Spotlight: Jalsa Urubshurow, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, and Pioneer of Sustainable Luxury Travel
Jalsa Urubshurow has worn many hats throughout his remarkable career: entrepreneur, philanthropist, environmentalist, CEO, ambassador, and even luxury tour guide for the Dalai Lama.
Growing up in Howell, New Jersey, as the son of Mongolian immigrants, however, he faced far harsher labels. "I had grown men spit on me when I was five or six years old," he recalls in an interview with Travelzoo. Born and raised in one of the first Mongolian communities in the U.S.—descendants of the western Kalmuk tribe who migrated from Mongolia to Russia generations earlier—Urubshurow's family escaped Stalinist persecution in the early 1950s thanks to the Tolstoy Foundation’s efforts. They settled in the U.S. but endured impoverished conditions. “It was all dirt roads and no sewer. I had an outhouse in my backyard. Driving into our neighborhood felt like stepping back in time,” he describes.
This stark reality of anti-Asian hate became commonplace for Urubshurow, whose seamstress mother and disabled father—who lost an eye in a Pennsylvania coal mine—struggled to survive. “They did whatever they could, but racism was prevalent,” he remembers. “You can sense it. You can smell it.”
Overcoming such early discrimination fueled Urubshurow's commitment to empathy, inclusivity, and sustainability. As founder and CEO of Nomadic Expeditions, he has earned acclaim in the travel industry for custom luxury experiences in Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal, India, and Bhutan.
With pandemic restrictions easing—Nepal now waiving quarantines for fully vaccinated travelers and India reopening to tourists—Nomadic Expeditions is resuming operations. Highlights include a private wildlife safari to spot tigers in India and a small-group Himalayan circuit through Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan.
Nomadic Expeditions' unique origin stems from Urubshurow's unconventional path. Raised in a Mongolian community, he mastered carpentry by age 8, straightening nails with a hammer. This led to founding All-Tech Carpentry Contractors (now Nomad Framing), which won the first National Housing Quality Award.
Though construction was his trade, Urubshurow dreamed of becoming a forest ranger, inspired by camping in the Delaware Water Gap and hiking the Appalachian Trail. In 1990, hosting a party for the UN Mongolian delegation—family connections from his heritage—he received an invitation to visit Mongolia after its peaceful democratic revolution.
At 35, stepping onto his ancestors' homeland for the first time, Urubshurow was captivated by the sea of familiar faces. “I’d make the driver stop just to look at people. I’d never seen so many Mongolian faces,” he shares. Locals marveled at his fluent western Kalmuk dialect, calling it “ancient words.”
Immersing in Mongolia reignited his outdoor passion and cultural roots—pitching tents by yurts, watching 5,000 Demoiselle cranes at dawn. “These nomads have minimal carbon footprints while sustaining livelihoods through animal husbandry. Interacting with them is profound,” he notes.
Conversations revealed shared songs and toasts from his childhood, inspiring him to promote travel to Mongolia.
Launching in 1990, when few Americans visited and luxury options were nonexistent, Urubshurow built the market from scratch, blending American business savvy with Mongolian heritage. He created diverse itineraries—trekking, cultural, family trips—founded Mongolia’s first guide-training school (training 40 guides annually), and designed trips for Harvard Museum of Natural History, Massachusetts Audubon, American Museum of Natural History, Tibet House, The Nature Conservancy, and WWF.
Nomadic Expeditions emphasizes immersion over checklists. “Experience the culture deeply,” Urubshurow says. Luxury means unique encounters, like visiting camel herders on the Iconic Mongolia tour or learning Kazakh songs on the From the Altai to the Gobi Tour. “Families live in harmony with nature as they have for millennia.”
In 2002, advancing sustainable tourism, he opened Three Camel Lodge, a 40-tent solar-powered eco-lodge in the Gobi, a founding member of Beyond Green. Back home, his New Jersey office for Nomadic Expeditions and Nomad Framing is carbon-neutral with 200 solar panels, achieving LEED Platinum.
Urubshurow's influence shines in roles like guiding Richard Gere and the Dalai Lama in 1995 Mongolia, or hosting Michelle Rodriguez at the Golden Eagle Festival he founded in 1999 to preserve eagle hunting and Kazakh culture—featured in the BAFTA-nominated The Eagle Huntress.
His philanthropy includes planting 22,000+ trees in the Gobi, sponsoring music schools, and board roles with The Arts Council of Mongolia, The Peregrine Fund, Captain Planet Foundation, and judging for the World Travel & Tourism Council. He co-founded the U.S.-Mongolia Business Council. “We’re a tour operator disguised as a nonprofit,” he quips. “Founder and funder differ by one letter—you earn with your mind, spend with your heart.”
Guided by treating people right, he’s offered comprehensive benefits—medical, dental, prescriptions, 401k matches—for 34 years. “Things I never had growing up. You must walk the walk.”
He hires proudly all-Mongolian staff: “Be confident in your culture,” he advises immigrants. “No room for hate. I love America and my Mongolian roots—you can embrace both.”
Resolutely: “Nobody spits on anyone in my company.”
