Originally from West Paris, Maine, Stephanie Emery has been with Adventure Bus since 2003, and running the company for 19 seasons. She started out as a passenger on the Best of the National Parks tour back in 2002, came back for several more tours and did everything she could to be involved, until she eventually took over the company!

How in the world did a girl from West Paris, Maine end up running an Adventure Tour Company?

Born in 1973, I grew up in a small town in Maine in the foothills of the White Mountains, where my family has been for generations.

From ages 3-19, I spent my summers at Girl Scout Camp, where I spent days hiking, swimming, canoeing and cooking. My mom was the camp nurse, so I was fortunate to spend my entire summers outdoors. It was here that I learned essential survival and leadership skills.

In my teens, I was fortunate to do a lot of traveling with school, friends and family. A yearly vacation in Florida to see my grandparents, Washington DC, New York City, The Soviet Union, Denmark, France, Canada, England and Scotland were among some of my destinations.

My mom was a musician, and I too began performing at an early age. I learned to play the flute at age 7. I pursued every musical opportunity possible, including band, chorus, orchestra, musicals, select groups and music camp in grade school, and earned a degree in Music Education from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY. I taught public school for 3 years in Salem, NY before moving to Boston to pursue a masters. The masters didn’t quite happen, but I started my own private teaching studio giving lessons on flute, recorder, saxophone and clarinet, a job I found extremely rewarding, and hope to do again at some point.

In the summer of 2002, I took a two week tour called the Best of the National Parks with a company called AdventureBus. I felt like I needed some inspiration in my life so I went with the intentions of taking lots of photos (a hobby) of beautiful places and meeting like minded people. I had no idea it would be a life changing experience.

I instantly fell in love with the scenery of the Southwest and AdventureBus. While pursuing my career in music, I lost sight of my love for travel and the outdoors, and AdventureBus brought it all back. Hoping that I could perhaps spend the school year teaching, and my summers on the AdventureBus, I went on another tour, and another, and ANOTHER to convince Kyle, the owner, that I would be an asset to the company.

It worked! So in March 2003, I packed my bags and headed to California to become an AdventureBus guide. Little did I know, a year later, I would become the owner! So now I run the company.

And here it is now 2023 and I’ve been the owner of Adventure Bus for twenty years! I’ve created contentless new trips from Arizona to Alaska and back to my home state of Maine where I rode out the Covid pandemic by becoming a registered Maine Guide, and getting to know more and more about my beloved home state.  I’ve met folks from all over the world and had the pleasure of traveling with many of them over and over as they continue to return year after year to be a part of the extended Adventure Bus family.

 

You can find me on most Adventure Bus tours. When I am not on the bus, you can find me in Maine, visiting my family, or off some place looking for birds!