This September is a pretty big month for MedTreks.

Over the next few weeks, four different MedTreks groups and more than 60 medical professionals will be heading out on adventures around the world.

And for the first time ever, I’ll be home for all of them.

For anyone who knows me or has traveled with MedTreks over the years, this is a big deal. For a long time, I personally joined or led almost every MedTreks adventure. I knew the itineraries inside and out, traveled alongside our guests, worked with our local guides, and was there to help navigate all of those little things that inevitably come up when you’re traveling.

As MedTreks has grown, one of the most rewarding parts has been building an incredible team of faculty and trip leaders who I completely trust to carry the MedTreks experience forward.

More than a CME trip. What happens behind every MedTreks adventure:

This past week, I’ve had several calls with the faculty and trip leaders who are heading out with our September groups.

Of course, we talked about all the normal things: we went through itineraries. Transportation. Hotels. Activities. CME schedules. Group dynamics. Local guides. Meeting points. WhatsApp groups. And all of those tiny logistical details that go into making a trip run smoothly.

But then our conversations went a little deeper.

What if someone develops altitude illness? What if a guest gets injured? What if someone is struggling physically and can’t keep up with the planned hike? What are our alternative routes? Where is the nearest medical facility? When do we change the plan?

Those conversations made me stop and think about something that has always been part of MedTreks, but that I probably don’t talk about enough.

Our trips are designed for medical professionals—and our groups are led by medical professionals.

And that matters.

Why having medical professionals lead our adventure travel groups matters:

One of the things I love most about adventure travel is also one of the things that makes it unpredictable.

Weather changes. Trails close. Someone wakes up not feeling well. A hike turns out to be harder than expected. Transportation gets delayed. The altitude affects someone differently than anticipated.

We can create incredibly detailed itineraries – but good adventure travel also requires flexibility. It requires someone who can look at a situation, assess what is happening, and make a thoughtful decision. That’s one of the reasons I feel so fortunate to have the MedTreks team we have today.

Our faculty and trip leaders aren’t just there to teach CME or make sure everyone gets on the bus in the morning. They understand medicine. They understand people. And many of them have extensive experience in wilderness medicine, emergency medicine, travel medicine, global health, or caring for patients in remote environments.

Although they aren’t the expedition providers themselves, they understand the inherent risks of adventure travel and can communicate with both our guests and local guides from an informed, experienced medical perspective.

CME adventure travel designed specifically for healthcare professionals.

I also think this is part of what makes traveling with MedTreks feel different.

Our guests spend so much of their everyday lives being responsible for everyone else.

Physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician associates/assistants, and other healthcare professionals are used to being the people who have to know what to do when something goes wrong.

Vacation should feel different.

I want our guests to be able to show up, put their bags down, and know that someone else has thought through the details.

That doesn’t mean we can prevent every illness, injury, flight delay, weather change, or unexpected situation. No adventure travel company can promise that.

What we can do is prepare carefully, work with excellent local partners, think through contingency plans, and put competent people in leadership roles who know how to respond when things don’t go exactly according to plan.

Small group adventure travel with experienced faculty and trip leaders.

One of the things we’ve intentionally maintained as MedTreks has grown is our focus on small groups.

It allows people to actually get to know one another.

It allows our faculty and trip leaders to know the guests they’re traveling with.

And it gives us more flexibility when something needs to change.

Our MedTreks faculty aren’t simply people who fly in to give a lecture and leave.

They travel alongside our guests.

They hike with them. Eat meals with them. Teach CME sessions in some pretty incredible places. Answer questions. Share stories. And become part of the group.

By the end of a MedTreks adventure, it often feels a lot less like traveling with a traditional tour group and a lot more like traveling with a group of friends.

Wilderness and Travel Medicine are part of how we think through our logistics. 

Maybe it’s because of my own background in emergency and wilderness medicine, but I’ve always believed that preparedness is an important part of adventure travel.

You hope you never need the backup plan.

But you should have one.

Our team thinks about the environment we’re traveling through, the physical demands of an itinerary, access to medical care, evacuation options, altitude, weather, transportation, and the individual needs of our groups.

Many of our CME adventures also incorporate wilderness medicine, travel medicine, global health, wellness, or other topics that make sense for the destination we’re exploring.

The world becomes our classroom.

And I think there is something really special about learning medicine in the environments where those lessons suddenly become very real.

Why Healthcare Professionals travel with MedTreks

If you’re considering your first MedTreks CME adventure and feeling a little nervous about traveling with people you don’t know, tackling a challenging hike, visiting a remote destination, or simply stepping outside of your comfort zone, I understand.

Adventure should stretch us a little.

But you shouldn’t feel like you’re doing it alone.

Come prepared. Bring your curiosity. Be willing to try something new. Ask questions. Challenge yourself. Make some new friends.

And know that behind your adventure is a team of people who have spent a lot of time thinking through the details – including the things we hope never happen.

CME travel that lets medical professionals actually take a vacation.

This might be one of the things I love most about what we’ve created.

You spend your professional life caring for other people.

For a week, we want you to let someone else handle the details. And actually take a vacation.

This September, we’re so excited to welcome both new faces and so many returning MedTreks travelers as our groups head out into the world.

Grateful for the guests who continue to trust us with their adventures, for the new travelers taking a chance on their first MedTreks experience, and for the incredible team of faculty, trip leaders, guides and partners who make it all possible.

Here’s to new places, new friendships, a few good challenges, and a whole lot of adventure. I can’t wait to see where September takes everyone. 

See you out there,

Ari