From world famous explorer/scientist Don Walsh

To Whom It May Concern:

It is my pleasure to offer this recommendation with respect to Eos Study Tours, an organization for which I have the highest respect. I first came into contact with them in 1994 when they initiated the affiliation travel program for the 104-year-old Explorers Club. The “Explorers Club Travelers” program provided land, sea and jet expedition travel experiences for members of the Club and members of the public. A special feature of the expeditions was that each would have an explorer from the Club acting as host and lecturer.

From 1994-2011, I was fortunate enough to host several seagoing expeditions with Explorers Club Travelers in places as diverse as the Polar Regions, Europe and Asia. This 17-year tenure has given me a good sample of the outstanding quality of the organization and services offered by the Eos StudyTours.

My experience in expedition cruising has not been limited to Explorers Club Travelers. Since the mid-1990’s I have worked for 15 different expedition companies, sailing in 17 ships. I believe my 60 expedition cruises have given me a good experience base by which to judge the ‘products’ offered by Mr. Nielsen.

For six years in the 1990’s I was a member of the Board of Directors of The Explorers Club. I was there when Mr. Nielsen proposed that his company organize and run the Club’s travel program. After my tenure as a director, I continued to serve Club governance in several different capacities. For several years I have been an Honorary Director and the last three years, Honorary President.

As noted above, I have continued to participate in Explorers Club Travelers’ programs. In their 17 years’ involvement with the Club, they have planned, marketed and managed 378 Explorers Club Travelers expeditions. In addition, there were another 100 that did not happen due to a variety of reasons that were beyond the control of the company or The Explorers Club. This activity has generated revenue totaling $780,000 for the Club. In addition, Eos Study Tours has donated trips valued at $225,000 for auctions at various Club events. All of this represents a value of over one million dollars benefit to The Explorers Club without any expenditure made by it. This is an amazing result for an organization that has only about 3,000 members worldwide.

By its very nature, expedition tourism has more possibilities for injury and damages for the participants. While full liability coverage has been provided to protect the Club, in the 17 years of Explorers Club Travelers, there have been no claims. This is a credit to the careful planning and management of these expeditions.

I have monitored the Explorers Club Travelers program from our boardroom and been a frequent participant in their shipboard expeditions. Based on this comprehensive experience I would not hesitate to recommend Eos Study Tours to any organization that was initiating or seeking to upgrade their affiliation travel activities.

I would be happy to answer your questions. Please contact me at the phone number or e-mail address listed below the image on the left.

Sincerely,

Don Walsh, Captain USN (ret), PhD
Honorary President, The Explorers Club