EYOS is delighted to welcome Jen Martin as our new Head of Expeditions. With decades of hands-on experience leading journeys to the most remote and challenging corners of the globe, Jen brings both deep field expertise and a visionary approach to expedition planning. From polar voyages to tropical expeditions, her career has been defined by a commitment to exploration, safety, and storytelling. Now, at the helm of EYOS’ expedition team, Jen will be shaping the next chapter of pioneering journeys, ensuring our guests experience the world’s wildest places with unmatched precision and care.
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You’ve led expeditions across some of the most remote environments on Earth. What drew you to this field of work in the first place?
Like so many of us in this industry, I have always loved to travel, but it never once occurred to me growing up that I could make a career of it. When I was a child, my parents took us on driving trips all over the U.S., as well as a few, special international trips. They wanted to expose us to things we’d never otherwise have experienced if we stayed in our land-locked (albeit beautiful) state. I was fortunate enough to visit all 50 states and several countries by the time I was 14 years old. They made travel seem like something very attainable and easy to do, but I was always taught that it is also a privilege. This made me feel comfortable knowing that I could handle myself once I started traveling independently. When I was old enough to go on my own I took every opportunity that came my way. After university, I followed in my brother’s footsteps and became a motorcoach driver and guide in Skagway, Alaska. It was an amazing adventure and I fell head-over-heels in love with Southeast Alaska. After three seasons there, I was recruited by a small-ship company that needed expedition leaders and naturalists for Alaska, but they also offered me the chance to lead all along the west coast of North America. I thought the job would be a great opportunity to see new places and learn new things for a year, until I would become a “fully-functioning adult and start my real job” (whatever that was supposed to mean!). I found that I absolutely loved learning about nature and the people of the places I was visiting, so I just kept saying yes to every new location and opportunity they offered me. By the time I’d been doing this more than a decade, I had traveled all over the world and I think I finally realized that I actually had found my “real job”. All these years later, I can’t imagine doing anything else.
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When you’re not out exploring the ends of the Earth, where can we find you?
I split my time between Seattle, Washington and Bend, Oregon. One provides me with an amazing community of friends and family, and a beautiful place to live. The other feeds my nature-loving soul and reminds me of the pine forests I grew up with in Colorado. In both locations, I get to live with mountains and forest, which will always feel like home to me.
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How has your time in the field shaped the way you approach planning and designing journeys for others?
I have met some really lovely people throughout my time as an expedition leader, and I think those people are the reason any of us continue to work in this industry. I try to keep in mind that when travelers are visiting a location for the first time, it might also be the only time that they visit. I feel an immense amount of responsibility to design an experience that offers them a taste of every special thing that the destination has to offer. I want to find opportunities that are compelling and interesting and really create a connection between traveler and place. I think about what would really resonate for me personally if I had only one opportunity to visit these locations, and what I think I’d be most disappointed to miss. I let that guide me in designing each and every journey.
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EYOS is known for crafting truly one-of-a-kind experiences. What excites you most about bringing your expertise to this team?
When you are working on creating new experiences for larger groups of people, you are somewhat constrained by group size and the logistics of managing that. With EYOS, I’m excited about the many more possibilities for experiences that can be entertained, simply by having smaller groups and willing participants! I have been so privileged to visit some very tiny corners of the world and I am immensely grateful for the experience and the people there. I’m also extremely excited to try to bring my passion for those tiny places, to the work we do here. I’m thrilled to work with such an incredible group of people, who all come with a staggering amount of travel experience. It’s hard not to feel passionate amongst them.
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Looking ahead, what destinations or types of experiences do you hope to develop for EYOS’ guests?
Coincidentally, I have been fortunate enough to work in many of the places that EYOS guests seem interested in visiting. Over the years and visits, I’ve grown extremely fond of so many of the wonderful people in those regions. I hope that I can bring some new connections in these places and perhaps some creative suggestions of activities and experiences to initiate. The world has an incredible amount of opportunity, if we are willing to think outside the proverbial box.
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If you could design your dream expedition—no limits—where would you go and why?
This is SO hard to answer because my list is long! If I have to pick just one for the moment, I would say an epic, multi-stop trip in South America. I’d begin with a focus on the Peruvian Amazon and a few of its tributaries in southern Colombia, then shift far southward to explore the Pantanal of southern Brazil. I would love to see the wildlife of these regions because like so many remarkable places, the vast majority of it is specific only to these parts of the world. If I really aim high for the “no-limits” part of this, I would tack on a visit to the Uyuni Salt Flats of Bolivia and the Atacama Desert of Chile. High altitudes, stunning landscapes, and incredible night-sky-viewing.
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What’s one surprising thing most people don’t know about life on expedition?
No trip goes as planned, no matter how well-planned it is. That being said, the best leaders I’ve ever met are people who can take the unexpected and make it something phenomenal. It’s never the easiest way to operate, but it’s certainly the most interesting. The best trips, more often than not, are those that hold surprises beyond the plans, no matter how well conceived they may be. So leaving room and an open mind for those surprises is often the key to elevating an expedition beyond expectations.