Rad Voyage, a New Way to Travel

With a one-way ticket in hand, my mother said her goodbyes, left Canadian soil behind and headed off to Spain. Twenty-five years later my dad, the Spaniard who made sure she stayed a little longer than planned, tells me I have that same travelling gene. I am not sure this can be scientifically proven, but when I realized that in order to visit all my relatives I would literally have to spend days or weeks on a plane… I started to think that maybe it is in fact in our DNA. I have to admit, I am fascinated by different cultures, foreing languages and quirky customs from around the world. There is something exciting about breaking out of your comfort zone that makes you feel uncertain yet fearless.

It enables you to see the world from a whole new perspective. I am fascinated by the stories of those who left at one time and of those who finally arrived to they´re long awaited destination. All this rambling brings me to the whole point of this article, Rad Voyage. Rad Voyage is the new way to experience travel. It´s about the trails, mountains, waves, whisky and meat pies that make a journey worthwhile. Above all, it´s about the people, those who seek to get away from mass tourism and are in search of a real expedition.

At the age of 17 Christopher Barnhart, mastermind behind this project, started planning snowboarding trips to Whistler for Franklin High School students. He went on to plan national and international winter trips for the award winning Snowboard Club at Portland State University. He has been based out of Australia and New Zealand for the past 5 years and during this time has travelled to Vanuatu, Fiji, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Japan. It´s difficult to imagine his career would steer in any other direction.

For three years Chris and his brother Eddie, each from opposite sides of the globe, wrote with great passion about their experiences on Bear & Shark, a site that conveys humor, travel tips, music and much more. This blog has a very authentic voice and represents the roots of Rad Voyage, giving us an idea of the enthusiasm and commitment that distinguishes Chris Barhart from the rest.

Rad Voyage´s approach is unusual. It offers a wide range of custom itineraries, each one with a different focus. Before every trip they will provide you with a suggested packing list and a cultural guide as well as the accommodation and travel details. They also take into account what you want to do. If you are interested in other activities or destinations they might not run a whole trip there, but will set you up with what you need, based on what they know.

More than a travel agency I would describe Rad Voyage as a traveling community, that invite those with a passion for traveling and an addiction to the good old fashioned adrenalin rush, to share a once in a life time experience.