SERGIY

Hello there!

My name is Sergiy Shalduga, I live in Toronto, Canada, and am the founder of ExtremeTravelJunkie.com. One of my biggest affections has always been traveling, looking for new experiences, and meeting new people around the world. I am also very passionate about sports and music.

Whenever I start planning my next travel, the idea of spending my vaction on a beach of some "all inclusive" resort seems absurd to me. Waste of time. It doesn't have to be climbing Everest but visiting new destinations, trying new challenging activities, and making friends with other travelers are on my "all inclusive" travel list. I almost feel like I have to push my boundaries and overcome some fears to enjoy my travel and come back home fully re-energized.

I found this need to challenge myself during my vacation a while ago in Sharm El Sheikh. Snorkeling, parasailing, desert ATV rides, trips to historical places, visiting local cafes and simply relaxing on the beach was how I saw my ideal vacation. In other words, to be lazy and comfortable. But when an offer to climb Sinai Mountain appeared I could not resist trying it. I knew it would be exhausting but I had to do so. The height of the mountain is 2250 m and the trip started at the height of 500 m at 1 A.M. Four hours and thirty minutes later I was at the top to see the unforgettable sunrise. So worth it!

Since then, every time the word "travel" is mentioned I think not only of walking upstairs to the second observation level of the Eiffel Tower or enjoying a spectacular view of Hong Kong from the Victoria Peak or visiting a Saschenhausen concentration camp memorial in Berlin, which are all great experiences, but also about my first bungee jump in Phuket, ATV trip to Egyptian desert, and paragliding in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The list goes on and on but, nevertheless, the bucket list doesn't get any shorter. There is simply that much in the world to experience that limiting it to some list doesn't make much sense!

Meeting people from all over the world is another very important life experience for me. Sharing different views and experiences among people with various backgrounds, whether it's locals in Egypt or travelers from all over the world in a Munich's hostel, is not just fun, I know it makes me a smarter and just better person. And, it makes me want more.

And, there's music. Always with me. Always in me. Rock, blues, jazz, metal. You know, the real stuff. Pure. Music that originates in a heart, not in a producer's bank account.

So, this is me. Do want to get to know me better? No problem. Follow me on Twitter.

DENIS

Hi there!

My name is Denis Savoshchenko, I live in Moscow, Russia. I have been involved in this project as a partner since early 2011. If you ask me why I decided to join this start-up, the answer is simple - the project has been designed for passionate people and meets all my passions! I do my best to fill my life with participating in exciting events and meeting exciting people. So, what kind of passions do I have?

First of all, I have passion for true loyal and unconditional friendship. I have known Sergiy since early 1980's when we met in our Grade 1 class! We are and have always been very good friends. ...Hopefully, not so old.

Another big passion in my life is music. I used to play piano but one day realized that I am a better listener than a player! As a result, I have visited about 140 concerts so far and a lot more to come. Recently, I saw Deep Purple live 5th time. Well, love is a strange thing.

And I don't know how to compare Chick Corea with Motorhead or Lenny Kravitz with Rammstein. I love them all! Different styles of music trigger different sides of my personality.

I am a huge fan of Manchester United FC. It is a long story to tell but in February of 2001 I was honoured by the Club as one of the greatest fans in the world by the result of very creative competition. 'Never say die' attitude which is a core of the Man United spirit gives me energy and power to break through the obstacles we cannot avoid in life.

This website is about adrenaline sports and activities. And I have to admit such experiences drive me crazy. I like challenging myself and asking myself a simple question: "Can I do that?" It's an incredible feeling when you've proven that you can! If I can't do something anymore (e.g. skiing because of a knee injury in a car accident), I search for something new. Last year it was a 10 days learning to sail course in Montenegro and jet skiing at the Atlantic coast in Morocco. It was unforgettable! Never say die, so to speak. So much is there to experience.

And I never stop searching for new approaches, routes and destinations in every aspect of my life. There are so many opportunities there that I just don't want to limit myself! I do believe that quality and diversity of your life totally depends on the effort you apply to make it more interesting and fullfilling. It is a simple but effective approach. Having spent 7 years in multinational corporations and accomplished an MBA course in the UK, I have decided to change my life and join my friend Sergiy in this exciting and passion-driven project. Hope you enjoy being a part of it as much as we do!

MARTIN

Hey!

I'm Martin. Originally, I'm from Cambridgeshire, England, but I've been living in Wales for the past 7 years or so. I inherited the development role for ExtremeTravelJunkie.com in Fall, 2010.

So what do I do, and how did I get here? Well.... since you asked, I've very recently completed my A-levels (I use the term 'completed' lightly...) and during a gap year from education I decided to take up some freelance development work which was posted on the popular blogging site reddit, which in turn lead me to Sergiy and we've had a fantastic relationship ever since. Prior to ExtremeTravelJunkie.com I've worked on numerous other community driven projects in addition to many of my own creations.

I can't really say that I've done many extreme activities, adventures or sports - unless you want to count pub golf, but I somehow doubt it'll be available for booking anytime soon. Having said that, I have been skiing in Italy which has got to be the single most exhilarating physical task I have ever experienced and is a must for the future and I would highly recommend it to anyone!

In my free time, which is virtually non-existent due to a combination of personal projects, freelance work, guitar and my newly founded love for my iPad whilst trying to maintain an active social life, I'm passionate about understanding how things work and have an unhealthy obsession with independency, which in turn motivates me to learn all sorts of new things ranging from DIY mechanics to microelectronic repairs (iPhone).

Guitar; something which deserves a little more attention than the above list, well, I played Piano from my early years and then at the age of approximately 9 I decided to learn Guitar concurrently. I stopped Piano not long after, and have been playing strumming away periodically ever since. My latest acquisition is an Ibanez EWC30 ASERLG which, to be fair, has had a relatively hard life and has already been decapitated once due to a series of unfortunate, unforeseeable events. But nothing that some evostick couldn't resolve and it truly is an amazing guitar! Expect to see some tabs on my blog in the future.... :)