David Moore, President
David’s devotion to adventure and exploring South America has taken him virtually to most of this vast continent. Most notably, after graduating from UT, he traveled overland from Texas to Buenos Aires, Argentina. This trek, all by land except for a short flight from Panama to Colombia, took 2 ½ months and completely immersed him in the cultures and beauty of this vast continent. A career in South American travel followed, starting with 10 years in sales at Braniff International, the premier airline to S.A. in the 70s. After Braniff, David was compelled to focus his talents on promoting one of his favorite, and at the time, little-known destination Ecuador and its enchanted Galapagos Islands. The neighboring countries of Peru, Argentina, Chile and Bolivia complete the Andean experience. He continues to travel often to the region.
From rain forests to snow-capped mountains, these countries provide an unrivaled atmosphere of mystery and beauty. David is a specialist in all areas of travel to Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile and Bolivia. His extensive travels in the region, remote and well-known, give him more than a slight leg-up on the competition. David can help travelers navigate through the sea of unpronounceable names and mysterious locales to find the perfect adventure of a lifetime.
Pablo Peña, CEO
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Born in Quito, Ecuador, Pablo has been involved in the tourism industry since 1993. With studies in Law, Business and Operations, he joined Metropolitan Touring´s group as Manager of the Galapagos Division, supervising the operation of the company's ships in the Galapagos Islands. He gradually acquired more responsibilities until he was appointed Operations VP in charge of the inbound operations, including the Galapagos activities, land services in mainland Ecuador as well as in charge of the development of new projects for the firm. During his tenure at Metropolitan Touring, Pablo was also very active within ASOGAL, the Galapagos Tour Operators Association, and served as it's President between 1999 and 2003 and as Vicepresident from 2003 to 2006. On November 2006 he was appointed CEO of Adventure Associates and moved to Dallas, TX, together with his wife and two small children.
Pablo's passion for travel, nature and sports, combined with his organizational skills and experience, are a great contribution to Adventure Associates.
Maura Farrier / Sales Representative
Maura was born in Havana, Cuba and grew up in the bustling port city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. During her time in South America she became passionate about international tourism, eventually graduating with a degree in tourism, as well as mastering English, French and Portuguese. Her professional career started in 2005 guiding passengers along the Guayas river. She then worked as a guide for Metropolitan Touring, and within three years became the operations chief for their Guayaquil office. In 2011, Maura and her husband moved to Florida where she began working with Adventure Associates as their sales representative. Maura continues learning languages and is now studying Japanese, Mandarin and German.
Her hobbies include playing soccer, traveling, and connecting with people. Having traveled extensively around Ecuador, Peru and Chile, Maura considers South America to be the best destination for international travel. The landscapes are unforgettable and the people make you feel at right at home.
Kristina Bell, Account Manager
Originally from Sweden, Kristina’s love for international travel began with Braniff, took her to Swissair and fortunately, brought her to us. She brings 30 years of travel experience to the clients of Adventure Associates including incentive sales planning, international account management, and corporate and group travel.
While enjoying numerous trips to Europe, Hawaii, Japan and Malaysia, Kristina believes no place compares to South America. Having explored Ecuador, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Brazil, she gladly reports: “The countries are majestic and the people are delightful. They have genuine desire to share their country with you." Kristina’s real gift is being able to use her knowledge to bring people closer to their ideal travel experience. “Taking a destination that seems so far away, and making it near, taking the dream and making it a reality, is the best part of what I do.”
Barbara Cramer, Bookkeeper
Barbara was born in New York, spent her teen years in Southern California and settled in Texas in 1993 with her husband and two children. Formerly the Head of Administration for a public accounting firm in Los Angeles, she began a bookkeeping service when she moved to Texas. Over the years she has enjoyed traveling to Europe, Israel and many cities in the United States and hopes to some day travel to South America and the Galapagos Islands.
Douglas Legrand/Account Manager
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Traveled frequently throughout his childhood, Douglas developed a special appreciation and affinity for international destinations and experiences at an early age. For the most part he had only been around North America and gone to Europe a few times, but during his junior year at Texas A&M University, Douglas left to study abroad in Pretoria, South Africa. This experience is what Douglas attributes for fostering his great fondness and passion for international travel. In the summer of 2005, Douglas embarked on a two year Peace Corps assignment in the middle Andes region of Peru. He worked in the small business development program and was teamed up with an association of ceramics makers while living among the members in their small community. During this time, he was able to experience Peru in its entirety- its many amazing cultures and its truly diverse regions over the coastal, mountain and jungle areas. Douglas also relished the opportunity to travel to many other destinations in South America and has since been back several times.
About Adventure Associates
