Education: English and Drama.

Languages: English, a little Thai, and smatterings of Spanish and French.

Tours Led: Indonesia, Southeast Asia, India, China, the Himalayan Kingdoms, Mongolia, Central Asia, the Trans-Siberian Railway, Australia, New Zealand, East Africa, Baltic States, Russia, Scandinavia, Adriatic, Papua New Guinea, Greece, Israel, the Gulf States, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, Caucasus, Turkey, Central America and South America.

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.

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.

Tours Led: Ireland

Info: Born and raised in County Kerry, Ireland, Ann grew up surrounded by traditional Gaelic culture and is, herself, fluent in Gaelic. She worked in a variety of careers before finding a calling as a trip leader specializing in cultural journeys/hiking adventures throughout Ireland, a vocation in which she has excelled for many years since. Ann is an extremely warm-hearted, joyful person with an infectious enthusiasm for all things Irish. She also invests a great deal of her time in voluntary organizations, most notably in outdoor programs for kids.

Education: Bachelor of Science. Music Management. Photography.

Languages: English, y un poquito de Español.

Country Visited: Has travelled to over 75 countries spanning all corners of the globe. From Belize to Brunei, from Egypt to El Salvador, from Morocco to Mongolia, India to Italy.

Tours Led: Italy, Spain, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Russia, India, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand.

Info: Journeyed through 66 countries during a 2-year adventure across the 6 continents that aren't covered by snow for the entire year.

Favourite Destination: The next one.

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!

Education: Tourism Management, CSIA (Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance) Lvl 3 Ski Instructor/Coach, Political Science.

Languages: English, French and Spanish.

Country Visited: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Nepal, Hong Kong, Australia, Egypt, Jordan, Greece, Italy, Sweden, all over Western Europe and North America

Tours Led: Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Switzerland, Baltic States, Albania, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Moldova, Australia and New Zealand.

Favourite Destination: Australia for its unparalleled natural beauty, cosmopolitan cities and an ever changing national fabric and Vietnam for its raw intensity, history, sights, sounds, and flavours that overwhelm the senses.

Education: National Tour Guiding and Tourism Management; Naturalist Guide with a mention in Taxonomy and Ornithology; Exchange Student in Senior Year at Saint Fulgence College in Quebec, Canada.

Languages: Spanish, English and French.

Tours Led: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

Favourite Destination: Ecuador because of the amazing variety of landscapes, people, weather, fauna and flora; Peru and Bolivia for their colourful markets, ancient history and the majesty of the Andes.

Education: Bachelor of Commerce in Economics. Further studies in Interior Design, and Greek and Roman Mythology.

Languages: English, French and a dash of Spanish.

Country Visited: Southeast Asia, Europe and Australasia, including Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Australia.

Tours Led: Australia, Spain, Greece, Italy, Cuba and Cambodia.

Favourite Destination: Any place you find me having a good laugh, and any place I have never been. That said, sitting outside a café in Rome, eating some deliciously cheesy pasta and drinking a glass of wine while listening to the hustle and bustle of passers-by will never get old to me. But don't get me wrong, I will climb Uluru faster than you!

Education: Bachlor of Commerce,Mountaineering Course from IMF(Indian Mountaineering Foundation.

Languages: English, German, Hindi, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Nepali.

Tours Led: Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Darjeeling, Garhwal and Kumaon, Bombay, Goa and South India.

Favourite Destination: Spiti Valey in Himachal Pradesh and Sunrise in Tiger Hill in Darjeeling.

Education: Tour Guiding and Tourism Management.

Languages: English, Swahili and Kikuyu.

Tours Led: Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania including Zanzibar and Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Info: James has been working in tourism in East Africa region for over ten years both in the office and in the field.

Favourite Destination: Just like the name Serengeti means in the maa language of the Maasai, the plains are truly endless. Its quite a feat to get there, but worth all the trouble!

Education: BSc Ecology and Forestry, Mountaineering with Western Canada Mountain School.

Languages: English, Spanish and German.

Tours Led: Cuba, Lesser Antilles (Trinidad, St. Vincent, Dominica, Guadeloupe and Antigua) and Western Canada (British Columbia and Alberta).

Info: My interest in environmental sustainability has brought me to the remote areas of Western Canada and my passion for the outdoors has brought me to the mountaintops of Ecuador.

Favourite Destination: Germany for the gemuetlichkeit; Ecuador for the Andes and the Amazon; and SE Asia for the cultural and culinary feasts.

Education: Psychology and an MBA.

Languages: English, conversational French and smatterings of Spanish, German, Czech and Laotian. And a decent Scottish accent.

Tours Led: Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Mongolia, Eastern and Central Europe, Adriatic, West Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Iran and the Caucasus, Himalaya, India, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Belize, Morocco, Baltic States, Russia, Ukraine, Papua New Guinea, Guatemala, Central Asia/"Five Stans", SE Asia, the Middle East and Guyana.

Favourite Destination: Tibet—The people, the landscape, the Yak butter incense. You just don't forget it, especially the incense. India—an assault on the senses but if you are ever bored of India, you are bored with life.

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, the Caribbean and Costa Rica.

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.

Education: English Literature, Art History, Education and PADI Instructor.

Languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, some Tagalog, Thai, Turkish and Mandarin.

Tours Led: Greece, Switzerland, Gulf States, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Madagascar, Adriatic, Malta, Turkey, Scotland, Chile, Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Argentina and Chile.

Favourite 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.

Education: Ongoing.

Languages: English and some Spanish.

Tours Led: Adriatic, Caucasus, South America, Middle East, Europe, North Africa and Ethiopia.

Info: Lorna has been with Adventures Abroad for 10 years, interspersing work in the office as a Destination Specialist with numerous stints on the road as a Tour Leader.

Favourite Destination: I love to travel anywhere that is off the beaten trail...Yemen, Columbia, Ladakh and Ethiopia have been a few of my favourites of my recent travels. Drinking butter tea with newly made friends in Ladakh or learning new ways to set a sail in Turkey make this job one of the best you could dream of.

Education: Bachelor's Degree in Geography; further studies in Archaeology & Anthropology.

Languages: English and some French and Spanish.

Tours Led: Over the past 17 years I have led over 150 tours through nearly 80 countries. Everywhere from Albania to Papua New Guinea, Madagascar to Saudi Arabia and Rwanda to Kosovo.

Favourite Destination: My love of travel and infectious enthusiasm for different cultures has taken me to over 110 countries. The further off the beaten path, the better. For a favourite: perhaps South Georgia Island, Isfahan in Iran, or Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic.

Education: Music and History.

Languages: English, Czech, Slovak, Russian; some German, Polish, Italian, and Spanish.

Tours Led: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Russia and Baltic States.

Favourite Destination: Czech Republic-rapidly developing but still very cultural and historical.

Education: Tourism business at Technological University of Quito.

Languages: Spanish, English and German.

Tours Led: Nicaragua, El Salvador, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Honduras, GuatemalaPeru and Bolivia

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.

Education: Business and Sports Management.

Languages: English, some French and passable Tok Pisin.

Country Visited: Extensive travel through over 60 countries, ranging from New Zealand and Philippines to South Africa and Papua New Guinea.

Tours Led: Mediterranean, Adriatic, Southern Africa, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.

Favourite Destination: There is no place on earth like Papua New Guinea; breathtaking sites combined with a fascinating culture, and amazing people. Anywhere in the Middle East; delicious food, friendly and hospitable people, a place you can never get bored. Singapore, best food in the business.

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, Uganda, Rwanda, Malaysia, Gulf States, Israel/Jordan and Egypt.

Favourite Destination: China: a constantly changing, exciting, complex and beautiful country. And anywhere in Southeast Asia.

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.

Education: Bachelor of Arts (Geography and Economics).

Languages: 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.

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.

Education: Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies

Languages: English,Turkish

Tours Led: Yasmin has been guiding tours through East and West Turkey since 1997.

Info: Also a translator, Yasmin has worked for Discovery Channel Turkey, Nippon TV and several film festivals. She has published several articles presenting an anthropological look at the confluences of medicine, medical culture, history, myth, religion and art, in Asklepios: Journal of Medical Culture, Plan B Publications, Istanbul.

Education: MA Classical History and Archaeology

Tours Led: Turkey, Greece, Italy, Malta, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Egypt, Israel, Croatia, Spain, Slovenia, Ethiopia, Mali and Burkina Faso.

Info: She has been leading tours for 15 years. Her area of expertise is the countries of the Mediterranean basin. She has a particular fascination for the imprint of ancient cultures on modern ones (culture, religion, cuisine, music, architecture, etc.) She has resided in Turkey, Greece and currently in Hammamet, Tunisia.