in 1958 lars-eric lindblad, considered the father of eco travel, founded lindblad travel and pioneered the first non-scientific expeditions to antarctica (1966) and galápagos (1967), subsequently opening the amazon, papua new guinea, china, bhutan, and more to curious, respectful travelers. in 1979, his son sven-olof lindblad founded special expeditions, eventually re-named lindblad expeditions, specializing in ship-based expedition travel. in 2004 lindblad expeditions forged an unprecedented alliance with national geographic with a joint mission “to inspire people to explore and care about the planet through expedition travel.” today the company operates a fleet of 10 ships, including the 148-guest national geographic explorer, the world’s ultimate expedition ship, and the 106-guest national geographic orion, the newest ship in the lindblad-national geographic fleet. all ships sail equipped with sophisticated exploration tools, to provide unique, immersive experiences in the planet’s