GLOBAL DESTINATIONS • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT • ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES

An exclusive new event celebrating the world of adventure and uniting AAA agents with global destination partners and influential trailblazers. Someday starts today, and together we will become a Catalyst for the greatest rebound the travel industry has ever seen.
Come chase your dreams with us.

VIEW ALL OF ADVENTUREFEST 2021 CONTENT HERE

BE A CATALYST

We all have the power to create and build our individual business back even better than they were.
AdventureFest will energize you and inspire you for success both at work and in your personal life.

Embrace the Adventure

AAA members are one of the largest untapped markets for adventure travel, and the resurgence of travel will only be the beginning.

AdventureFest is all about YOU.

These four days are chock full of professional development tips, trailblazing speakers, and fun with one common thread: optimism.

We're all in!

Make someday be today. No excuses. Be a catalyst for the person you want to become.

DAILY AGENDA

11:15 AM-11:45 AM EST • Main Stage • Haleakala Sunrise

Haleakala means “house of the sun”. The elevation, lack of light pollution and weather makes the volcano an exceptional place to see the sunrise. Tune in to watch it with us!

 

11:45AM–12:00PM EST · Main Stage • Welcome to AdventureFest 2021

Allison Villasenor, Managing Director of Club Adventures kicks off the week.

 

12:00PM–12:30PM EST· Main Stage • Life as an Adventure

Join Chess Edwards for a thought-provoking discussion that questions why we travel to find joy in the things that we ignore back home.

 

12:30PM–1:00PM EST · Main Stage • “Storyselling” Adventure

Learn how to market and showcase your experiences to storysell more effectively to your members with Dalene Heck.

 

1:00PM–1:30PM EST · Main Stage • Adventure is for Everyone

What kind of adventure traveler are you? How do you discern the type of adventure traveler your members are? Dive in with Todd Rogerson!

 

1:30PM–1:45PM EST · Main Stage • Daily Wrap

Join Allison Villasenor and Michael Ziegler as they wrap the day and open the Destination Trade Show segment of Adventure Fest!

 

2:00PM–5:00PM EST · Trade Show

Explore destination booths around the world!

 

2:00PM–5:00PM EST · Networking • Happy Hours

Connect 1-on-1 with destination partners for a fun-filled social hour!

11:15AM–11:45AM EST · Main Stage • Sunrise in Thailand

Today’s sunrise comes to us from the jungles of Thailand! Sit back, relax, and enjoy nature!

 

11:45AM–12:00PM EST · Main Stage • Welcome to Day 2

Lucas Bialecki, Head of Sales sets us up for an interactive day 2 of AdventureFest!

 

12:00PM–12:30PM EST · Main Stage • Someday Starts Today

Join Michael for an interactive talk about optimism, why mindset and how starting today can be the best decision you can make!

 

12:30PM–1:00PM EST · Main Stage • What’s Your Word?

Join Allison for a workshop on finding your intention, creating positive action and community!

 

1:00PM–1:30PM EST · Sessions • Starting a Travel Blog: Where to Begin

Join us for an interactive session talking about the top 10 ways to start and build the travel blog of your dreams!

 

1:00PM–1:30PM EST · Sessions • Photography Snap Shots

Tips to snap that unforgettable, totally frameable travel shot.

 

1:30PM–2:00PM EST · Sessions • Insta-brand

Social media is the most powerful marketing tool you have. Learn from Kate DiPadua as she shows you how to use Instagram to promote your travel brand!

 

1:30PM–2:00PM EST · Sessions • Build your Business with Just Our Crew

Start your own travel group with as few as 6 travelers. Learn as Bethany uncovers the secrets to starting and building your group travel business.

 

2:00PM–5:00PM EST · Trade Show

Explore destination booths around the world!

 

2:00PM–5:00PM EST · Networking • Happy Hours

Connect 1-on-1 with destination partners for a fun-filled social hour!

 

7:00PM–8:00PM EST · Main Stage • Virtual Cooking Demo with Switzerland

Join the Ticino Region of Switzerland to learn the secrets of delicious risotto. Come for the risotto, stay for the great Q&A.

11:15AM–11:45AM EST · Main Stage • Sunrise in Athens, Greece

Start your Wednesday with a stunning sunrise from Athens, the historic city and capitol of Greece!

 

11:45AM–12:00PM EST · Main Stage • Welcome to Day 3

Bethany Hodge, Head of Product Development, shares what lies ahead for Day 3.

 

12:00PM–12:30PM EST · Main Stage • Selling Connections: Cultural Intelligence with Culture Mee

Join Bethany Hodge and Culture Mee for an in-depth discussion on how being open-minded on culture can help you sell.

 

12:30PM–1:00PM EST · Main Stage • Local Leader Panel

Local Leaders are at the heart of Club Adventures, connect with leaders from around the world for an interactive panel discussion.

 

1:00PM–1:30PM EST · Main Stage • The Adventure Roundup

Ask Us Anything! The Club Adventures Team takes the stage for a session to talk about adventure travel and our favorite things.

 

1:30PM–2:15PM EST · Main Stage • Challenges and Change with Mark Inglis

Hear from the world’s first and only double amputee to climb Mount Everest on the trials and tribulations of life and overcoming challenges.

 

2:00PM–5:00PM EST · Trade Show

Explore destination booths around the world!

 

2:00PM–5:00PM EST · Networking • Happy Hours

Connect 1-on-1 with destination partners for a fun-filled social hour!

 

7:00PM–8:00PM EST · Sessions • Adventure Book Club

Join us to discuss this month’s A.B.C. feature “The Firekeeper’s Daughter” by Angeline Boulley.

11:15AM–11:45AM EST · Main Stage • Start your day with Visit California!

Our final day starts with a California sunrise.

 

11:45AM–12:00PM EST · Main Stage • Welcome to Day 4

Michael Ziegler, Director of Strategic Partnerships, kicks off the final day of Adventure Fest 2021!

 

12:00PM–12:30PM EST · Main Stage • Don’t Fear the Destination…

Pick up some tips to overcome the challenge of selling destinations that you haven’t traveled to (yet!)

 

12:30PM–1:00PM EST · Main Stage • Product Feature: American Experiences

Join the sales duo of Dan and Lucas to learn about our custom curated American Experiences, road trips on the road less traveled.

 

1:00PM–1:300PM EST · Main Stage •  One more thing…

Trust us… you won’t want to miss this!

 

1:30PM–2:15PM EST · Main Stage • The Power of Optimism

Join Life is Good co-founder, Bert Jacobs, to talk about how positive thinking is a powerful force for good, and listening to your inner optimist can catapult you to success.

 

2:00PM–5:00PM EST · Trade Show

Explore destination booths around the world! Stop by California’s booth for an interactive panel with cities across the state.

 

2:00PM–5:00PM EST · Networking • Happy Hours

Connect 1-on-1 with destination partners for a fun-filled social hour!

 

7:00PM–8:00PM EST · Main Stage • Wine Tasting

Our grand finale comes from our partners in California. Join us for an expert led wine tasting event. Shopping list will be posted the week prior to AdventureFest 2021.

PRIZE CENTER

Check out all the incredible prizes we're giving away at AdventureFest! Our partners have gathered the best local favorites to give away to you,
but make sure you're C.A.T.S. certified and attend AdventureFest to be eligible to win!

Peru Trip

Have the chance to win a Peru trip for two during the

One More Thing... session including airfare from

our partners at LATAM Airlines.

Switzerland Basket

Win this $1,000 valued basket including local wine, snacks, and two nights at a Swiss Hotel with a stunning excursion.

LA Swag Bag

Attend to have the chance to win a bag stocked with anything from handmade local candles to water bottles and Los Angeles t-shirts!

Santa Barbara Bag

Be whisked away to Santa Barbara with this beautiful basket including a variety of snacks and items from local companies.

Santa Monica Bag

Enjoy a Santa Monica travel tote bag including a local candle, t-shirt, sunglasses, coasters, and journal!

Taiwan Neck Pillow

Get comfy with a neck shape pillow from our partners at the Taiwan Tourism Bureau.

Bert Jacobs

  • CEO & Co-Founder – Life is Good


The Power of Optimism


One van, two brothers, three simple words: Life is Good. Positive thinking is a powerful force for good, and listening to your inner optimist can catapult you to success. In this keynote you’ll learn more about how optimism influenced Bert and his brother into creating one of the most influential, uplifting brands in the world, and how you can utilize this tool everyday in your life.

More about Bert:

  • Aside from being CEO of Life is Good, Bert enjoyed stints as a ski instructor, pizza delivery man, and a substitute teacher.
  • He helped Life is Good break the Guinness World Record for the most carved, lit pumpkins in one place at one time with 100% of profits from the festival going to children who face unfair challenges.
  • Claim to fame: he once jumped into the Boston Marathon with zero training and finished in less than four hours.

Mark Inglis

  • Director – Mark Inglis Unlimited


Taking on Challenges & Change


Imagine, you are 23 years old, trapped in an ice cave for 14 days by a sub-zero blizzard on the summit of New Zealand’s highest peak. You are starving and freezing to death. You wake up in hospital to find that you have lost both legs below the knees due to frostbite. What do you do next? If you are Mark Inglis, you climb Mount Everest, of course.

Hear from the world’s first and only double amputee to climb Mount Everest on the trials and tribulations of life and overcoming these challenges despite all odds.

More about Mark:

  • NZ 1st Paralympic Cycling Medal – Silver, Sydney 2000

  • Officer of the NZ Order of Merit (ONZM)

  • Founding Trustee of Limbs4All Charitable Trust

  • Patron of Cambodia Trust NZ, NZ/Nepalese Foundation

  • Internationally awarded winemaker for over 18 years

Dalene Heck

  • CEO – Hecktic Media Inc.
  • Award winning travel blogger


"Storyselling" Adventure


Story telling is one of the most influential forms of communication. It captures the entire feeling and essence of the moment in a way that relates to people who may have never experienced anything like it. And, it is by far one of the most powerful selling tools when it comes to social media marketing and selling experiences.

Learn how to market and showcase your experiences to storysell more effectively to your members.

More about Dalene:

  • Dalene is a National Geographic Traveler of the Year, multi-award-winning travel blogger at HeckticTravels.com, public speaker, and CEO of HMI.
  • By co-founding Hecktic Media Inc. in 2013, she successfully merged her unique business skills with her love of both travel and news media.
  • Dalene holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and spent ten years in corporate Canada negotiating and managing multi-million dollar projects.

Lola Akinmade Åkerström

  • Founder – Geotraveler Media
  • Co-Founder – Local Purse
  • Co-Founder – NordicTB Collective


What's Your Word


Lola Akinmade Åkerström is an award-winning visual storyteller, international bestselling author, and entrepreneur. She has dispatched from 70+ countries and her work has been featured in National Geographic, New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, CNN, Travel Channel, Travel + Leisure, Lonely Planet, Forbes, Huffington Post, and many more.  As a storyteller, Lola was the 2018 Bill Muster Travel Photographer of the Year. Her book, Due North, received the Lowell Thomas Gold Award for Best Travel Book, and she is also the author of international bestselling “LAGOM: The Swedish Secret of Living Well” which is available in 18 foreign editions. Her latest novel, “In Every Mirror She’s Black, will be published as a lead hardcover on September 7.

As a business owner and entrepreneur, she runs Stockholm-based travel consultancy, Geotraveler Media, co-founded the travel influencer marketing collective, NordicTB, and recently co-founded Local Purse, which supports travel guides and local artisans through live video shopping. As a mentor, she runs her own online academy, Geotraveler Media Academy, which is dedicated to visual storytelling and helping the next generation of travel storytellers put the heart back into the craft.

Chess Edwards

  • Spiritual guide & meditation teacher
  • 40 + years of experience


Life as an Adventure


When we travel we embrace the excitement and novelty of every new sight and smell. So, what if we treated every day like an adventure, how different would your life be?

Imagine the heightened sense of discovery and curiosity or the change in your disposition.

Join Chess for a thought-provoking discussion that questions why we travel to find joy in the things that we ignore back home.

More about Chess:

  • Sedona based spiritual guide and meditation teacher
  • Master of meditative self inquiry to awaken your most authentic and powerful essence
  • Self-proclaimed adventurer at heart

FEATURED PARTNERS

Join our destination partners for an immersive, interactive trade show each afternoon of AdventureFest.
Hop in when you can to chat with the people who know these destinations the best – the locals!