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About ToursByLocals.com
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ToursByLocals is made up of a group of dedicated professionals based out of Vancouver, Canada, who are committed to changing the relationship between travelers and the local people who deliver travel services.
Paul Melhus, President
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Paul has a BSc from the University of Alberta and received his MBA from McGill University. Paul graduated from McGill on April 30, 1983 and started his first company 5 days later.
The company was Didatech Software, a developer and marketer of educational software. As well as handling the business side of building the company, Paul helped conceptualize, work out the pedagogical design and develop the interface for several of the company's products - most notably the Crosscountry series and All The Right Type, a keyboarding instruction program. Both products are used extensively in the school systems of North America.
After selling his interest in Didatech (which had changed its name to Ingenuity Works) and leaving the company, he spent several years teaching and helping to develop several Internet ventures including MyTripJournal.com, a blogging tool aimed at travelers.
Paul has managed the growth of software development businesses for over 25 years. He also sings bass in an a cappella chorus.
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James, Customer Service Manager
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Forging his love for world travel with his commitment towards customer service excellence, James looks forward to facilitating unique travel experiences for our clients around the world.
After graduating from The BCIT with a Diploma in Broadcast Journalism, James worked as an Anchor/Photojournalist for CTV News before travelling around the world as a Videographer for Princess Cruises.
Based in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, James is proud of his Canadian roots and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for world travel with our clients and guides.
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Dan Bertasi, Customer Service Manager
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If there’s one thing Dan is certain of, is that he wants to promote positive changes on people’s lives. One of the many ways he found to follow his “call” it was assisting people to leave the comfort of their couches and see the world through their own eyes.
Traveling since he was born (literally) he has noticed his experiences and knowledge obtained around the globe shaped the person he became. It was during the summer of 2000 working at Walt Disney World, that he realized the possibility of making a career out of the travel industry, allied to his passion for the environment 4 years later he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Tourism Management.
His adventures have taken him to the 4 corners of the earth and he has no plan to stop adding pins to his map. Dan’s passions also include surfing, trail running, reading, camping, cycling, cooking, arts and climbing.
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Matthew Cooke, Guide Support Manager
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Matthew has been on the move this entire life, his passion for adventure and discover propelling him to nearly 40 countries on 5 continents. He carries a lifelong passion for cycling and his bike takes him nearly everywhere he goes, most recently a 2000km tour through the Colombian Andes.
Matthew studied Geography at the University of Ottawa, and has enjoyed different roles in customer service, including several years of leading tours in Southwestern BC. He has also worked on education and tourism initiatives in Cambodia and the Chitwan district of Nepal.
With friends all over the world, Matthew understands the value of cultural exchange, and treasures the opportunity to build relationships between travellers and and those who welcome them.
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David Young, Sales and Marketing Manager
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David has worked at many jobs over the years, but all have been customer service oriented. He was a waiter for 7 years, then in sales and marketing for 20 years, and then worked as a consultant in the software industry for 5 years.
After all that he wanted to do something completely different so he worked in the grocery store business for 4 years. Throughout all of this the vital factor was to ensure that the customers were happily satisfied. Now he is starting a new adventure with Tours By Locals and again the customer is paramount.
David has been an avid traveler over the years. He has travelled extensively in the United States and often gone to Germany with ‘side trips’ to Australia, Paris and Amsterdam!
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Michael Young, Guide Manager
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Prior to joining ToursByLocals, Michael worked at Movie Gallery, a home entertainment company. During the 24 years he spent there he held a range of positions, from Customer Service to Director of Purchasing. Whether the 'Customers' were internal or external, Michael was dedicated to customer service and creating a positive outcome for each customer.
He has traveled to many countries, including the United States, Iceland, Berlin & Munich, Mexico, the Bahamas and Belize, among others.
He looks forward to the opportunities and challenges in helping people realize their travel dreams and believes ToursByLocals is positioned very well to provide excellent service to travellers.
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Luciano Bullorsky, Guide Support Manager
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Luciano trained as a lawyer, but soon decided to branch off into the travel industry.
He started as a guide with ToursByLocals in 2009. By the fall of 2012 we expanded our relationship and assigned him a contract to help our guides in South America to be more successful. 2013 saw Luciano's role expanded further to a full-time position. As well as responsibility for South America, Luciano now works with guides in a number of other countries.
Luciano enjoys the travel business as it allows you to share experiences, points of views and ideas with other people. He believes we can all learn something from each other. He has travelled through Europe and both South & North America. He likes playing tennis, football and reading about economics.
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Colin Garritty, Content Manager
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An adventurous traveller inspired by the mountains and wild places of British Columbia, Colin is committed to fostering the success of ToursByLocals guides.
In pursuit of his own own path to guiding, Colin is working toward certification that will allow him to show others the places that
inspire him. This shared calling and a belief in empowering locals to harness the benefits of tourism has armed Colin with a drive to grow our guides.
Colin earned his Bachelor of Arts in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism from the University of Alberta in Edmonton. His studies included an exchange with the New Zealand's University of Otago and a professional practicum at Nelson, BC's Whitewater Winter Resort.
Recently drawn to the backyard biking and boarding metropolis of Vancouver's North Shore, Colin is eager to take on the Coast
Mountains.
He also plays guitar.
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Tomas, Internet Marketing Specialist
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The newest member of the ToursByLocals office team recently moved to Canada from the city of Brno, in the Czech Republic. He was living and working in Whistler when he saw ToursByLocals was looking for an online marketing specialist. It can be difficult to tempt people away from the beautiful BC resort town, so we’re very happy Tomas made the move for us!
On the top of his travel list is Peru (for hiking) and Vietnam (for climbing). He also plans to make a road trip around Canada.
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James Shen, Accounting Administrator
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An industrious, passionate and energetic professional in business and mathematics, James Shen offers his extensive knowledge and experience in accounting and business administration. James received his BSc and Master Degree in Computational Mathematics from the Nanjing University in China. He worked as university lecturer for 10 years, and had numerous publications. He also gained extensive experience and knowledge in Accounting and Finance when he worked as a financial manager in a high-tech company in China.
After settling down in Vancouver, he continued with further training in Accounting, Business Administration, and Payroll from Pitman Business College and Canadian Payroll Association. Now, in his third year of a BBA at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, James is on his way to complete the CGA designation.
Outside of his work, James likes to explore different locales on foot or bike. He has a passion for travelling around the world, and greatly enjoys nature and sports.
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Sara Cooke, Director of Communications
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Sara is the company's Communications Specialist, driving written content on the ToursByLocals website, and aiming to increase global awareness of both the company's excellent guides and its mission to promote ethical tourism.
With a BA from Queen's University and an MA in English from the University of Alberta, Sara has turned her love of media, writing and research into a busy career in Communications. She has worked as a media relations advisor for government, non-profit and corporate sectors.
Sara has traveled extensively through Asia, Australia, Europe and North America and is now very happy to be living with her husband and two young children on BC's beautiful West Coast.
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Dave Vincent, Chief Technical Officer
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Dave studied Electrical Engineering and Music at McGill University.
A co-founder of Didatech Software (later to become Ingenuity Works), Dave was responsible for all elements of the design and programming of the company's products - most notably the Crosscountry series and All The Right Type, a keyboarding instruction program. Both programs are used extensively in the school systems of North America.
In the early years at Didatech, Dave programmed all of the companies products using assembly language. As the company grew, Dave's role changed to design, quality control and management of contract and in house programming staff.
After leaving Ingenuity Works, Dave developed his Internet programming and database skills. At MyTripJournal, he was responsible for the initial development of the website, including the interactive mapping system.
Dave is an accomplished musician - he is the director of Vancouver Thunderbirds barbershop chorus and plays the trombone.
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| about ratings |
Tour in Monaco, Monaco:
"Very personable and knowledgeable. Excellent English. Readily adjusted tour to accommodate ship shortened port time and,..." [more]
Charles Tillotson - Sep, 2011
[view guide page]
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Tour in Phoenix, United States:
"Eric is a great tour guide: knowledgeable,considerate, pleasant, all round excellent experience! I will definitely book,..." [more]
Lorraine Lindenbach - Nov, 2011
[view tour]
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Tour in Leghorn, Italy:
"she did a nice job overall and is a very pleasant vivacious person. she went out of her way to get us into the accademi,..." [more]
Scott Baron - Jun, 2012
[view guide page]
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- You choose the ACTUAL PERSON who will give your tour. See their photo, bio, credentials and communicate with them in advance via our website. They are locals, living in the same area as the tour.
- ONLY THE BEST GUIDES. Guides can't buy their way onto our system - each is chosen by ToursByLocals.
- All Tours are PRIVATE, only you and people you choose.
- Guide services are priced PER TOUR, not PER PERSON. However, there may be a 'per person' price component if the tour involves external costs such as admission tickets, etc.
- Tours shown on website can be purchased directly - or the guide can customize them at your request.
- Full contact information provided after booking. Plus, you'll have access to ToursByLocals 24 hour emergency contact number.
- Looked through the site but still need advice? You can call ToursByLocals and talk to a REAL HUMAN!
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