Expeditions
Our expertise
Dr. Sinclair has visited more than 100 countries and lived in England, India, Dubai, and Grenada. He founded Help Ed India and directed its operations for many years. He has also accumulated vast and highly-rated experience in working with travelers through managing 3 successful hotels and guest houses for more than 30 years.
Dr. Bart organized and led field research projects throughout the US (30+ States), Canada, Mexico, China, and other countries for more than 20 years. His work in northern Canada was particularly extensive in both space and time. In 2008, he began work on reducing poverty in rural areas of Africa, a project he still manages. The rest of the Bart family grew up in Africa.
An assignment we’d love
(Real trips are confidential; this one is fictional)
Don Wilson wrote us saying “My wife and I have 17 days for East Africa. She loves animals but doesn't care about identifying every species. I'm a birder and am also fascinated by history. We're both reasonably fit and enjoy walking, but don't want a strenuous holiday. We dislike large groups or rushing. We don't need luxury every night, but we'd like a few special places. We’d like to spend a few days helping an NGO in a rural area and might even consider sponsoring a child.”
The story continues: We have several conversations with the Wilsons, gradually bringing their goals and plans into focus. We give them three options; they choose one; we complete the detailed planning.
Your preferences …
Surprises. When Jon was growing up, Fritz Scheider was the best birder in central New York. He wanted to go to Alaska but commented to Jon, “It would take me a year to prepare for a one-week trip”. Years later Jon was taking a technician, who we’ll call Sarah, on her first visit to Alaska. Jon offered to show Sarah pictures but she said “Please don’t. I want to be surprised.” One of the questions we’ll ask you is “Are you closer to Fritz or Sarah”, and we’ll plan your trip accordingly.
Meetings. Arranging meetings with interesting people is one of our specialties. If you want to have a variety of scheduled meetings, just let us know. We’ll arrange them. If you are a Rotary member, we’ll find the best clubs and meetings to attend and secure initations for you. We’ll identify talks you might enjoy going to and activities such as birding you might enjoy participating in. We’ll also arrange individual meetings with people who share our interests.
Study. Little is known about the “Sapi” people who produced this intricate ivory work from a single elephant tusk (common then; now almost extirpated). They lived along the coast of what is now Sierra Leone. By about 800 CE, they had developed complex societies and far-reaching trading relationships. Another African society with impressive early accomplishments. AI is an excellent tool for learning about such things before or during your trip.
Giving back. Many of our clients would like to help reduce poverty in areas they visit, especially by trying to improve business skills and practices. If spending several days in such an effort appeals to you, please get in touch with us. We work with two large, highly regarded international organizations that specialize in just this sort of work. One of them will help you find a village where you can live for several days helping the people there gain basic computer and business skills. Many people who participate in such efforts want to continue their support, for examiple by assisting a particularly deserving child. We can help with that too.
Naturalist. Great naturalists observe carefully, make accurate sketches, and leave an extensive body of work. Leonardo da Vinci’s observations around 1500 (e.g., on manned flight and female anatomy) were up to 200 years ahead of their time. Who would we say was a better sketcher? And Leonardo left us thousands of pages of notebooks. On these counts, Jon think he deserves the GOAT (greatest of all time) title. We can’t all be Leonardo, but we can try.
Tundra travels
For most of his career as a biologist, Dr. Bart worked on a large program to survey shorebirds on the tundra of North America. He designed the initial methods in northern Alaska, surveyed many locations, and helped organize the effort throughout Canada.
We are now organizing trips to tundra regions of northern Alaska and Canada. Tours may be guided or unguided. Dr Bart uses his knowlege of the tundra to match the trip to our clients’ interests and skills and his contacts throughout the region to keep costs low. Contact us to learn more about a trip you’ll never forget.
The tundra has many faces. The scene below shows the area around Dr. Bart’s research camp on the delta of the Colville River on the North Slope of Alaska.
Long-tailed Jaeger
Short-tailed Weasel
Lapland Longspur
Red-necked Phalarope