Francis Tapon is an American author, speaker, and extreme traveler whose life has been shaped by curiosity and bold exploration. Born to a French father and Chilean mother, his multicultural upbringing sparked an interest in global perspectives early on. After earning degrees in Religion from Amherst College and an MBA from Harvard Business School, he left the corporate world to pursue a more unconventional path: walking across America’s three major mountain ranges and completing the coveted Triple Crown of Hiking, including a rare round-trip (“yo-yo”) of the Continental Divide Trail.

His wanderlust didn’t stop at borders. Tapon has traveled to over 125 countries and trekked across Spain twice, including the historic Camino de Santiago. Perhaps his most audacious endeavor was a five-year journey to all 54 African countries, where he climbed the highest peak in 50 of them and documented the stories, landscapes, and people often overlooked in mainstream media. He channels these experiences into his writing and public speaking, revealing insights not just about distant cultures, but about personal growth, resilience, and living deliberately.

Tapon is the author of Hike Your Own Hike: 7 Life Lessons from Backpacking Across America and The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us, both of which blend travel narrative with philosophical reflection. He’s also the creator of The Unseen Africa project—a book and TV series in development—and hosts the WanderLearn Podcast. With a TEDx stage presence and a mission to challenge conventional wisdom, Francis Tapon continues to inspire people to break routine and explore the unknown, both around the world and within themselves.