Co-founders of Grand Circle Foundation share tales from their "wild ride"

	The Vision Quest "In February of 1992, Alan and I went to northern Arizona for an unusual adventure. We were going to take part in an 11-day vision quest. We had studied Native American rituals, but were not sure what to expect. We weren't doing this for a lark; we wanted to discover more about ourselves, work on our personal relationships, and recommit to helping people. We had high hopes, but we never guessed that this would be the most powerful experience of our lives, or that a vision quest could wonderfully alter the way Grand Circle helps change people's lives." — Harriet Lewis, from Driving With No Brakes

It was after this vision quest, which included four days of total silence in a cold desert valley, that we decided to create a charitable foundation tied to our family of travel companies. In the beginning, it was a far cry from what Grand Circle Foundation is today—we started small, took risks, and made some monumental mistakes. What we learned, though, in those early years, was invaluable in shaping a charitable organization that has since pledged or donated more than $50 million to villages around the world.

The story of Grand Circle Foundation is just one of many transformational tales featured in our new book:

Driving With No Brakes: How a bunch of hooligans built the best travel company in the world

We reached an important milestone this year—it's been 25 years since we formed the Grand Circle family of companies, the success of which led to the creation of Grand Circle Foundation. Because so many people have asked us over the years—from family and friends to travelers and fellow business owners—we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate our silver anniversary than to share our story.

Not only is it our story, but it's your story, too—and it began when you decided to join us on this wild ride. Without the support of our travelers and community partners, we never could have made such an impact, either here in Boston or around the world.

Thank you for being a part of our journey.

Read what people are saying about Driving With No Brakes.