Charlie Thurston

Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Charlie grew up playing baseball, basketball, football and any other game he could wrangle his friends for. He went to Duke University where he channeled his enthusiasm for sports and competition into supporting Duke basketball and Coach K as a proud Cameron Crazy. Charlie also found time to study, majoring in Public Policy and International Studies with an eye on joining the U.S. State Department. But an internship experience before graduation led him to recognize that path would entail entirely too much red tape and not nearly enough adventure. Instead, he moved to Boston and began his career at EF Go Ahead Tours helping others explore the globe.

During his time at EF, Charlie thrived on helping clients break out of their comfort zone. He enjoyed collaborating with colleagues in offices across six continents and researching destinations both fresh and familiar. And, whenever possible, he especially loved experiencing local culture, people and food for himself. His various roles enabled him to visit more than 30 countries during his tenure at EF. A few highlights include hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, summiting a volcano to watch the sunrise in Bali, celebrating King's Day on a canal boat in Amsterdam, and pub-crawling with off-duty Irish tour guides in Dublin.

When the pandemic hit in 2020 and travel ground to a halt, Charlie came home to Colorado. Suddenly burdened with an abundance of reflection time, he realized a key piece had been missing from his career thus far—a keen mission objective to protect and preserve this wonderful planet of ours. Enter his current stint at Natural Habitat Adventures. Now, Charlie eagerly brings his industry experience, passion for travel, and love for the environment together in his role as a Nat Hab Destination Manager on our Adventure Operations team.

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