Of Stories & Adventure.
We went looking for life. What we found was a calling.
It began as a deep love for overlooked places.
It transformed into a life dedicated to sharing them.
Elisa and I didn’t set out to build a travel company—let alone redefine luxury in adventure travel.
In fact, when we set out, we weren’t thinking about travel at all.
We wanted to share the true stories of places we felt deeply connected to.
Places that were—and remain—tragically underappreciated, not just by tourism, but by society itself.
Places with something to teach us.
Unsung histories. Unseen landscapes. Forgotten ways of life.
What we discovered is that the richest stories aren’t meant to be told.
They’re meant to be lived.
Each year, we guide a small number of adventurous, open-hearted travelers into some of the most remarkable, overlooked places on Earth.
To experience them in full—
and to remember what it is to be fully alive.
We’ve dedicated our lives to understanding & celebrating these incredible places.
It’s a privilege to be able to share their stories, and to be part of your journey.
- Eddie & Elisa
Near Mendes, 2021
The truth is, we had no idea what we were doing.
We did, however, know where we were going.
In August of 2021—just months after selling most of our possessions (and the company I’d founded in Texas 15 years earlier), and days removed from a month-long trek through southern Mexico with our kids—Elisa and I made a decision to stay untethered just a little longer, and to return to the region where we’d first met.
We hadn’t yet contextualized travel as a form of storytelling, nor had we wrapped our minds around the ability of deeply immersive, challenging experiences to enrich our lives so profoundly.
We just wanted to explore life, together. To live fully in the chaos and joy of that moment in our lives. And to allow wonder to take the lead.
We followed it into the mystique and layered realities of the Serra do Espinhaço—first, in our 1989 Toyota Bandeirante. Later, on foot.
And the deeper we went, the more it seemed to call us.
To explore. To document. To share.
Until one day, a life began to shape itself around it…
What followed were years of full-time fieldwork: dozens of exploratory treks, hundreds of days on the trail, countless hours of learning: not just how to use drones, cameras, satellite radios, and GPSs—but how to work with remote communities, foster human infrastructure, document lives, and shape stories.
Once we’d crafted what we believed—and still believe—are some of the most enriching travel experiences on earth, we turned our attention to the industry itself.
That was the beginning of Gift of Go’s business model, and of our inaugural trips in the Espinhaço.
But it’s not the beginning of the Gift of Go story.
That story is much longer, and it starts in 1984—on the day I discovered travel.
For the full origin story,
read The Audacity of Stories
Founders. Explorers. Guides.
Elisa & I may be co-founders, but we’re also your guides on the trail.
You’ll find us where you’d least expect to find a pair of CEOs: on foot, on horseback, in the rain, under the stars—hauling duffels, handling radios, and shaping stories as they unfold.
In the homes of neighbors who make these places special. Alongside crews of mentors and friends who bring them to life.
We explored the regions and documented the trails. Built the routes and tested the treks.
Most importantly, we lead you deep into stories—and bring you back with new eyes.
There are easier ways to run a company.
But none we’d rather do.
Because for us, travel isn’t just moving between places—it’s storytelling.
And guiding isn’t just leadership—it’s kinship.
It’s a privilege to be part of your story, too.
Meet the Crew Who Bring Your Journey—
and the Story of Brazil—to Life
Guide a handful of travelers,
on a handful of transformative trips,
a handful of times per year.
That’s been our north star since the day Elisa & I realized that travel was the way we wanted to share stories.
We don’t run trips across the globe, and we don’t run them every week.
No large groups, token guides, or staged performances.
Just a few carefully designed, passionately guided, deeply immersive experiences that open the minds and hearts of everyone involved—from the communities we visit to the travelers who come with us.
We didn’t set out to revolutionize an industry.
Our trips will never be for everyone.
As long as we keep exploring & sharing what matters, though—everything else will fall into place.
That’s the Gift of Go.
Not every traveler is looking for a journey.
Some seek escape. Others, to check boxes. Many want comfort.
For those of us who crave more, though—
a deeper connection,
a richer understanding,
a renewed sense of meaning—
travel isn’t a chance to escape life, it’s an opportunity to celebrate it.
To feel alive during each step,
and to walk away not only with stories—but with new relationships, insights, and horizons.
There are easier ways to travel.
But in our experience, none are more enriching.
The Book is Open.
Step Inside.
“What you seek is seeking you.”