About

Maia Josebachvili, Founder and President

Maia grew up watching too many Indiana Jones movies and decided at a very early age that she was going to try everything in the world once. It hasn’t been easy, but she’s making a dent. She graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in mechanical engineering (that comes in handy when rigging up bear bags in the woods) and went on to be a derivatives trader on Wall Street for two years. That wasn’t much fun compared to her side job though—Maia is a professional skydiver with over 650 logged jumps. She’s also a sponsored mountain-bike racer, marathoner, triathlete, and SCUBA enthusiast with some 200-odd dives.

It really came as no surprise when she quit her trading job to travel around the world for a year. Her journeys have taken her to over 40 different countries on six continents. Highlights include hiking to Everest Base Camp and summiting Kala Patthar (19,208 ft) in Nepal, running an adventure marathon race in New Zealand, extensive backpacking in the Andes mountains in South America, cycle-touring throughout Eastern Europe, and hiking expeditions throughout the Middle East.

Maia has recently returned to New York City to start Urban Escapes and share her love and passion for the outdoors with fellow New Yorkers. She has been guiding outdoor trips for the past six years and is excited to finally be able to do it as a full-time job.

Bram Levy, National Director

After a childhood of herding cattle and clearing brush in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, and living in seven cities in the last ten years, Bram has finally settled in New York. Since graduating from Harvard College, Bram has been an elementary-school teacher and a management consultant and is thrilled to now be serving as the National Director of Urban Escapes. Bram absolutely loves developing new trips and wants to hear your ideas!

Having hiked in the Himalayas, scuba-dived in the Great Barrier Reef, sand-boarded in the Sahara, snow-mobiled in the Rockies, and floated in the Dead Sea, Bram is guilty of an insatiable desire for traveling the globe and then gloating about his adventures. His most recent escapades landed him as an outdoor guide in Southwestern Spain through Olive country and at home here in the Pocono Mountains.

Luke Antal, Boston Director

Growing up in Boston suburbia, Luke has always been a bit of a playful rascal with an insatiable desire for adventure. At the age of four, Luke ambitiously attempted to “ski” down a 20-foot pile of dirt at a local construction site on a couple of old wooden planks. Although this particular event ended with a trip to the emergency room, it sparked what would be a life full of incredible outdoor escapades.

After camping in nearly 20 national parks on three family cross-country road trips throughout his childhood, Luke majored in Environmental Studies, played lacrosse, and continued his adventurous exploits during his time at Dartmouth College.

Upon graduation, Luke successfully convinced his future employer to allow him to postpone his start date by eight months. Given this opportunity of a lifetime, Luke left Boston in an old purple mini-van with a bunch of maps and a plan to engage in as many shenanigans as possible. Eight months later and his life savings nearly gone, Luke had camped, fly-fished, hiked, surfed, and snowboarded throughout the western US, South Africa, and Costa Rica.

After nearly two years of consulting in Boston, Luke is stoked to be launching the Boston branch of Urban Escapes and can’t wait to share the thrill of adventure with other Bostonians!

Adam Platz, Boston Director

Raised in Auburn, Maine under the shadows of local mega celebs Mike Bordick and John Jenkins, Adam developed an affinity for urban escaping at an early age. Following an eye opening 5th grade research paper on the NASA space program, Adam abandoned his aspirations of becoming an astronaut for a more “realistic” career. Given his affinity for the woods and hills of Maine, the outdoor industry seemed a natural fit.

His passion for snow sports soon materialized into a 4-year stint as a national ski patroller and following graduation from Dartmouth College, Adam put his degree in Astronomy to good use by landing a gig as a commercial hiking guide in Alaska and Switzerland. Adam’s travels have since taken him backpacking through South Africa, hiking in Patagonia, backcountry telemark skiing throughout the northeast, and most recently on a north bound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

After the walk from Georgia to Maine, Adam has now relocated to Boston to rest his legs (though he can still be found jogging the streets in his work clothes in order to avoid riding the T). Adam is excited to be doing what he loves and can’t wait to introduce Urban Escapes to his home of New England!

Jason van den Brand, Philly Director

Jason grew up in the OG suburb of Levittown, whose residents have been known for over a half century to be the “Top of the Food Chain.” This mentality carried him three hours west to Penn State and thus began his love of beer, rockin’ out to great music and fiendish vagabondage. After an internship scuba diving in Belize and a roots-tracing jaunt through Europe, Jason, with his top-ranked Penn State degree in hand, was off to explore the wild, wild west. On this solo-mission from Philly to Phrisco, he fended off jackalopes, truck-drivers at rest stops, and a wicked storm at Yellowstone where he surely would have produced better images than Ansel Adams, only this time in color.

With flower in hair, San Francisco stole his heart and he somehow joined the ranks of raconteuring corporateers and began an illustrious career as a glorified telemarketer. After four years of “slangin’ loans” and being well known in his inner circles to have good timing, better luck and a flare for crossing the line, he packed up a bag and a damn good woman and toured the world for a year, visiting 27 countries on five continents, including the Himalayas and Patagonia. Yep, it was sick. 

While Jason is always up for anything out-of-doors, he is happiest when dropping lines in the backcountry, whether on skis or on a mountain bike and is completely pumped to be starting the Urban Escapes Philadelphia division. He looks forward to meeting fellow Urban Escapers and sharing his love for all things outdoors. 

Dan Josebachvili, Washington, DC Director

Never one to shy away from a new adventure, Dan has been fueled by phrases like “I bet you won’t” and “you must be at least this tall to ride” for his entire life. Growing up in the badlands of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dan has had a thirst for excitement since before he could walk. At only 9 months old he threw his pacifier out of a 45-story window with no parental supervision. He hasn’t looked back since. His travels have taken him traversing across the Scottish Highlands wearing nothing but a kilt, swimming in Fiji wearing nothing but a snorkel, and hiking along the Appalachian Trail wearing nothing at all. A self-proclaimed explorer of the known and duck hunt aficionado, Dan has also kayaked through Vermont, glacier trudged in Patagonia, and been involved in snowball fights all across Eastern Europe. When not aspiring to become the Most Interesting Man in the World, Dan can be found wandering the streets of DC looking for pick-up games of any kind.

After graduating from Dartmouth with a degree in philosophy, Dan spent six months meditating alone in a windowless room high above the concrete jungle in Manhattan. It was during this time that Dan decided that he really does exist and that his passion for all things rugged and social would be best satisfied by working full-time for Urban Escapes. A well deserved three-month scouting trip in South America later, Dan is absolutely stoked to be heading up the Washington, DC office. He can’t wait to share his love for the outdoors with fellow Escapers out of our nation’s Capital.

Ben Kind, Washington, DC Director

When Ben was 4 years old, he built a rocket ship underneath his bed, where he blasted off for a week long journey with nothing but Cheerios and a bottle of milk. Presumed kidnapped or dead, Ben’s parents were relieved that afternoon when he turned up in the neighbor’s backyard face down in their drained pool. Since then Ben has been a fiend for fresh snow, shredding up the slopes on almost every North American Mountain along with peaks in the Swiss and Italian Alps. Inspired by too many NFL United Way commercials, Ben later escaped to the British Virgin Islands for a summer to build and restore houses and community centers.

Ben attended the University of Wisconsin, where he studied the arts of Economics and Interpretive Dance (usually simultaneously). After spending countless hours exploring Wisconsin’s lakes, Ben has needed the outdoors for sustenance. This drove him to backpack throughout Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Greece and Israel in a period of eight months. Even after learning that Capitol Hill does not have a chairlift or chili in a bread bowl, Ben is enthused by the opportunity to join the Urban Escapes team. He cannot wait for the adventures that await him in D.C.