It was great catching up with Executive Chef William (Billy) DeMarco at CRUSH Restaurant in Las Vegas.   Happy to share his favorite food, I was equally happy to enjoy  his amazing creations and interview  him - impromptu - over dessert.

Where are you from originally? 
Long Island. I moved to Vegas in 2005.

What do you love most about Vegas? 
The weather! I don’t miss the snow at all or having to shovel it.  Las Vegas is affordable, clean, new and it’s a great place to be a chef! There’s a great food culture here.

How did you get started in the restaurant business? 
My family! They owned a neighborhood pizzeria.

What’s your favorite kitchen tool? 
(Chuckle) A wooden spoon!  Really. I like them because unlike metal utensils, they don’t scape the bottom of pots and pans.

What’s your inspiration for CRUSH? 
The menu was designed for easy sharing and for trying new things.  I love to serve food that people love so I take what people love and create dishes that blend comfort and class.

Where is your favorite place to travel? 
Because of my work schedule and running three restaurants in Las Vegas (Crush, La Cave & La Comida) , I like to take off to places that are easy to get to and fun for my 2 year old daughter (His face lights up at the very mention of his daughter – I love this!)  Hawaii and Cabo top the list.

What don’t you travel without? 
My daugher’s IPad! (More chuckling)

To read about WTJ's VIP Chef Tasting at Crush click here.
For more info on Crush, click here

When the lights lowered and the spotlights focused on Bruce Poon Tip, the din of hundreds lunching at the NTA Travel Exchange quieted to a pin drop. Bruce is the CEO of G Adventures, the largest adventure travel company in the world and the author of the N.Y. Times bestseller, Looptail.  Bruce has changed the way tours are delivered, people travel, communities develop and employees work.

Leading with a simple but powerful statement "We travel because we are looking for something meaningful." I jotting down key phrases in the dark. These scribbled notes became the foundation for my exclusive 1:1 interview. I was motivated to share Bruce’s knowledge, mission and passion for purpose-driven travel. Not easily intimidated at this point in my life, admittedly, I was a bit antsy. It’s not often that one is given an opportunity to have a private chat with a visionary like Bruce. Every minute has a value and my goal was to make our time count. Gracious, down-to-earth and giving of his time, talking to Bruce was easy.

CH: Please tell our WTJ readers about the “noble purpose of travel.”

BPT:  We travel with a particular passion to see the world or experience other cultures but our motivations are different. The real noble purpose of travel is for travel to be able to change lives. Whether peoples’ lives change because of the experience they are having or because of positive impact on the ground when you’re visiting some of the world’s poorest countries. Tourism is a transformational way to inject wealth distribution to these countries. The travel industry has kind of lost sight of noble purpose of travel that has been my message for a few years now.

CH: Tell us about your "four pillars of happiness."

BPT:  Sure. The first is the ability to grow. The second pillar is being connected; connected to the people you are with and the thing(s) you want to achieve. Also, being something greater than yourself – that’s the third pillar. The fourth pillar is freedom –being able to make mistakes and think freely. You have to be free in order to achieve happiness.

CH: What are your recommendations for being a better traveler?

BPT: First you have to get away from all-inclusive properties and support companies that are not part of big conglomerates. Small companies are actually owned by bigger companies where the money doesn’t actually stay in the country. As a consumer you have a lot of power and the greatest power you have is spending responsibly and knowing where your money is going.

CH: What are some examples of spending responsibly?

When you are in destination, spend your money all over the place – distribute your wealth by using different cab drivers, eating in different places and shopping with local merchants.  Make sure different people benefit from you being there. There are a couple other tips about traveling responsibly – I always say never leave a country without sharing a meal with a local person because food is an international language. Don’t leave without creating some kind of connectedness with the local people. So many people travel and they never really leave their tour buses or cruise ships or in compound resorts and they never actually come across a local person. With these scenarios you don’t ever have to come across a local person if you don’t want to and there’s no need for you to learn about the local culture. Now that’s a shame. Sustainable travel is about getting to know local cultures and people because you bring that home and have a better appreciation for where you have been and what you have at home. There are all kinds of great benefits – you come home a different person. You bring that home to your family, to your friend and to your community. That energy perpetuates.


Interested to  join our newly forming Wellness Travel Book Club? Our first book will be LoopTail.  Request more information

About Bruce Poon Tip:
Bruce Poon Tip is the founder of G Adventures and is a champion of  responsible tourism and social entrepreneurship. Bruce has spoken multiple times at the request of the United Nations and World Bank, presented at the headquarters of Apple and Google, and delivered keynote speeches at TED events and leading entrepreneurship conferences around the world.  Inducted into the Social Venture Network Hall of Fame, alongside Richard Branson (Virgin Airlines), Anita Roddick (The Body Shop), and Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield (Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream), Bruce's first book, Looptail: How One Company Changed the World by Reinventing Business is a N.Y. Times best seller.  

Carolin Lusby received her PhD in Health and Human Performance. She is a  Professor at Florida International University teaching tourism  and she is the Founder of Climbing Horizons. 

We love what she does so much we created a new section right here on our WTJ website called "Doing Good".  We were happy to ask her what inspires, motivates and moves her. Answers below.

Last wellness vacation I took: Last summer. It was an active vacation with lots of exploring,  disconnecting from electronics like e-mail, phone and internet, remembering who I am and connecting to fellow travelers
My favorite activities: travel, being outdoors, SCUBA, sail, OCEAN, connecting with like people
My # 1 must have on vacation: nature and authentic culture
I don’t travel without: a bathing suit, I love the water!
The best advice I ever got was: Don’t take yourself or life too seriously.
This year I am going to: Travel to new places. I am passionate about the potential travel and tourism has for rejuvenation, peace, cultural understanding, local economic development and preservation of nature. 
www.climbinghorizons.com

Janeen believes, "We are all ordinary women that are capable of extraordinary things" and with that in mind, she created a 3-day International Women’s Day event called We Move Forward. The event has women of all ages and backgrounds coming together. Janeen's advice, “Believe in yourself and pay attention to those who believe in you too."   

Last wellness vacation I took was...to Bali. I was there for Nyepi, the Balinese New Year, where everything, including the Int. Airport shuts down and observes a day of silence and meditation.  I felt at peace in Bali.
My favorite activities are...sailing at night under the stars; exploring new places, meeting new people, and sharing interesting conversation over dinner & drinks; 
My #1 must-have while on vacation is...a wacky experience of some sort.
I don't travel without...a guide book and pen.
My favorite indulgence is...treating myself to a massage.
The best advice I ever got was... “It's a short ride Janeen - enjoy it.” My dad.
This year I'm going to...go all-in.
Favorite Quote....Most recently - "It's our choice whether to pay attention when destiny turns on the radio." Bruce Poon Tip, Looptail.

Last wellness vacation I took was…a personal and private retreat on Camano Island in Washington State with my mom, sister, and two “friendsters” – friends I love like sisters.

My favorite activities are…hiking, road trips, baking, reading, writing, family time.

My #1 must-have while on vacation is…good food.

I don’t travel without…comfortable shoes.

The best advice I ever got was…stop looking for approval.

This year I’m going to…learn conversational French (with the hope of traveling to France soon).

Favorite quote:  “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”  John Muir
www.wildernesswellnessretreats.com

“What better feeling is there than making other people feel good?” Staci Nicoletti, a Los Angeles based massage practitioner uses more than her hands to help others heal.  In October 2011, Staci began donating a portion of her income to CreateACTivity, a non-profit dedicated to raising funds for individuals  with severe facial deformities. Recently the sum of her donations reached $1,500, the total cost of one facial reconstruction. Her accomplishment of providing funding for one individual facial reconstruction adds a whole new element to Staci’s “feel good” massage practice.  

When Sara Beth Farney, Founder of CreateACTivity, shared Staci's amazing commitment and contribution to helping others, I had to spread the word. While the photos below are hard to look at, imagine having a facial deformity that prohibits living a "normal" life.

About Staci Nicoletti
Staci Nicoletti is certified in lymphatic massage, reiki, sports massage, cranial sacral, and other massage techniques with over seven years of experience.  www.massagebystaci.com

About CreateACTivity
CreateACTivity is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and funding for the medical expeditions that provide reconstructive surgery to individuals living with the effects of Noma, and other non-birth related facial deformities caused by disease, non-self inflicted violence, and acts of Nature. Noma is a bacterial infection believed to be caused by severe malnutrition that causes  facial deformities in young children with a 90%  mortality rate. Established in 2010 by Sara Beth Farney, a Southern California based esthetician with a vision to combine mutually beneficial partnerships with altruistic and socially responsible business practices within the beauty and wellness industries. For more information or to make a donation www.createactivity.org  

I had a chance to catch up with Kirkland via email recently and asked him if he would answer a few questions about what inspires him. He was good enough to take a few minutes from his surf vacation to let us know what makes him tick.  

Last wellness vacation I took was...now! surfing & hiking in Tofino, Vancouver Island.

My favorite activities is...playing with my sons which  usually includes hiking, climbing, surfing, skiing and music

My #1 must-have while on vacation is...nature

I don't travel without...my pocket knife

My favorite indulgence is...local micro brew beer and local music 

The best advice I ever got was...from my father, “Treat everyone with respect.”

This year I'm going to................hike the Inca Trail, Machu Pichhu, Peru

Favorite Quote....No regrets.