Al Ste-Marie

Al's path into expedition travel began at a hotel outside Quebec City, where as a night auditor — the only staff member between midnight and 8 a.m. — he learned to solve problems quietly, keep guests comfortable, and stay composed under pressure. That instinct for hospitality never left him.

After studying business and management, Al worked in consulting before moving to Nicaragua to manage a yoga retreat center, navigating cross-cultural teams and the particular demands of guests who've travelled far to relax. Alongside it all, he quietly built his travel agent credentials, helping friends with destination weddings and complex itineraries.

Then he went to Antarctica — at 60% off — and had an epiphany. The continent was extraordinary. The process of getting there was unnecessarily hard. More people should be able to go, right now, for less.

That conviction became Unsold Antarctica, a specialist agency focused on same-season expedition deals. Running it revealed a second problem: travel insurance for polar expeditions was a mess. Operators required specific coverage but couldn't sell it across jurisdictions. Guests faced 30-page PDFs, buried exclusions, and policies that quietly excluded the very regions they were travelling to.

In January 2026, Al launched Expedition Insure — purpose-built polar and safari insurance, pre-vetted against the requirements of 22+ expedition operators. Currently B2B, with preferred-provider partnerships in development to embed compliant coverage directly into operator checkout flows.

Together these brands form The Unsold Group: a portfolio built on the belief that the most extraordinary places on earth should be more accessible, better served, and less complicated to reach.