And through his private investment firm, Bezos Expeditions, he funded the recovery of the Apollo 11's F-1 rocket engines, which had been sitting under fourteen thousand feet of ocean water for decades, and invested in a number of startups and technology companies, including AirBnB, Makerbot, Twitter, and Uber.
On a sidenote: Amazon chief Jeff Bezos' investment firm, Bezos Expeditions, was also an early investor in the cloud computing company.
Chilean firm Far South Expeditions offers packages from £1,650 – it's cheaper with a larger group of travellers; UK luxury operator Miraviva will organise a five-night puma-themed safari, from £4,825 per person (excluding flights).
A few expedition firms organise trips, but if you're not up to a multi-day desert traverse, talk to specialists Al-Fawaz Tours (00 968 2329 4324; alfawaztours.com): it has links with local Dhofari desert guides and can fix up wilderness camping on the fly.
WHEN did the expedition sail?
Discovered by Gunnar Isachsen in 1900, it was named after a member of a Norwegian brewing firm that financed the expedition.
So last year, Mr. Reed, who owns a construction management firm and leads hunting expeditions in Alaska, and his wife, Barbara Hillin, bought a house in Bandera, Tex.
The company's investors include Bezos Expeditions, the investment firm of Jeff Bezos, the Amazon.com chief executive.
Led by new investor Stripes Group, the round also had participation from Vulcan Capital (Paul Allen's investment group) as well as existing backers DFJ, DN Capital, Bezos Expeditions (Jeff Bezos' investment firm), Trilogy Equity Partners, and others that are not being named.
In 1891, a Congo Free State expedition received an equally firm "thanks but no thanks".
