British Royal Expeditionary Society

Houston based Adventure and Exploration group.

Imagine yourself on the deck of a sailboat sailing through tropical waters surrounded by beautiful lush green islands; or setting camp at the top of a snowy mountain. How about trekking through the jungles of South America or cruising on an ice breaker as you make your way through the arctic and on to the North Pole?

Now imagine doing these things and knowing that there were only a handful of other people in the entire world who have gone to some of these places; who have made these treks and sailed these waters.

Welcome to the official North American chapter of the Royal Expeditionary Society. The greatest adventure and exploration group in the world!

This is not your typical hiking, biking or travel group. While we do plan minor adventures throughout the year, our main focus is on global expeditions. We like to go places where very few people, if any, have been. We like to go to the places that challenge us the most. We like to see and do things that the average person never will.

Read the below carefully to understand if this group is really for you or not.

Who are we?

We are an old and honored society that is dedicated to exploration and discovery. We offer many opportunities to people all over the world to join us in our expeditions, to learn from our experiences through training classes, workshops and leadership training and to be a part of something that is historical, meaningful and impactful. We also teach and practice responsible global stewardship taking care to preserve the environments we encounter in our expeditions and bringing awareness to new discoveries.

Where do we go?

Let’s start with where we don’t go. We don’t go to neighborhood parks. We don’t go to nature preserves or city green spaces. We don’t walk around blocks or roam through city streets. Why? Because anyone can do those things. Because countless people have done, and continue to do those things. Because there is nothing unique, challenging or adventures about any of those places. Don’t get the wrong idea; there is nothing wrong with going to those kinds of places. It’s what ordinary people do. But we are extraordinary people and we desire to go to extraordinary places. Our adventures and expeditions are designed to be challenging, different, and in most cases, once in a life time events.

Our adventures for this chapter could take place anywhere in North America/Central America and are planned to take place throughout the year. You can think of an adventure as a scaled down version of an expedition. There are usually less risks, milder environments, more accessible locations, but still remain challenging, fun, and accessible to more people.

Our Expeditions are the real deal and range from the Arctic to the Antarctic, mountain tops to the jungles, oceans and unexplored islands. We try to have 3-4 per year. Expeditions are the ultimate experience and challenge. We attempt to go to places that no one (or very few) has ever been to. We say attempt because sometimes logistic issues make access very difficult such as being iced in, or when a major change in political climate occurs in the target country; which is why planning is so important.

Where do you fit in?

We offer our members the opportunity to travel with us on our adventures and expeditions. We also offer the opportunity for our members to share their unique experiences with the group and provide input to our operations. And for those who are truly intrepid we offer the opportunity to become a Fellow of the Society which is not only a great honor in itself, but it also opens up many other possibilities with regard to planning and attending world-wide expeditions.

As a member of this meetup group, you will have the opportunity to participate in the activities that we will be hosting such as our annual adventures and expeditions. You will also have access to upcoming workshops and training classes. Please keep in mind that not all of these activities are free, but will be offered at discounted prices for members. The exception is our expeditions. These are free to those selected to join (however, there may be an associated travel expense to reach the expedition launch point, but there will be no charge for the expedition itself). Expedition members are selected, whereas all other activities are offered on a first come, first served bases as there will be limited “seats” available.

We plan all adventures and expeditions well in advance to allow our members who will be participating to plan appropriately with regard to their work and personal schedules. There may be short notice activities that pop up from time to time that occur due to certain conditions aligning, but these are one-offs and not the norm.

Where are we?

Our global headquarters is located in London. We have several chapters around the world. This chapter is headquartered in Houston, Tx but we are open to members no matter where you are located. Our quarterly chapter meetings are held in Houston and are typically limited to the chapter council, but all members are welcome to participate where possible in any regular gathering. And, we will plan to have regular gatherings in other locations depending on member base.

Things to keep in mind:

This group has a small membership fee. The fee helps to offset the cost of running and managing the group as well as help support the organization and allow us to offer discounted rates for various events.

We are a serious group and in order to get the full benefit from being a member you must be able to meet a few requirements.

Must not have issues with, or aversions to, the following modes of travel:

• Air planes (small or large)

• Helicopters

• Boats (small or large, sail or motor)

• Buses

• Off-road vehicles

• Climbing/Rappelling

• Animals (horses, camels, elephants, yes, it’s possible)

Must be reasonably tolerant to insect bites or stings and be able to manage in such conditions.

Must not have any major issues with being in an outdoor environment for extended periods and in a variety of weather conditions ranging from very cold to very hot, very dry to very wet

Must have (or willing to get) a valid and current passport

Must be in reasonable health and able to manage (with planning) any chronic issues in the absence of medical facilities

Must be willing to acquire the required equipment necessary to participate in a specific activity.

That being said, will having an issue with any of the above mentioned conditions bar someone from membership? No. We are happy to have anyone join who would like to support us and our cause. Exploration, even vicariously, can still broaden one’s mind and make a difference in someone’s life. Every members support is greatly appreciated and helps to promote and facilitate responsible global stewardship and bring awareness to new discoveries.

We also have cool and unique merchandise such as expedition jackets with our Society crest as well as expedition badges for each expedition attended; something that will definitely make you stand out from the crowd. Imaging the stories you can tell your friends when they ask about your Antarctic Expedition Badge! All members will be eligible for a free Society support pin once you have been a member for at least 90 days.

Join today so we can start planning our next adventure together!