution to brand positioning to tour delivery to our industry leading travel protection policy, she works tirelessly to ensure that Collette provides the best possible experience it can to our travelers, our employees, our partners and to the communities in which we live, work and travel. Jaclyn's leadership successfully steered the company through a global pandemic, with Collette emerging stronger and more dynamic than ever before.

An 18-year Collette veteran, Jaclyn has held leadership positions or filled roles in varied departments such as tour management, product design, call center, customer experience, people and culture, information technology, and marketing. With her deep understanding of every team and how they contribute to the company’s collective goals, she is continually evolving the company to meet the modern traveler’s ever-changing expectations.

Jaclyn holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Rhode Island and an MBA from Babson College. An avid supporter of women’s health initiatives, she is the Chair of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Executive Leadership Committee and serves on the URI Arts & Sciences Advisory Council. Her absolute favorite spot is New Zealand, but her favorite role in life is the mother of three wonderful children (twins, Dylan and Brody, and daughter, Ashley) who also love exploring the world.

Bob Colucci Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

As Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Bob has provided financial leadership for 25+ years since joining Collette initially as Controller in the late 90’s and advancing to his current role in 2015. Before joining Collette, Bob held senior financial leadership roles at Cookson Electronics, was CFO at Daly & Wolcott, and Controller at the Providence Journal Company. Bob began his career at KPMG in 1989. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Providence College and completed his MBA from Bryant University.

In addition to travel, Bob enjoys playing golf and skiing. He is an active member in the community and serves as Trustee for RI Public Expenditure Council, as Director on the boards for FHR, Elwyn and The Pawtucket Foundation as well as the Finance committee of Tourism Cares.

Jeff Roy Executive Vice President of Revenue Management, Pricing and Worldwide Operations

As Executive Vice President of Revenue Management, Pricing and Worldwide Operations, Jeff oversees Collette’s operations, corporate pricing strategy, modeling, and inventory management. He is a member of the strategic leadership team and heads the product sales and marketing committee charged with goal setting and revenue generation.

Before joining Collette, Jeff served in the United States Air Force as an Airfield Operations Officer, serving his country while completing his MBA in Finance from Touro University. He is passionate about giving back to the local community, serving on local boards and coaching youth sports in his hometown of Cumberland, RI. He serves on the Executive Board for the United States Tour Operators Association, currently holding the position of Secretary while co-chairing the Government Affairs Committee. Away from the office, Jeff enjoys traveling with his family, as well as hiking, fishing, skiing and golf.

Christian Leibl-Cote Executive Vice President of Global Business

As Executive Vice President of Global Business, Christian is responsible for strategic global partnerships and new business development. In this role, he delivers exceptional service to Collette’s travel partners. He also oversees the customer care team, as well as the sales team, to ensure consistency throughout the company.

Christian joined Collette in 2007. He holds an MBA from Babson College and a Bachelor’s degree in business from the University of New Hampshire. Active in the local community, Christian serves on the board of City Year Rhode Island. He is an avid sports fan and is passionate about team sports, especially youth activities. In his free time, Christian can be found spending time with his wife and three children.

Sheila Felice Vice President of People and Culture

As Vice President of People and Culture, Sheila leads the P&C function in alignment with Collette’s core values, mission, and vision to support organizational needs. As part of the leadership team, Sheila helps to ensure that our strategy is people focused. Sheila joined Collette in 2023 with more than 20 years of industry experience, having led Human Resources, Risk, and Organizational Development Departments. In this role she oversees compensation, benefits, people relations, engagement, recruitment, policies, and other people centered initiatives.

Sheila holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Rhode Island, a Bachelor’s Degree in Administration of Justice from Roger Williams University, and Graduate Studies Certification in Human Resources Management from Salve Regina University. Sheila serves on the Society of Human Resources Management Legislative Affairs Committee, and is deeply committed to the community, serving on local boards, and as an active speaker and presenter for The University of Rhode Island. Sheila enjoys spending time with family and friends and traveling.

Victoria Matiouchina Senior Vice President of Customer Experience & Insights

As Senior VP of Customer Experience & Insights, Victoria is committed to evolving the customer experience at all touchpoints of the travel journey. She joined the team in 2019, bringing a unique blend of business insights and technical expertise and over 30 years of experience working in the travel industry. Over the course of her career she has launched and provided strategic vision, technical oversight, and hands-on leadership for highly agile customer insights and business intelligence teams.

She holds a Master’s degree in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Latvia. Victoria has a life-long passion for travel that started during her University years while she was working as a tour guide in Riga, Latvia. She enjoyed sharing the love for her country and taking travelers off the beaten path to immerse them into local traditions and culture.

Denise Sablone Senior Vice President of Product and Delivery

As Senior Vice President of Product and Delivery, Denise is responsible for managing Collette’s team of over 200 Tour Managers across 165 tour products on all 7 continents we travel. In this role she oversees tour delivery through hiring, training and utilization of Tour Managers to deliver on an excellent experience for our guests, as well as a team dedicated to ensuring the entire tour runs smoothly from start to finish.

Denise joined Collette in 2017 with 20+ years of travel leadership experience. She has traveled to over 30 countries and has participated in numerous community service projects throughout her travels.

Melissa Lagesse Vice President Corporate Controller

As Vice President Corporate Controller, Melissa is responsible for leading a team of professionals responsible for maintaining financial records, working with external auditors, providing financial reporting, payroll processing, preparing taxes returns and fulfilling compliance requirements.

Melissa has been with Collette for 30+ years and has enjoyed being part of the ongoing evolution of Collette. Prior to coming to Collette, she earned her degree from Bryant University and began her career at KPMG.

Melissa enjoys spending time with family and her “Little” mentee from the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program.

Willie Montano Vice President Global Marketing

Willie Montano, Vice President of Global Marketing, has more than twenty years of experience in the travel industry. He is directly responsible for overseeing strategy through all integrated marketing campaigns.

Willie joined Collette in 2022 as Senior Director of Integrated Marketing and was promoted to Vice President Global Marketing in March of 2023, bringing vast experience to the team in the areas of paid media, social, print strategy, public relations, and digital marketing.

Prior to Collette, Willie served as Vice President of Marketing at CIE Tours International Inc. and Vice President of Marketing at Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold.

He served on the marketing committee of USTOA from 2014 to 2019 and is Past Chair and current Director Counsel for the Morris County Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce in New Jersey.

Find a Travel Agency

Once you've found the perfect Collette tour, your local travel agent can assist you in making reservations. To find a preferred travel agent in your area, please enter your 5-digit zip code, then click Search.

Enter a Whole or Partial Zip Code

Please tell us everything, we want it all.

We really value your feedback, please be open an honest. Tell us where we can improve, how we can get better. This feedback is anonymous, but if you would like us to get in touch with you regarding an issue provide your email address as part of your feedback and we will get right back to you.

Talk to an Expert

Please fill out the form below, and a Collette Expert will contact you shortly.

• Yes, I'm a Travel Professional
• Yes, I am working with a Travel Professional
• I am traveling with 8 or more travelers

View or Download

Jeff & Kelly

Wedding day.

• Wedding Party
• Things to Do

Austin-based journalist’s new TV series ‘Never Say Never’ aims to show travel is for everyone

Staying within the limits of his comfort zone is not Jeff Jenkins’ style – his motto, after all, is “life begins where your comfort zone ends.”

The Texas-based travel journalist is the host of National Geographic’s new show “ Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins ,” and he’s more likely to find himself in a sumo ring in Japan, swimming with sharks in Mexico or dancing with penguins in Patagonia.

Jenkins spoke with the Texas Standard on how he got bit by the travel bug , what it means being a plus-size traveler and what places and companies can do to make traveling inclusive for everyone.

This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:

Texas Standard: It’s incredible what you’re doing with this new show. How did you get into this travel journalism bit? 

Jeff Jenkins:  I used to be a high school choir teacher, and I actually taught at Manor High School; I did that for nine years, realized I didn’t want to do that. And I got into entrepreneurship and I asked myself the question, like, what do I truly want to do? If money wasn’t an option, if whatever I was to dream up was to actually happen for me, like, what would you do?

And I was like, I want to travel the world, help people and get paid to do it. And that’s what took me down this journey of content creation and becoming a journalist in the travel space. And then I realized that nobody was talking about like being plus-size and traveling around the world, and so I wanted to be that representation.

You are a poster person for “follow your dreams.” I mean, really, all that advice over the years – “follow your heart; go with what it is that you really want to do” – you made it happen.

Yeah, I’m not surprised, but I am surprised. And like, now I tell people, “yeah, I’m drinking the Kool-Aid.” It’s one of those things of – it sounds woo-woo in a sense – but like literally committing to what you wrote down or you dreamed up. Because I promise you, as a kid, I had really big dreams.

And then I think just as life started going on or adults always was like, “Nah, let’s be more realistic. Let’s just find a job that you can do and work for somebody just to have that security.” And if I just stepped out, which I started doing, and started dreaming again and gave myself permission to dream, it was really easy to commit to those dreams.

One of your earliest episodes, wasn’t it in Japan, sumo wrestling? What was that like?

Oh, man, it was incredible. Japan is my favorite country to visit. So to be back there, it was like very full circle. And to be able to do a lot of martial arts stuff that I never even thought to do – to be able to even get in a ring with a sumo wrestler who was a former world champion – it was definitely daunting and scary and a lot of stuff, but it was a lot of fun.

 You have a different take on the whole travel genre. You really throw yourself into this personally. Why do you want to sort of put yourself there? 

I want to redefine what travel looks like. I want people that look like me – plus-size people, people of color, people who just never thought about traveling – to just get out there and travel. And even in that New Zealand episode, there was a really cool moment when my guide kept saying to me, “There’s no dignity in caving.” So he was like, if you have to get on your knees, if it looks ugly when you’re doing it is totally fine because this is what caving is.

I think that authenticity is what comes out in this show. I think your motto – correct me if I’m wrong here – is “life begins where your comfort zone ends.”

Sure is. And that was one of the first mottos I got to hear when I went to Japan for the first time. It was my first international trip, first time getting on an airplane at 20 years old when I was at college at Florida.

And so for me, I’m thinking of it in the same way as traveling. Like you don’t have to look a certain way to travel and enjoy yourself.

Can I ask you about that? You mentioned a couple of times you’re a plus-size traveler, and you’ve said there are other considerations that you just have to take into account when you’re traveling – like what?

Size restrictions, weight limits – those are two of the main ones. And then it’s just like more so just the industry hasn’t evolved, in a way, because one thing I feel like the show is teaching people is that if you make some modifications, small modifications in a safe way, you are now able to allow other people or a marginalized group of people to be able to do something.

And always go from the dollars and cents, like it actually makes sense for you, no pun intended, to make these modifications so that you can have more people and more business.

What kind of modifications, you mean? 

So, like harnesses: You can buy larger harnesses, and a lot of brands don’t even think to do that. Extended sizes on wet suits – I didn’t even know that there were wetsuits in my size. There are wet suits in my size, but brands or these different excursions don’t actually include it; they always stop at a certain size. And so to be able to just have extra sizes now will allow more people to be able to do and enjoy those experiences.

» GET MORE NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE:  Sign up for our weekly ‘Talk of Texas’ newsletter

You know, I would think that at some level, one of the big obstacles could be, you know, yourself, if you’ll pardon me saying, because like, for instance, you have an idea of how you present yourself, then you have that complicated by, you know, television. You’re getting into a sumo ring and you decide to take the shirt off, right? And I know that there are a lot of people who’d be really hesitant to do that, but you’re going to live this experience. 

Yeah. And so for me, I probably wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t doing it for my mission. But yeah, I really do think that … there’s just a lack of representation. And so I always tell people, representation really does matter, because when people see themselves represented, they’ll get out there and do it.

And so for me, I get to be that representation to a lot of people. Now they’re like, “Oh, I could go do that. Oh, yeah, I can see me out there because I see somebody that looks like me doing it as well.”

You have a favorite moment so far?

You know, one, I love my crew. My crew are just dynamic, from the film producers to the PAs to the editors. I just really, really enjoyed everybody.

But one of my favorite times shooting was when we were in Vietnam, and I felt like I got to be Anthony Bourdain. We did a whole street food experience and got to ride around on motorbikes around the city; we’re zipping and dodging through the traffic. So that was just an epic time. And like, I even felt like my crew were all enjoying themselves as well.

Okay, that’s a fun part. Is there anything so far that you wouldn’t do again?

Oh, yeah, there’s a lot of stuff, but one in particular is like, I don’t see myself ever crossing another suspension bridge over a mile in the sky with planks in the thing that were slippery – like, I could just slip. Although I was harnessed up and everything, it’s still like, no, I’m good. This is something I did once and I don’t have to do it again, you know?

You get a lot of praise for this show. I was looking at  Rotten Tomatoes, and the score is pretty impressive , man. Are you surprised by all the success?

Yes, and, well, not yes – to the level, yes, I’m surprised. To get a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s like incredible; 9.6 on IMDB . But to see the impact it has been for multiple generations – so I feel like this is a multi-generational show – people are taking videos of like, “my child can never sit with me and watch a show, and they’re glued to the TV, and they’re entertained just as much as I’m entertained.” So it’s been beautiful to hear. It’s like, “this is a show I didn’t know I needed” – and that’s what I hear constantly.

“Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins” is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+ and airs Sundays at 9 p.m. CT on the National Geographic channel.

If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it  here . Your gift helps pay for everything you find on  texasstandard.org  and  KUT.org . Thanks for donating today.

trending now

Taylor Swift parties with Travis Kelce, Mahomes couple in Vegas...

Why Jon Bon Jovi’s wife, Dorothea Hurley, skipped doc screening...

Paris Hilton bares all for sensual Flaunt magazine photo shoot

Jon Bon Jovi's wife, Dorothea Hurley, skips doc screening after...

Jon Bon Jovi says 'every day is a challenge' with Dorothea Hurley...

Sharon Stone admits to trying to confront her 'demons’ due to...

Secrets of Shakira's Miami life: Basketball mom parties with...

Courteney Cox regrets not being a 'firmer parent' to daughter...

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to copy URL

Inside Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos’ ‘magical’ Morocco getaway

• View Author Archive
• Follow on Twitter
• Get author RSS feed

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are taking fans inside their luxurious getaway to Tangier, Morocco.

The “Live with Kelly and Mark” stars, both 53, took to social media over the weekend to share pics from their relaxing vacation and luxurious accommodations at the Villa Mabrouka .

“Scenes from a magical weekend,” Ripa wrote via her Instagram Stories, sharing a stunning view of the ocean, flowers and palm trees.

Ripa also included plenty of pics from the luxury hotel they stayed at, which starts at $530 per night . One of the snaps showcased the entryway with its black-and-white checkered floors and a gorgeous stained glass chandelier hanging from the grand white ceiling.

The longtime television personality was even able to sneak in a mirror selfie in the entryway that showed her smiling while wearing in a casual athleisure outfit.

Of course, Ripa’s posts also included plenty of pictures of her and her husband of 28 years enjoying their escape from reality.

When the duo weren’t staying at the hotel, they ventured to the Tangier American Legation –– America’s “oldest diplomatic property” and museum.

Consuelos appeared to also be taking photos while walking around the garden and taking in the stunning views.

After exploring during the day, the couple got all dolled up to attend a party at the hotel’s terrace restaurant, L’Orangerie.

Ripa wore an ivory blazer over a white dress, while Consuelos opted for a long white T-shirt under a tan blazer and tan pants.

For more Page Six you love…

• Listen to our weekly “We Hear” podcast
• Shop our exclusive merch

The long white dining table at the bash seemed to be set for around 50 guests and had small table lamps and vases with white flowers running down the center.

The Villa Mabrouka opened its doors last spring and has just 12 rooms in the entire property, which once belonged to famed fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.

The hotel includes views of the Mediterranean Sea, two crystalline swimming pools, three restaurants and access to garden pavilions where you are “transported immediately into the feeling of paradise,” according to their website.

Ripa made it back in time for Monday’s live taping of “Live with Kelly and Mark.” However, Andy Cohen filled in for Consuelos, who hopped on a different flight to visit Italian soccer team Campobasso 1919 in Molise, Italy.

The co-hosts are no strangers to sharing social media posts from their extravagant vacations over the years. In September, the “All My Children” alums took their three children –– Michael, 26, Lola, 22, and Joaquin, 21 –– to a tropical destination to celebrate the end of summer.

Share this article:

Advertisement

Advertisement

How the House Voted on Foreign Aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

By Catie Edmondson ,  Martín González Gómez ,  Kayla Guo ,  Robert Jimison ,  Albert Sun and Karen Yourish

Votes on the Foreign Aid Bills

Source: Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives

The House passed a long-stalled foreign aid package on Saturday that gives funding to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, with a majority of lawmakers backing money for American allies across the globe. The package, which now goes to the Senate, is almost certain to become law.

The Senate passed similar legislation in February. But in the face of distinct bases of opposition to different elements of the legislation, which threatened to tank the package as a whole, Speaker Mike Johnson advanced the foreign aid using a convoluted strategy: It split the package into three parts, each of which received its own vote, added a fourth bill with Republican priorities as a sweetener and melded it all together again once everything passed.

The plan, laid out in a rule that passed on Friday, was concocted to capitalize on the pools of support for each part of the $95 billion package, while preventing opposition to any one piece from taking down all of them.

How Different Factions Voted

Note: Progressive Democrats are members of the House Progressive Caucus. Hard-right Republicans include members who were supported by the House Freedom Fund during the 2022 midterms, opposed Kevin McCarthy’s election as speaker in January 2023, or voted to oust Mr. McCarthy from the speakership last October. The fund is the campaign arm of the House Freedom Caucus, a hard-right faction founded in 2015.

A majority of Republicans voted against Ukraine aid on Saturday, in a reflection of the stiff resistance within the G.O.P. to continuing to aid Ukraine against President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia’s invasion. The coalition that voted against the bill extended from right-wing members of the House Freedom Caucus to leadership, such as Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, the No. 3 House Republican. On Israel aid, on the other hand, most Republicans voted “yes.”

Thirty-four right-wing Republicans also opposed aid to American allies in the Indo-Pacific, while Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, declined to take a yes-or-no position and voted “present.” Representative Bob Good, Republican of Virginia and the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, was one of the 21 members of his party who voted against the Israel package. Echoing one of the many grievances shared by hard-right Republicans who opposed all of the aid measures, Mr. Good said his support for “Israel’s right to defend itself remains unshakeable” but that he disagreed with a measure that would add to the nation’s debt.

While all Democrats voted in favor of aid to Ukraine and all but Ms. Tlaib supported funding to Taiwan, 37 left-leaning Democrats defected to vote against the Israel aid bill. They said before the vote that they opposed unfettered aid to Israel that could be used in its offensive in Gaza. The opposition to the Israel aid represented a minority of Democrats, but reflected the deep resistance to unconditional aid and the divisions in the party on Gaza. Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland represented a notable new “no” vote among Democrats, and other standouts included Representatives Donald S. Beyer Jr. of Virginia, Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and John Garamendi of California.

Still, 37 “no” votes, while a break from Washington’s ironclad support for the Jewish state, fell short of the opposition bloc progressives had hoped to muster. Thirty-nine Democrats had voted “no” on Friday on the rule to allow the foreign aid package to come to the House floor, a target that progressives just missed on Saturday on the Israel bill. Fourteen of those Democrats voted on Saturday in favor of aid to Israel, while 12 Democrats who voted to allow the package on the floor on Friday then cast votes against the funding itself.

Twenty-five Republicans voted against the fourth bill, which included measures that could lead to a ban on TikTok in the United States and that would redirect funds from seized Russian assets to help aid Ukraine. Democrats put up a big vote — 174 — in favor of this bill, which was intended to sweeten the overall package for conservatives.

How Every Member Voted

An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the political party of a group of representatives who notably voted “no” on new aid for Israel. They are Democrats, not Republicans.

• Share full article

Mississippi State football shows off Blake Shapen, receivers in spring game

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football opened the Jeff Lebby era at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday with its annual spring game.

It didn't take long to see why the Bulldogs hired the former Oklahoma offensive coordinator in November.

The offense cruised to a 67-53 victory against the defense with a custom scoring system put into place for both sides to post points. While the defense held the early advantage, quarterback Blake Shapen quickly flipped momentum in his first action while donning an MSU jersey.

Despite only playing in the first half, the Baylor transfer completed 18 of his 22 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns.

Kelly Akharaiyi ignites Mississippi State offense

When Mississippi State landed former UTEP receiver Kelly Akharaiyi , it was evident what Lebby was looking to add to his offense. After ranking fourth in the country last season with 21.52 yards per catch, the Bulldogs got big-play potential in Akharaiyi.

That was on display during the first-team offense's third drive.

After the offense fell behind 22-6, Shapen connected with Akharaiyi for a 40-yard touchdown in the first quarter to ignite the offense.

Akharaiyi's play was complemented by another transfer opposite of him. Former Louisville receiver Kevin Coleman made the first big play of the contest – on the first-team offense’s second drive − before Akharaiyi’s touchdown catch.

However, he was a reason the defense jumped out to an early lead. Coleman fumbled at the goal line a few plays after his 43-yard catch.

Mario Craver emerging as freshman

Mississippi State was without sophomore receiver Creed Whittemore who was moving around on a scooter with his right ankle taped up. Filling his role in the slot on the first-team offense was freshman Mario Craver.

He’s part of an exciting 2024 class of receivers, though he was a late addition. Craver didn’t commit until Dec. 10 after Lebby was hired to replace Zach Arnett. He finished as the highest rated prospect in the class, coming in as a four-star, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

He was among the top targets for Shapen. On the game’s opening drive, the two nearly connected on deep touchdown attempt. In the second quarter, Shapen completed a 15-yard pass to Craver for a first down before finding him on a screen on the ensuing play.

To open the second half, sophomore quarterback Chris Parson connected on a 60-yard pass to Craver for a touchdown.

Justin Ball impresses at tight end

In part due to the late Mike Leach not utilizing a tight end and last year’s offense being among the SEC’s worst, the Bulldogs haven’t had a tight end catch a touchdown since 2020.

SHOWTIME: Spring game is chance for Jeff Lebby to showcase 'Showtime' with Mississippi State football

That’ll likely change under Lebby.

Justin Ball, a transfer tight end who spent the last five years at Vanderbilt, caught a pair of touchdown passes in the first half – including a 22-yard reception just before the break.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at  [email protected]  or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter,  @skrajisnik3 .

The FBI continues to ignore Jeffrey Epstein's victims even after reaching $139 million settlement for botched Larry Nassar investigation

• The Justice Department settled over 100 claims from victims of Larry Nassar for $138.7 million.
• But it's ignored claims from Jeffrey Epstein victims, who say law enforcement failed to protect them.
• The Justice Department has already concluded that it botched an investigation into Epstein.

This week, the Justice Department agreed to a mammoth $138.7 million settlement to resolve more than 100 claims brought by accusers of Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor.

It was announced nearly three years after the Justice Department's internal watchdog found that the FBI botched its handling of its investigation into Nassar , who has been the subject of hundreds of sexual abuse claims and is currently serving over a century in prison sentences after being convicted of sexual assault and child pornography charges.

But the FBI seems less interested in resolving claims from victims of Jeffrey Epstein.

Jordan Merson, an attorney representing about 30 of Epstein's victims in claims against the FBI, told Business Insider that the Justice Department has so far turned a blind eye to his clients.

"We are happy that the FBI has resolved those cases so that the Nassar victims can have that sense of accountability, responsibility, and justice and try to get some peace moving forward," Merson told Business Insider. "But it's curious as to why the FBI won't do the same thing in this case, won't allow these women who have bravely come forward to get that accountability, responsibility, and justice."

Merson filed the lawsuit , initially on behalf of 12 Epstein accusers, against the FBI in February. It alleges the law enforcement agency knew about the well-connected financier's serial sexual abuse of girls since at least the mid-1990s — and did nothing to stop him.

The agency ignored numerous tips and pleas from victims as early as the 1990s, according to the lawsuit. And the FBI also failed to act when visas and passports were issued for girls who flew on his plane — actions that should have required background checks, the lawsuit alleges.

Representatives for the Justice Department didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment Friday.

"Epstein orchestrated an illegal sex trafficking ring for the elite and the FBI failed to adequately investigate the abuse, failed to interview the victims, failed to investigate the crimes and did not follow routine procedure or offer victim assistance notwithstanding credible reports and tips," the lawsuit alleges. "The FBI sat back while Epstein and his co-conspirators sexually abused Jane Does 1-12."

The DOJ concluded it botched an earlier Epstein investigation

In 2019, Epstein killed himself in jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in New York.

Related stories

Years earlier, in 2007, he reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors in Florida that allowed him to serve an insubstantial sentence on a prostitution charge, even though law enforcement officials believed at the time that he had sexually abused dozens of girls. The deal was widely recognized as a corrupt bargain between Epstein's lawyers and then-US Attorney Alexander Acosta, who later resigned as labor secretary in Donald Trump's cabinet following an investigation into the agreement by the Miami Herald.

(The unusual plea agreement could also end up nullifying the sex-trafficking conviction of Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell .)

The Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility later concluded that Acosta exercised "poor judgment" with the agreement, which was also kept secret from Epstein's victims. And in December, US Senators Cory Booker and Marsha Blackburn pressed FBI Director Christopher Wray on "getting to the bottom" of the scope of Epstein's sex trafficking and the failures of the FBI to investigate his accusers' claims.

Wray told the senators that it had "been a while since I looked at the specific case" and that he would "figure out if there's more information we can provide" with his team.

But Merson told Business Insider that Wray has been uninterested in resolving claims from Epstein's victims, even though it's been nearly a year since he filed administrative claims against the FBI.

"The FBI has so far shown no interest in resolving these cases amicably," Merson said. "And it makes you scratch your head. Like, why is that? And what about this case? Why are they out these women who have come forward with claims against Jeffrey Epstein and the FBI's role?"

In addition to the FBI's failures in investigating their sex crimes, Epstein and Nassar are connected in another way: While in jail, Epstein attempted to send Nassar a letter .

It was returned to the sender, and the contents have not been made public.

Merson's case is part of a spate of lawsuits seeking to hold government agencies and corporations accountable for allegedly facilitating Epstein's sexual abuse. His firm is also involved with a lawsuit against the US Virgin Islands , claiming the territory and its politicians helped Epstein traffic girls to one of his private islands for sex.

A compensation program formed by Epstein's estate after his death identified 136 different victims , while later litigation put the number closer to 200.

Merson's clients initially filed Standard Form 95 claims with the FBI — which offers federal agencies the chance to resolve claims efficiently and quietly, and serves as a precursor to a lawsuit if they don't — in May 2023. But the Justice Department, while not denying wrongdoing, hasn't engaged in settlement talks, he said.

Since filing the lawsuit in February, Merson has more than doubled the number of clients with claims against the law enforcement agency for failing to stop Epstein.

He said, "It's confusing and confounding" that the FBI isn't addressing the claims of Epstein's victims with the same urgency it gave Nassar's.

"Why won't the FBI do the right thing for sexual abuse survivors of Jeffrey Epstein?" Merson said.

Watch: R. Kelly found guilty of all counts in federal trial, sentenced to 30 years

• Main content

Jeffrey and Kelly Davis

Jeffrey Davis

Kelly davis, june 22, 2024.