Maia Josebachvili: Professional Rum Bum

© Maia Josebachvili

Maia takes flight - and now, she does it for a living.

At 25 years old, Maia Josebachvili has climbed mountains, zip-lined across jungles, and sky-dived naked. And now, as Founder and President of Urban Escapes, she's finally getting paid for it.

After graduating from Dartmouth University in the Spring of 2005, Maia did what most New Yorkers do: buy some grownup clothes, enter the workforce, and begin the daunting task of paying off student loans. A self-proclaimed adrenaline-junkie, she began working as a trader for a large firm on Wall Street, following the lucrative and promising path before her. For Maia, however, the promising path before her just wasn't promising enough.

"I tried to work a traditional job but I just couldn't do it," she says. "I found myself spending Monday through Friday only thinking about where I'd be exploring on Saturday."

Urban Escapes is Born

It was at this point that the wheels began to turn for Urban Escapes, the blossoming "Adventure Tourism" company that offers precisely what Maia herself was seeking: a weekly refuge from the city she loves; the rarely taken opportunity to live and breathe outside the bridges and tunnels of Manhattan.

"I was scuba diving in Siberia when I first had the idea," Maia says. "It was this absurd situation where I got off the train in Irkutsk, Russia and heard through the grape vine that there was a man who took people diving in the frozen-over Lake Baikal. Anyway, as I'm getting suited up, I realized that there are so many people who would be interested in doing this too, but just have no way of figuring it out on their own."

She started simple. Whether it was hiking, white water rafting, or even firing rifles and drinking whiskey (seriously,) Maia would spend her weekends taking buses filled with eager New Yorkers on not just trips, but personal journeys outside the confines of their day-to-day lives. She would provide the transportation, guidance, and necessary amenities to a good time, and the rest would take care of itself.

"It's basically the least stressful way to plan a vacation," Maia says.

With mounting force and increased interest, Maia began to realize that her passion no longer had to be her hobby. After two years of trading derivatives within the brick walls of downtown Manhattan, she tendered a letter of resignation and made Urban Escapes a full-time endeavor. A year and a half later, the momentum has not stopped, "The last 4 or 5 months have really picked up steam. We're basically sold out every weekend, every trip" Maia says.

Choose Your Adventure

Customers can now select adventures divided by length, difficulty, and activity. Whether it's an extreme whitewater rafting weekend or a Zen yoga afternoon, there is truly something for everyone. Each trip draws a different crowd and each journey highlights a different aspect of Maia's "try anything" personality.

"My next trip is Panama, but it's officially a scouting trip. Basically a free vacation: I stay in the hotels, do the hikes, check out the pools and beaches-all with the promise of bringing more New Yorkers to follow," Maia says, "Definitely one of the perks."

The month of September alone features trips to Vegas, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Grand Canyon, Costa Rica, and Mexico – each venue offering a different trail Maia will blaze in the name of New York adventurism. From jumping out of planes to a 600 meter trek below the earth's surface, the sky's the limit for both Josebachvili and her clientelle.

...And Make a Few Friends Along the Way

More important than just offering New Yorkers the elements, though, is an added desire to create a true social network. While Urban Escapes' slogan remains a simple motto of, "Live Outside the Bubble," her new ambition is to throw facebook to the dogs, with each trip carefully aimed at creating a true social network of "like-minded adventurers."

Group dinners and open-bar happy hours are a not just a bonus with Maia's company, but a well planned regiment of each trip's itinerary. "We call it ‘Social networking for young professionals.' Much more about getting outside and meeting new people than just hiking," Maia says.

So far so good. Urban Escapes had its first birthday party this summer and celebrated with 350 happy customers – all from different walks of life, all united by the same sense of exploration embodied by none more than the Josebachvili herself.

She would have it no other way.

Originally published September 28, 2009