I’m Jeff Varner, former television news anchor and two-time contestant on the CBS reality show Survivor. I’m on a midlife quest. My goal is to make sure the next half of my life is more exciting than the first half has been. I’m a UNC Chapel Hill graduate and North Carolina native.
I am launching an experience travel company called Project Xplore. It will be North Carolina’s first and only dedicated adventure travel group that’ll specialize in local adventures branching out to international trips in 2017. We kick off our first experiences this spring/summer.
I grew up playing in the NC mountains. My best friends all live here. I’m an avid camper and hiker and try to hit Asheville as often as possible. I knew this town before the world fell in love with it. I show it off as often as I can.
On this trip, I tested our upcoming Asheville/Blue Ridge experience itinerary. I tried to do as much as I possibly could. I introduced friends to downtown with the Eat Asheville and Lazoom tours. We spent a day on waterfall hunts finding some amazing spots. We hit every inch of the Biltmore estate and spent time soaking in the mineral tubs of Hot Springs. We spent time on the parkway. And we did it all while staying in a cabin not far from downtown. I feel like we barely touched all there is to do here. My guest is from Colorado and loved it. A couple months ago I brought a fellow Survivor cast member here from San Francisco. She insists I make entertaining guests in Asheville a priority. She’s traveled the world, so that means a lot in terms of Asheville as a destination.
The plan is to be here by summer. I’ve launched my travel team from the triad but always with the goal of headquartering it in Asheville. When I’m here, I feel uplifted, creative and free. It’s an amazing place I hope to share with the world. I love how Asheville and its people make me feel. I can’t wait to find myself waking every day as a resident of Asheville. The people, places and things to do here show me me what it means to be alive. I hope people will follow me on Twitter: @jeffvarner as well as our company @pxadventure. You can learn more at ProjectXplore.com. The site will be ready soon. We will be looking for tour guides and exciting things to offer our guests. Feel free to pass any and all our way.
This sounds great I’ll be there!
Jeff, looking for a good speaker for high school seniors at a special event at Pitt Community College. These are students that are going into the Construction and Industrial Technology programs at PCC. I thought it would be really neat to hear from a real survivor how making their decisions for the future will impact their lives. I know Greenville use to be home, as an anchor here for WNCT, and we’d love for you to be ” On Our Side” one more time to impact kids lives. Thanks for your consideration.