Panoramic Journeys

Who: Karina Moreton

Why:  A well-known adventurer, filmmaker & explorer, Karina Moreton gave a talk in HK arranged by the Royal Geographic Society on “The Power of Travel”.  In the lecture, she spoke of her more than 100 travel films, including for Discovery Channel and the BBC.  She also narrated a photographic journey of Mongolia, Bhutan and Myanmar to illustrate the transformative impact travel has on peoples’ lives and the glories of these countries.  Karina also explains how she became an entrepreneur and founded her successful travel business, Panoramic Journeys. I was moved by her stories and the lens in which she spoke of her journeys and the magnificent impact travel can in our lives and on those we visit. I was fortunate to catch up with her and ask her a few questions.

What are some of your favourite quotes that come to mind about the Power of Travel?

Alain de Botton wrote in the Art of Travel that “Journeys are the mid-wives of our thoughts.”

Life is one epic journey. I believe that going on smaller journeys within that wider journey enables us to get in touch with the bigger picture. We can connect with not just thoughts but with what life on this planet is or can be about.

In the film Into the Wild the main character said “The core of a man’s spirit comes from new experiences.” This quote aligns with what we are about. Our journeys are about exposing people to new horizons and broadening perspectives – that is why we called ourselves Panoramic Journeys. I believe that Journeys can go beyond Alain de Botton’s birth of thoughts – after all thoughts are what many are trying to put to one side with mindfulness.

Last but not least, Keats said “Oh for a life of sensations other than of thoughts”.

I believe that journeys and the new experiences and sensations that we have on them, make us who we are.

 What visual conjures up in your mind when you hear the word Serendipity?

A flip book of incredible magical moments. Many of them with my family. Unplanned moments. A football game with a family of sea gypsies in Mergui Archipelago. The almost opera like scenario that we witnessed with a leopard, a peacock and a sloth bear in Yala National Park in Sri Lanka. The group of children who appeared across an empty horizon to play on the sand dunes with our boys in Zavkhan Mongolia. Meeting with the same horsemen on the steppe as we had met 14 years beforehand. The butterfly that landed on the monks hand just as the Vogue photographer took his shot.

Serendipitous moments are of course chance encounters – but you have to put yourself out there in the world for there to be any possibility that they will occur.

 You mentioned the virtue of Standing & Staring, can you elaborate on that?

This is something that I am working to be better at. It is key to the art of being in the present. I am not alone in my instinct to pick up a camera when there is a magical moment unfolding in front of me.

The irony is that I am typing this answer whilst sat with one of the world’s most spectacular views in front of me. Now I am sat here with my son painting the view. I will stop now and be “here now” – but first a quick pic!

In what areas have you seen the positive impact of travel on indigenous communities?

Tourism and travel as a sector can and should have significant positive impacts on communities. We’ve built our business on this premise. I like to aim high and so my long term objective is for PJ to go some way towards combatting/preventing issues that arise from rural urban migration. Each of the countries that we specialise in have numerous urban issues; unemployment, alcohol abuse, pollution etc. I see that the role that tourism can play is to offer individuals and communities in rural areas sustainable and exciting alternatives to moving to cities.

So far PJ’s contribution to this world issue has been small and localised. Over the last decade we have worked with families in Mongolia and given them hands on experience of working with guests from abroad. We are proud of the fact that a few families, who, despite wanting to live in the countryside, might have had to move to the city, are now running their own small, rural tourism project after the training and support that we have given them.

Education plays a key factor pulling families to the cities. We are starting to work with non-formal education projects which have the potential to improve the education available to rural communities. We put a percentage of all our journey sales into our “Sustainable Projects Fund”. We are particularly proud of the fact that through this our guests have funded and supported the building of a community school in a remote village within the delta of Myanmar. This region was badly affected by cyclone Nargis in 2008. Now the children of Lay Ein Tan and surrounding villages have a school on stilts and 5 teachers.

Your most inspired travel experiences have come from Mongolia, Bhutan, and Myanmar, where to next?

They are hard countries to match. We are all still thriving off the variety that these three countries offer at different times of the year. Our journeys have taken us to remote corners and in extreme conditions and yet there are still more things that we are longing to do in them. We consider ourselves very fortunate in the fact that the film shoots we arrange enable us to push the boundaries of travel in these destinations.

All of us at PJ are addicted to travel, and so the question of where next is a hot debate. It may sound over romantic but we have all connected to a timeless magic in Mongolia, Myanmar and Bhutan. Their rich cultures, stunning landscapes and warm people all have a power over us. To have all of these elements in a country that also pragmatically delivers in terms of risk assessments is rare.

What we have found in these three destinations can be found in regions of other countries. Rather than launch a fourth destination and thereby possibly dilute our expertise, we are launching an Explorer’s Club. We invite past guests who have a spirit of adventure to join us on recce trips to destinations that we are excited by. This summer Melissa will be riding along the remote borders of the Altai Mountains. James is leading a journey to meet the Naga of North East India next year. We also have a group heading to Sri Lanka after the recce journey that we did there last year.

What is your ‘elevator pitch’ for Panoramic Journeys?

Distant Lands – Close Up

We are specialists in journeys and media projects in Mongolia, Myanmar and Bhutan.

The journeys that we craft make a positive difference to the lives of those on the journey, the people they come into contact with and the wider world.

What gets you out of bed every day?

My three wonderful boys – both physically and emotionally! My favourite sound is our boy’s feet padding along the landing to come for their morning cuddles. Aside from that, I have a natural urgency to make each moment count and to “seize the day”. Actually I have questioned whether sleep is a waste of time – but people have convinced me that it is necessary!

What is that gives you vital energy?

Magical moments. Key ingredients for these are time with loved ones, stunning light and natural wonders And.. dark chocolate.

What is it that tends to drain your energy?

Closed mindsets. I can’t help myself from adding “yet” to the end sentences when people claim that they can’t do something.

Another energy drainer is time zones. Being between Asia and America has its advantages in that I can move a project on in a day that might otherwise have taken 2 or 3 days. I often find myself getting up early to coincide with our office in Mongolia – and then I do a full day in the office – and then clients in America wake up. By the time I have dealt with them our UB office is waking up and able to respond to the new questions. So I have to admit that lack of sleep is the main drainer of energy!

What does success mean to you?

My mother’s favourite word has always been balance. Many of the things that some might strive for shift other aspects of life out of kilter. That is obvious for fame and money but also the case for enlightenment and my more personal goal of wanting to make a difference to other people’s lives. Success to me is about balance. The ultimate harmony is connected with living fully in the present. Something I am still working on!