Every year, there’s a moment when the team pauses not to slow down but to go deeper. EXP Guide School is that moment. It is an annual deep dive into the art and responsibility of guiding where experience meets intention.
Guide School was founded in 2016 with a specific mission: to establish guiding as a revered career in the United States. After observing how guiding was treated as an elevated, highly-trained profession in other parts of the world, EXP Journeys founder Kevin Jackson realized the American travel industry needed a similar program to truly raise the bar.
What started with just three people in a room has evolved into a gathering of 20+ guides. The school serves as a free forum for some of the top guides in the country to come together, share their anecdotes, and learn from one another. This collective exchange of product knowledge and field experience has fundamentally elevated the expectation of luxury travel in the U.S.
Today, the value of an EXP Guide is so integral to the experience that many guests now reach out asking EXP Journeys to plan international trips, noting it just wouldn’t be the same experience without an EXP Guide.
Each year, the Guide School location and curriculum change to ensure the team never stops challenging assumptions and continuing to elevate the role of the guide to be the best it can be.
Creating the EXP Difference
With inquiries for the Pacific Northwest reaching an all-time high, the Oregon coast served as both a primary focus for expansion and a strategic environment to refine the way the team explores new terrain.
Scouting the rugged Oregon coast
While the mission included a deep dive into this specific region, the goal was also to practice a universal scouting philosophy that ensures the EXP touch is present in every mile of a journey. To provide industry-leading experiences, the team must be able to enter any landscape and apply a rigorous methodology of discovery that translates a wild environment into a seamless guest experience.
The time in Oregon was spent practicing the art of reading a landscape through the lens of our guests. Veteran guides and newer team members collaborated to break down the tidal rhythms of the coast and the hidden history of the rainforests, identifying how to extract the most compelling narratives and exclusive access points from the field.
Plotting out the ultimate guest experience
By focusing on this style of intentional exploration, the team ensures that whether they are in the Pacific Northwest or a new destination across the globe, the ability to deliver a deeply researched and intentional journey remains a consistent hallmark of the EXP experience.
The Architecture of an Experience
One of the most vital parts of Guide School happens away from the trail in the quiet intensity of design sessions. Guiding is something to be studied and cultivated; it is an ever-evolving and ever-improving art. During these hours, the room transforms into a collaborative workshop filled with Post-it notes, mapped-out itineraries, and shared reflections.
Turning sticky notes into seamless logistics
The team stepped away from day-to-day execution to focus on the bigger picture where they could challenge assumptions and ask better questions. These brainstorming sessions are where professional judgment and accountability are refined.
By drawing on the collective wisdom of what worked on the ground and dissecting the “why” behind every transition and touchpoint, the culture that holds the team together is strengthened. It is a moment for everyone to collaborate with curiosity and respect, ensuring that every trip is built on a foundation of intentionality.
Discussing and sharing insights from past trips
Experience Design in Action
The core of the EXP philosophy was put to the test as the team transitioned from theory to the field.
“The mix of classroom and field time at Guide School is very unique,” says Guide & Resource Manager Kyle Sherman. “We teach in the classroom on how to do things and what we’re looking for. Then, we get out into the field and create scenarios that show guides how to adapt and actually execute what we expect of them so when they’re in the field with clients, it’s not the first time they’re practicing.”
Divided into four specialized groups, the guides fanned out across distinct sections of the Oregon coast, stretching from the historic port of Astoria down to the rugged landscapes of Tillamook.
Real-world route scouting, rain or shine
Each team was tasked with a specific mission: to scout their assigned region and develop custom programs built specifically with client needs in mind. This exercise was less about simply finding locations and more about practicing the EXP difference, ensuring that every discovery was filtered through the high standards and unique lens our travelers expect.
These teams operated as real-time experience designers, building unique programs tailored to suit varying traveler preferences. By scouting with intentionality, they identified the premier offerings in each area and wove them into cohesive, high-level itineraries.
This process serves as the backbone of our scouting philosophy, empowering every guide on the team with the skills to enter any new environment and identify the exact elements that turn a standard trip into a signature EXP journey.
Guides split into teams to scout unique places in their assigned areas
Pressure Testing the Fun: From Technical to Theatrical
One of the highlights of the week was a series of custom team challenges. While these interactive, high-stakes games are a staple of corporate retreats, we’ve found that the same sense of spirited competition and play is a powerful tool for small group and family trips. The goal was for our guides to experience these bonding challenges exactly as travelers do, learning how to refine the “wow” factor and the situational awareness required to facilitate high-energy group dynamics.
But the real test of a guide’s emotional intelligence isn’t just in the logistics—it’s in their ability to stay present, playful, and prepared for anything. This commitment to adventure often means getting a little… in character.
Scouting out the best spots for hidden treasure
To cap off the week, the team traded their notebooks for eye patches during a pirate murder mystery. It was a chance to practice the “theatrical” side of guiding, whether we are weaving a local legend into a hike or getting into character for an immersive family adventure, we take our fun as seriously as our scouting.
It serves as a reminder that while the logistics are high-end, the spirit of the trip is always about the joy of the journey. Mastering the craft means being ready for any unexpected moment – or any character – ensuring the experience is as memorable as it is professional.
Carrying the Energy Forward
This blend of technical mastery and spirited play is exactly what our guides carry back into the field. When EXP Guide School wraps up, the energy from those late-night mystery sessions and coastal scouting missions translates directly into how the team prepares, communicates, and leads. By sharpening both their logistical skills and their ability to stay present and playful, they return to our guests with a renewed perspective.
Fine-tuning the details that change everything
“The biggest benefit for me out of Guide School is when everybody gets together, shares stories, shares things that went well, but also things that did not go well during the season so we can all learn from each other,” says Andrew Roberts, Partner and Lead Guide. “I think these interactions, stories, and little tidbits define who EXP is and makes us all better going forward.”
The impact of this annual gathering shows up in the small moments: a perfectly paced daily flow, deeper personal connections, and journeys that feel seamless from start to finish.
Elevating guiding as a professional craft is not a one-time effort; it is a practice recommitted to every year to ensure the EXP difference remains consistent. As the team heads back into the field, they carry with them the refined skills and strengthened culture that ensure every journey is in the best hands in the business.
