By Kim Gray

I’m paddling with a small fleet of kayakers through the dark green waters of Loch Scavaig — a picturesque inlet located off the coast of Scotland’s Isle of Skye — when we come upon a colony of seals perched on a skerry, or small rocky island.

We raft together so we can observe the enchanting animals and, to everyone’s delight, one of our guides starts to sing a beloved Scottish folk song.

As his voice floats across the water, a handful of seals slip into the surf and swim towards us. Glistening and shiny-eyed, they seem to take genuine pleasure in the surprise musical offering.

Occasionally, a life encounter is so extraordinary that you find yourself feasting on it for the rest of your days. This feels like one of those moments. It’s also the kind of life-affirming — one might even say nourishing — travel experience that embodies the ethos of Adventure Canada.

Luckily, Cedar Swan, the company’s 45-year-old CEO, is on board during my recent Spirit of Scotland trip — the ocean adventure that memorably transports me into the country’s Inner Hebrides archipelago and the wild waters of Loch Scavaig.

In the middle of a bursting 10-day itinerary, I’m able to meet with Swan for a conversation about her role as the leader of one of the planet’s few remaining family-owned expedition cruise companies.

St. Kilda, Scotland / Photo by David Gray

How would you describe Adventure Canada as a company?

We’re in the business of creating exceptional voyages of discovery for the curious. We believe travel can be joyous, challenging, creative and liberating all at once.

Our guests come with a spark of intention. To see an iceberg in the Arctic, connect with ancestral roots in Scotland or experience Newfoundland and Labrador’s legendary hospitality. But those moments are often just the beginning.

What resonates most is how that original spark expands into something greater — connecting people to new ideas, histories and perspectives they might never have encountered otherwise.

What led you to where you are today?

I’d say a combination of fortuitous events and a lot of really, really hard work. I was born to two entrepreneurial parents who are out-of-the-box thinkers. They inspired confidence and creativity in all three of their children.

Growing up, both of our parents had a zest for life. They flourished in different directions, with my dad (Matthew Swan) as a co-founder of Adventure Canada and with my mom (June Bradley) as a psychotherapist, where her work focused on people and relationships.

Whenever we had a passion, my siblings and I were encouraged to explore it further. But there were always tough conversations along the way. Our parents held us accountable.

Group photo from writer’s Scotland tour with Adventure Canada / Photo by Liz Carlson

How did travel shape you as a young girl?

Adventure Canada launched in 1987 when I was seven. At 14, I travelled to Baffin Island, Nunavut with my dad. I was just a normal high-school student from Ontario and it was the first time in my life that I was surrounded by what I recall as a powerful collective energy.

All around me were people who were part of the Adventure Canada experience — Canada’s top musicians, artists, educators, Inuit cultural ambassadors and local hosts.

My mind was blown. Imagine stars and hearts shooting out of my eyes! That’s what it felt like. I knew then that this was the life for me.

You met your husband Jason Edmunds — an award-winning expedition guide and well-known champion for Arctic peoples — while you were in the field with Adventure Canada.

Yes. In 2010, there was a partnership between us and the government of Nunatsiavut, an Inuit region in northern Labrador. It involved training for those who wanted to pursue tourism as a career path.

At one point, Jason picked up a guitar and started singing and I knew in that moment that I was going to be kissing that man. We both just knew. I knew that he was the person that I was going to be spending my life with.

We were married six years later and have two children together.

Cedar Swan and husband Jason Edmunds in St. Kilda, Scotland / Photo by David Gray

In 2014, after a series of positions with the company, you became CEO of Adventure Canada. What does that look like?

I’m a guiding force. I direct the business. Not just the way that we see and present ourselves, but the way we conduct ourselves.

I love the creative expression side of things — the “group think” that happens when a new idea comes forward and we explore what might be the right path for us. It’s exciting and stimulating and, when successful, satisfying for the team.

I also care about the places we visit. I stay connected to the locals and find ways to make our programming unique. And I enjoy being with our resource team. We’re a travel company but what we care about is people and community.

My relationships are more than transactional. My contacts will always be my friends, no matter what.

And your siblings, you say, are as invested in Adventure Canada as you are?

Yes. Our parents are shocked. There was no pressure and no expectation from them for us to take over the company. It’s not common that three siblings go into a family business, but we love working together. It keeps us connected. Adventure Canada is a common story thread we share.

My sister Alana was our operations manager for over a decade. She knows all the rules and regulations and the expedition cruise industry as a whole. Now, our operations manager reports to her. She’s an excellent mentor. She works behind the scenes and understands the nuts and bolts of destinations we operate in.

My brother MJ has a sharp commercial mind. He’s very good with numbers and he keeps our sales department on track. He’s also taken on product development, looking at new itineraries. We continue with tried and true destinations like Newfoundland and Labrador, the Arctic, Iceland, Greenland and Scotland. But we’re now incorporating Japan, Canada’s West Coast and the Galapagos into our programs.

Cedar Swan (middle) with sister Alana Bradley-Swan and brother MJ Swan / Scotland / Photo by Victoria Polsoni with Média Mauricie

Tell us about the values that inform you as the CEO of Adventure Canada.

Intentionality. Loyalty. Fun. Curiosity. Intelligence. Having an impact. Community service. Trust. Open mindedness. Ethical.

When we visit communities, we approach them with an open mind and an open heart. We’re interested in knowing what is helpful to them. It’s critical that we consider community-led priorities as we plan and follow through with our expeditions.

The best compliment I was ever paid was when a client approached me after we had done something with a charity up north. The client wanted to know if we were a business or a social enterprise. She was swept up in the energy that we have around our commitment to, and true partnership with, place.

What are the current challenges you face as a company?

We are one of the last few independently owned expedition cruise companies in the world. We punch way above our weight — with 34 full-time employees, 150 people on our expedition team (many of them professional guides as well as experts in their fields) and 15 to 20 travel programs a year.

It’s a dynamic time in the travel business right now. Covid shook up our industry. There were lots of mergers and acquisitions. We’re proud that we’ve stayed independent. We want to cement our position as a premier Canadian tour operator and the premier option if you’re coming to Canada and you want to experience our vast wilderness and remote communities, especially in the north and on the east coast.

We have to grow in order to do that. We’re moving forward with optimism. We want to continue to maintain the ethos of Adventure Canada in terms of our business practices. But there’s a shift happening towards more digital involvement and the use of artificial intelligence. The cadence is quicker than it’s ever been.

How do we leverage these tools and maintain partnerships and human experiences? How do you stay a “people first” business, when this is where we get our joy, but still have efficiency? It’s a puzzle to figure out.

Travel is central to your life. Why?

I travel for two reasons. I like travelling for urban experiences. I love the hustle and bustle of London, England. Going to museums and galleries. Dining and nightlife. Exciting bursts in the midst of humanity. It’s energizing.

But I love to be outdoors, too — to end up in places where I can let my soul sit.

I’m thinking of the shores of northern Labrador looking out to the Atlantic and west into the Torngats. This region is a spiritual homeland for the Inuit and a place where I feel more content than I’ve ever been.

There’s also something about Scotland. I don’t know if it’s my Scottish heritage that makes me want to believe that I belong here, but I do.

In Sri Lanka last year, our family climbed Sigiriya, an ancient kingdom on top of a rock with a vast view overlooking the jungle. Something there really struck me.

If we allow ourselves to feel it, these experiences can bring us back to a genuine connection to the Earth. I think that a lot of us are lost, floating around in an unknown world.

I like to be in places with my feet on the ground. It matters. It keeps me centred and humble. Belonging matters. Roots matter. The Earth matters.

Clockwise: Cedar Swan with husband Jason Edmunds and children Charlotte and Islay / Photo courtesy of Cedar Swan

Editor’s note: Our writer was a guest of Adventure Canada, which did not review or edit this story before publication.

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