Think You Know North America? Northern Journeys’ Frank Castro Wants You to Look Again

For Frank Castro, adventure travel has never been about simply getting somewhere extraordinary.

It is about what happens when you step outside your usual routine, move through nature, challenge yourself a little and leave room for the unexpected.

That philosophy has shaped nearly two decades of Frank's career, beginning with Kilimanjaro climbs in Tanzania and eventually expanding into trekking, mountaineering and luxury adventure journeys across some of the world's most remote destinations.

But then, quite unexpectedly, his own adventures started bringing him closer to home.

As a new parent, Frank found himself exploring more of the US, Canada and Alaska rather than heading off to Patagonia or Everest Base Camp. And the more he travelled through North America's wild landscapes, the more he realised just how much adventure was waiting there.

That discovery became Northern Journeys.

In this live Q&A, Kelly Tolliday sits down with Frank to talk about the journey that led him from East Africa to the national parks of North America, the gap he saw in the market for privately curated adventure travel, and why some of the most rewarding journeys may be closer to home than travellers realise.

Finding Adventure Closer to Home  

Frank's career had already taken him around the world when he began spending more time exploring North America with his family.

And he quickly became convinced that the region deserved to be approached with the same sense of curiosity and adventure as the more remote destinations he had spent years working in.

The challenge was figuring out how to translate that into the kind of personalised experience he was accustomed to creating elsewhere.

Because national park travel can look deceptively simple.

There are the famous parks, the scenic drives and the iconic viewpoints. But once an advisor starts building a trip around a family's individual interests, things become much more complicated.

Where should they stay? Which parks work well together? Should they self-drive or have a private guide? What experiences can be added along the way? And how do you create something that feels like their trip, rather than an itinerary pulled from a standard circuit?

That was the opportunity Frank saw for Northern Journeys.

Rather than starting with a predetermined programme, the team starts with the traveller.

What do they want to experience? How active do they want to be? What level of guiding makes sense? And what would make the trip genuinely memorable for them?

From there, the journey can take shape around them.

Getting Beyond the Expected  

One of the most interesting themes running through Frank's approach is his willingness to go beyond the obvious.

As he puts it, his team is comfortable “being comfortable in the uncomfortable.”

If a client wants to spend two days biking somewhere that requires complicated logistics, they work out how to make it happen. If the experience calls for a private plane or boat, they explore the possibilities.

That mindset opens up a very different way of experiencing the national parks.

It might mean a private guide and gourmet picnic in Zion or the Grand Canyon. A horseback ride in an unexpected corner of a national park. A private villa with a chef for a family that needs more space. Or a safari-style camp that brings an entirely different sense of place to the experience.

And it also means looking beyond the destinations that dominate the usual conversation.

Frank describes Grand Teton as “America's Patagonia,” and it is easy to understand why. Wildlife viewing, hiking, waterfalls, rafting and horseback riding can all become part of the same journey.

Then there is the Pacific Northwest, an area Frank is particularly passionate about.

The Oregon Coast and its wine country. Washington's San Juan Islands, where travellers can head out by seaplane or private yacht. Vancouver Island and Tofino, where wildlife, surfing and hiking come together in a landscape that Frank likens to a mini Alaska.

For travellers who think they have already “done” North America, there may be considerably more to discover.

When Adventure and Wellness Meet  

The conversation also explores a side of adventure travel that is becoming increasingly relevant: wellness.

Not necessarily the traditional wellness retreat, but the kind that happens when people step away from technology, spend time outdoors and give themselves room to breathe.

Frank recently created a private Moab experience for a group of CEOs that combined outdoor adventure with breathwork, yoga, stretching, mindfulness and time in a remote safari camp before continuing to a luxury property.

The result was something more layered than simply filling a few days with activities.

And for Frank, that is part of the appeal of adventure travel.

People are increasingly looking for ways to feel lighter, reconnect with nature and escape the constant pace of everyday life.

You do not necessarily need to travel to the other side of the world to find that feeling.

Creating a Connection With Nature  

Perhaps the most personal part of the conversation comes when Frank talks about what he hopes travellers take home from their journeys.

He is particularly passionate about families travelling together and giving children the opportunity to experience nature from an early age.

For Frank, nature has always been a source of perspective and relief, and he hopes that young travellers will grow up knowing that when life becomes overwhelming, there is always somewhere outdoors to go.

That idea also connects to something larger.

If travellers develop a genuine appreciation for the places they visit, Frank believes they can return home as advocates for protecting those landscapes and respecting the communities and cultures they encounter along the way.

In that sense, Northern Journeys is not simply about getting people to a national park.

It is about getting people into nature and seeing what happens from there.

What do we cover?  

• Frank's journey into adventure travel, from his early work leading Kilimanjaro climbs to nearly two decades creating luxury trekking, mountaineering and expedition experiences around the world.

• Why becoming a parent changed his perspective on travel, bringing him closer to home and inspiring a deeper exploration of the US, Canada and Alaska.

• The gap Frank saw in North American travel, and why Northern Journeys focuses on creating private, personalised national park experiences rather than simply selling predetermined itineraries.

• What makes an adventure experience truly memorable, from listening carefully to what clients want to the willingness to take on more complicated logistics when they lead to a better experience.

• The North American destinations Frank is most excited about right now, including Grand Teton, the Oregon Coast, the San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island and British Columbia.

• How adventure and wellness can work together, and why travellers are increasingly looking for nature, movement and genuine time away from technology.

• And finally, why getting people into nature is at the heart of everything Frank does, and how travel can inspire a deeper appreciation for the outdoors long after the journey ends.

A different way to experience North America  

There is no shortage of ways to experience America's national parks.

But Frank's approach begins somewhere different: with the traveller, rather than the itinerary.

It is about looking beyond the obvious, finding the right level of adventure and comfort, and creating the flexibility to turn a familiar destination into something much more personal.

Whether that means exploring Grand Teton with a private guide, discovering the wild coastline of Oregon, venturing into British Columbia or combining adventure with wellness in Moab, Northern Journeys brings the same expedition mindset Frank has spent his career developing around the world.

Because sometimes, you do not have to go farther to find a great adventure.

You just have to experience home a little differently.

Ready to learn more about Northern Journeys?

Get in touch with the Travel Kinship team for an introduction to Frank and his team.