ABOUT PLAY IT FORWARD®

PLAY it Forward’s® mission is to provide all-encompassing travel experiences that empower people and enrich lives.  “Traveling internationally is a great way to push your own limits and get a change in perspective.  We introduce you to a country, a culture and a cause and along the way, re-introduce you to yourself,”  says founder Jodi Nelson.

All tours are designed around three components – volunteering, exploring, and connecting – as a means to exercise your mind, body and spirit.  PLAY it Forward’s® philosophy when participating in active travel, outdoor adventure and volunteering abroad is to “give back to locals in the places we play.”

PLAY it Forward® was founded in January of 2007.

   JODI NELSON

Founder / Tour Leader

For the past fourteen years, Jodi Nelson has had a successful career in the film and television industry in both Minneapolis and Los Angeles.  As a line producer managing relationships, coordinating logistics and maximizing resources, Jodi knows how to make things happen.

A habitual world traveler, certified Wilderness First Responder and WMI wilderness First Aid graduate, Jodi has traveled to over 25 countries throughout her life.  While experiences of volunteering abroad and active travel used to be stimulating in their own way, each cultural experience seemed to be lacking what the other could provide.  Jodi wanted an all-encompassing adventure travel experience that would combine all three elements:  giving back to locals, having a cultural exchange, and immersing into landscapes in the countries you visit.

In January of 2007, Jodi decided to fulfill her lifelong dream of launching an adventure travel company.  PLAY it Forward® Adventures is a concept in travel that merges outdoor adventure with volunteering abroad to give you an all-encompassing cultural experience that exercises your mind, body and soul.

Jodi doesn’t believe that donating money is the same as meeting the family whose life you’ve just impacted.  PLAY it Forward® Adventures offers emotionally charged, all-encompassing travel experiences that push you out of your comfort zone, making memories and transformations to last you a lifetime.

  NATHAN WORRELL

Blogger

Nate Worrell is a numbers geek by day and wordsmith by night.  His family lineage can be traced back to the infamous Yeti.  He lives with his wife and two kids in Minnesota.  Nate traveled with PIF in 2008 to Guatemala and suggested the term “Sojourner” to describe PIF participants.