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"Japan is a fascinating place and our
Tour Leader presented it in its full allure...We had a marvellous home visit that was a highlight of the
tour!"
Beryl L (Palo Alto, CA) on Tour Code: JP1 Japan by Rail |
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Meet Our Expert Tour Leaders |
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| Our experienced Tour Leaders will bring the history and culture of your
destination to life, as well as ensure the smooth and safe operation of all aspects your trip. All of our Leaders possess an amazing
breadth of knowledge and love of travel; their expert guidance is a critical element of all of our tours. Below are biographies of just
a few of our Tour Leaders: simply the best in the business. |
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ALASTAIR
SMITH
Education: Ongoing.
Languages:
English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Arabic and Turkish.
Tours Led: To over 90 countries.
Favourite Destination: Madagascarthe wildlife; Greenlandwhite nights; Brazilnothing
taken too seriously when one is on Brazilian time; Easter Islandfar-
flung; and Italyeverything! |
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VICTOR
ROMAGNOLI
Education: History and English Literature.
Languages: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Turkish,
German, Arabic and Greek.
Tours Led: On all seven continents.
Favourite Destination: The next tour I lead, wherever that
may be. Who knows what interesting people I might meet on the tour
and what fascinating experiences we may have along the way. |
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KERI
MONTGOMERY
Education: Anthropology and Psychology.
Languages: English, Japanese, Spanish and some Italian
Tours Led: Italy, Peru, Bolivia, Cuba, Chile, Egypt, Adriatic,
Italy, Spain, Iceland, Greenland, Albania, Belize, Tuscan Rambler,
Ecuador, El Camino de Santiago, East Africa, Greece, Turkey
Guyana and the Caribbean.
Favourite Destination:
Places that make your heart flutter the first time you experience them or the 100th: Orongo Crater on Rapa Nui,
the Pantanal, Havana at night, the glaciers of Greenland, Iguazu Falls in the mist, Kyoto during the cherry blossom festival,
and the stunning Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia) at 5000m. |
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MARCELLA MOSER
Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts and Chinese Art History.
Languages: English, German, French and Spanish.
Tours Led: Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Greece,
Turkey, Egypt, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria,
Albania, Macedonia, Jordan, Israel and Cuba.
Favourite Destination: Anywhere with uninterrupted skies and
late afternoon light. The Gobi Desert in Mongolia, Thar Desert in
India,
the Patagonian steppes and Saskatchewan's prairies are spectacular. |
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SERRA
HUGHES
Education: Middle Eastern and Islamic History and English Literature.
Languages: English and Mandarin.
Tours Led: Greece, China, Silk Road, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia,
Thailand, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Vietnam,
Ethiopia, Gulf States, Israel/Jordan and Egypt.
Favourite Destination: China: a constantly changing, exciting,
complex and beautiful country. And anywhere in Southeast Asia.
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AILI RAUK
Education: English and Drama
Languages:English, a little Thai, and smatterings of Spanish & French.
Tours Led:India, China, the Himalayan Kingdoms, Mongolia, Central Asia, the Trans-Siberian Railway, Australia, New Zealand, East Africa, Baltic States, Russia, Papua New Guinea, the Gulf States, Yemen, and more.
Favourite Destination: Places that overwhelm all the senses: the ghats of Varanasi, the throngs of drumming tribesmen at the Goroka sing-sing, the Tiger's Nest monastery in Bhutan, the top of a sand dune in the Rub' al Khali. And the summit of any mountain, anywhere. |
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JIHAD
TABCHO
Education: Engineering.
Languages:
English, French and Arabic.
Tours Led: Jordan, Syria, Iran and Egypt.
Favourite Destination: Vancouver smiles, oceanside gelato
and mountain getaways are three aspects that sum up the beauty of
British Columbia for me. |
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STEPHEN
SCROGINGS
Education: Visual Arts and Sociology.
Languages: English and Japanese
Tours Led: Japan, Australia and
New Zealand.
Favourite Destination: I am fascinated by the
art and culture of Asia, and in particular Japan. The far north of
Japan is one of the region's most intriguing areas. |
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ANDRES
FERNANDEZ
Education: Communication and Psychology.
Languages: English, Spanish and French.
Tours Led: Costa Rica and Panama
Favourite Destination: I love travelling in Central America.
The natural history is astounding, all the birds, mammals, flora and
fauna! As a certified diver and avid sportsman, the area offers many
opportunities for diving, kayaking and rafting. |
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PABLO
GONZALEZ
Education:
Tourism business at Technological University of Quito.
Languages: Spanish, English and German.
Favourite Destination: Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador,
Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Strasbourg in France,
but I have a special interest and attraction for Peru and Bolivia
since I began travelling to these countries. |
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JULIE MOLYNEUX
Education: Bachelor of Arts from the University
of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
Info: Born in England, raised in South Africa.Has worked as a tour leader for more than 15 years.
Has led tours to China, Australia,
South Pacific
Islands, Seychelles, Kenya, and Southern Africa.
Favourite Destination: "For natural beauty
my personal favourite destination must be Namibia; I love the solitude
of the Namib desert. The most special destination I have ever visited
must be Tibet. I love the rich tapestry of this country's ancient
history." |
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BRAD CROCKETT
Education:
Advertising and Marketing ...ongoing
Languages: some French and Arabic
Tours Led: Over 50 countries including: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, (Kili) Madagascar, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Mali, Sengal, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Poland, Baltic States, Greece, Turkey, Northwest Argentina, Patagonia, Chile, Vietnam, Cambodia, India.
Info: Over 10 years of tour leading, specializing in Africa and the Mediterranean.
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CHRISTINA HALLAL
Education:
English and Ethnology
Languages: Spanish and English.
Tours Led: Mexico's Copper Canyon.
Info:
Christina has been working in tourism in the Copper Canyon area for
over eight years and seems to know every plant, bird, and what lies around
every bend on the Chihuahua al Pacifico railroad!
Favourite Destination: I love Vancouver's huge parks and
seascapes--in the Copper Canyon, it has to be Batopilas AND the road
to get there! |
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JONATHAN HODGSON
Education: Psychology and an MBA.
Languages: English, conversational French and smatterings of
Spanish, German, Czech and Laotian. And a decent Scottish accent.
Tours Led: Eastern and Central Europe, Adriatic, Australia and
New Zealand, Himalaya, India, Italy, Egypt, Belize, Morocco and Guatemala.
Favourite Destination: TibetThe people, the landscape, the Yak
butter incense. You just don't forget it, especially the incense.
Guatemalaone of the most photogenic countries you could ask for.
AustraliaMelbourne, Barramundi and a really big red rock. |
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LAURA
RUDDERFORTH
Education: English Literature, Art History, Education, PADI Instructor
Languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, some Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Mandarin.
Tours Led: Malta, Turkey, Scotland, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Poland, Easter Island and everywhere in Italy.
Favorite Destination: The Philippines for the fascinating underwater landscapes and life, Sicily for the abundance of delicious cuisine and wealth of antiquity, everywhere on Rapa Nui.
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SUBASH TAMANG
Education: Bachelor of Arts (Geography and
Economics).
Languages Spoken: Nepali , Hindi and English.
Tours Led : Darjeeling, Sikkim, Bhutan, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh ,
Tibet, Nepal, Kumoan and Rajasthan.
Favourite Destination: Watching the sunrise over the
Kanchenjunga from Tonglu in Darjeeling, especially the first rays
touching the mountain. |
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CHRISTINE CLARK
Education: Latin American Studies - Simon Fraser University, Event
Management- BCIT.
Languages: English and Spanish.
Tours Led: Italy, Cuba, Peru and China.
Info: Lived in Scotland and studied in Spain
and Mexico. A background in Hospitality and Marketing.
Favourite Destination: Edinburgh for its grey scale beauty;
India for the chaos and colour; Cambodia for its resilient people
and genuine smiles. |
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THOMAS EGLI
Education: BSc Ecology and Environmental Biology,
PADI Instructor
Languages: English, French, Spanish and (Swiss-) German.
Tours Led: Gulf States, Egypt/Jordan, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia,
Bali, Poland, Spain & the Strait of Georgia (really!),
Info: An interest in conservation has brought me to
work on research projects with whales and rockfish in B.C., sea
turtles in Costa Rica, and dolphins in New Zealand. I try to bring
my camera and tastebuds wherever I go.
Favourite Destination: Australia for its stunning
wide-open spaces and colours; Thailand for its spiciness, Indonesia
for its wicked diving; and Singapore because everything works. |
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IAN HUNT
Info: Ian is a world traveller from way back, having visited more than 80 countries spread over every continent on Earth (except from Antarctica). He lived overseas for 10 years, first in Europe--where he began his tour leading career--and then in Australia. He tries to live by the adage that life is too important to take too seriously, believing in making the most of each and every day in a spirit of fun and kindness to others.
Fav Destinations: SE Asia, especially the thoroughly enchanting Laos. Also love Tanzania and Zanzibar in particular.
Education: BA from Western and Masters of Art History from the University of Florence, Italy.
Tours Led: Italy, Silk Road, Mongolia, North Africa (Lybia, Tunisia, Malta), Lake Baikal, China (all), SE Asia, West Africa, East Africa & Japan.
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LINDSAY MACKENZIE
Education: BA Geography/Political Science (Colgate University, NY,
USA). Watson Fellowship for a year of independent travel to examine
transboundary conservation areas and community-based development
projects.
Languages: English and some Spanish, French and Italian.
Tours Led: Italy, Iran & Malta.
Info: Born and raised in Whistler, B.C., but has lived
in Switzerland, South Africa and Costa Rica. Spent a summer in
Kosovo helping to create a local NGO to promote environmental
education.
Favourite Destination: Cape Town and Istanbul for
their vitality; Namibia and Jordan for the stunning landscapes;
Italy for art and food; Costa Rica for la pura vida. |
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KATIE YANG
Education: English Literature.
Languages: English, Mandarin, French, Spanish and Japanese.
Info: Has lived in Japan, Australia, Italy, the UK, Guatemala and
Malaysia; was originally Made in Taiwan and spent nine childhood
years there.
Tours Led: Central Asia, China, Turkey, Cuba,
Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, India, Canada and the US
Favourite Destinations: Indonesia--beautiful landscape, people and the food! South Africa--modern history, landscape and wine country. And Guatemala for its colourful people. |
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PHOTO SOON |
VLN
Rao
Education: Masters in Commerce & Indology
Languages: English, Italian and many Indian Languages
Tours Led: Has led tours throughout Asia, including India, Nepal,
Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia & South Korea
Favourite Destinations:
All destinations that present their
unique cultural heritage... places of great cultural value, whether
Ayutayya in Thailand, Hampi in India or Sigiriya in Sri Lanka. |
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FRANCES
MORTON
Education: Institutional Management,
Scottish architecture, plants of Scotland and travel and tourism.
Languages: English, French and Swahili.
Tours Led: Scotland,
France
Favourite Destination: FranceI go almost every year;
the Canary Islands, and, of course, Scotland! I love hawking with birds
of prey and walking those Scottish hills. |
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CLAUDE
MORENCY
Education: Human Geography and Anthropology.
Languages: English, French and Spanish.
Tours Led: Mexico,
Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Morocco, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Seychelles,
Mauritius, Reunion, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo,
Benin and Gabon
Favourite Destination: Indochinathe diversity
of landscapes and cultures. From the mountain tribes of Laos to the
Khmer civilization... with the great Vietnamese cuisine as a bonus!
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ONDREJ
STREJCEK
Education: Music and History.
Languages:
English, Czech, Slovak, Russian; some German, Polish, Italian, and
Spanish
Tours Led: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria,
Russia, Baltic States.
Favourite Destination: Czech Republicrapidly
developing but still very cultural and historical. |
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DARWIN TOIVO
Education: University of New South Wales, Geography Masters
Degree. Vaucluse Institute of International Studies (France),
Political Science.
Languages: English, French, Swedish, some Russian, some Spanish
Tours Led: Algeria, Tunisia, Malta, Central
America, Morocco, Peru and Bolivia.
Favourite Destination: Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, South
America. In all my travels, my constant companion, curiosity,
propels me to learn the local history, geography and culture. Feeling
at home abroad is first nature for me. The thrill of new places and
people to share them with will always be close to my sense of purpose. |
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