Pavlos Zitakis, Founder

Pavlos was born in Thessaloniki the 2nd largest city in Greece, and studied business administration and entrepreneurship getting an MBA degree from the City University of New York. He founded ‘ExploreTheOutside’ in 2012 with his best friend Polidoros. After a long mountain bike session at Mount Olympus, the 2 friends ended up at the beautiful beach in the footsteps of the mountain and got inspired by the contrasting scenery Greece has to offer. ‘Explore’ initially an adventure travel company designing hiking, biking and kayaking holidays in Greece is now an uprising brand that expands in outdoor, water sports, boating, and cultural experiences.

After designing hiking and biking routes and adventure holidays for hotels and outdoor tour operators he got passionate about sea kayaking and got a level 1 coaching degree, 3 stars BU (British canoe union) at Pembroke, Wales. Soon after he designed sea kayaking trips in the Halkidiki peninsula with his mentor Howard Jeffs, the two of them led groups around the peninsula in epic seven-day journeys, the absolute sea kayaking adventure. Soon after, Pavlos took another degree as a water ski and wakeboard instructor always driven by a deep connection with nature and sports. Fuelled by his love for the outdoors, he embarked on a remarkable journey. In 2020, Pavlos founded Explore Boat Trips, specializing in guided private boat trips and small speedboat rentals. Pavlos’ passion has always been to welcome guests to our beautiful outdoor scenery, do activities, and experience all the stunning destinations his country has to offer.

After a long sea kayaking day trip with paddlers starving at the end of a demanding day, Pavlos said playfully “We make your lunch taste better”, being active in the outdoors actually makes us all feel better. His philosophy reflects our company values: being humble and true to our guests. At the end of the day, we just want to help travelers create authentic moments

#We make
Your Lunch
Taste
Better