Jeff Stivers Joins Outlier Journeys Full-Time

As of February of 2024, Outlier Journeys cofounder Jeff Stivers has joined the company full-time. Jeff's management experience, travel design expertise and destination knowledge, particularly for travel within Africa and Asia, are huge assets for our small company and for you, our travelers. Keep reading below for our press release & a summary of Jeff's impressive achievements in the adventure travel industry!

Jeff in Botswana's Okavango Delta

Veteran Adventure Travel industry expert, Jeff Stivers, begins a new chapter with Outlier Journeys, a specialized tour operator designing private journeys at the intersection of adventure, sustainable and highly personalized travel. With a BA in Anthropology and archaeological field work in Africa (Sudan, Niger & Tanzania), Jeff's career started in 2007 as a Program Manager at Wildland Adventures, where he designed unique international travel experiences and honed his destination knowledge, first in Central and South America and then in Africa.

In 2015, he joined the team at REI Adventures as the Program Director for Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Here, Jeff led the Adventures teams to a series of successes, including expansion into Japan, India and Sri Lanka. In Africa, he brought the REI Signature Camping to Kilimanjaro and helped bring the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project into the support network of the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund. For the past 4 years, as REI Adventures Manager of Product Development, Jeff has spearheaded product strategy and led a large team of talented Product Managers in designing and delivering high quality active adventures for the Co-op membership.

"At Outlier Journeys, our vision has always been to help our travelers experience the world in a way that is adventurous, out-of-the-box, and most importantly, respectful and beneficial towards the communities and destinations that they travel through."says cofounder Kirsten Gardner. "Jeff's reputation and strong connections with locally-led guide outfitters, lodges and camps, and conservation projections through Africa and Southeast Asia enhance our vision, align with our company values and will lead to richer experiences for our clients."

Jeff and Kirsten share nearly four decades of combined experience in the adventure, sustainable and luxury travel space. Their breadth of destination knowledge, industry relationships and business savvy yield a dynamic duo in the experiential travel space. Through Outlier Journeys they look to expand their travelers’ perceptions of the world though responsible & sustainable travel, applying deft planning to connect great travelers with great local hosts and guides. Jeff is excited to ply the experience he’s gained with his passion for exploration to further develop Outlier Journeys into a modern adventure travel business rooted in highly personal customer service and commitment to responsible operations.  

To connect with Jeff, email him at jeff@outlierjourneys.com

Outlier Journeys

February 14, 2024

Want to tap into Jeff's Africa and Southeast expertise? Check out the following posts on Classic Africa Adventures (excellent for first-time visitors to the continent) and Signature Journeys in Southern Africa and Borneo for travelers who are craving a deeper connection with wild places, less-traveled locations.