A step-on guide needs to be more than someone who can state some facts about a place. At Bell Tours, we believe that a step-on guide should be part master storyteller, part confident travel planner and part trusted companion. They are someone who looks after your traveller’s needs, making them feel comfortable and safe during every step of their visit.
Whether travelling as couples, family groups or in a larger group, our step-on guides will swiftly prove their worth. In addition to offering their insight about the places being visited, they will also be able to recommend special events or attractions related to your client interests. Thanks to their specialized training and personal relationships within the area, our guides also make it possible to gain a deeper understanding of the local culture and history. And if people need ideas for side-tours or short outings at the destination, there is simply no one better than our tour directors and guides. They will be more than happy to help sort out all the details.
Tell Bell Tours about your travel needs are and we will make certain that the best step-on guide or tour director is there to greet and entertain your guests.
Available Languages:
English, German, Greek, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Japanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hindi and Tagalog. More on request
Meet Our Guides
Pam Schewe
A born and raised British Columbian girl, I spent more than 25 years happily working as a radio DJ in Vancouver traveling whenever I could. The urge to roam led me to make the leap to guiding a few years ago though and I’ve never looked back. Traveling the world with other curious minds and getting to show off the beauty of my own backyard can hardly be considered work but I’m thankful for my business card. The exchange of cultures, the opportunities to learn and the fun stories I collect will be with me forever.
Marlene Kumnick
As a British Columbia native, having spent all of her life exploring the western provinces, Marlene Kumnick has a passion for sharing her knowledge and love of this part of the world with others. With degrees in everything from Music to Medieval Studies to Landscape Design, Marlene is interested in a wide variety of subjects and is always happy to teach and learn more from those she leads. She even teaches tourism to others when not on the road!
She is a certified tour director and master gardener, equally happy indoors as out. Always on the lookout for unique cultural experiences, travel, and learning opportunities, she is a true tourism professional ready to show you the very best western Canada has to offer.
Rachel Bertsch
Rachel has been fortunate to travel to nearly a 100 countries over the past dozen years and has lead tours in over 20. Her favourite tour destination is Canada, showcasing the landscapes and heritage of her young and beautiful country. An avid adventurist, Rachel has cycled nearly the entire province of BC, kayaked most of its coastline and hiked from one end of the Rockies to the other. But she enjoys a good bus and plane ride too.
Phil Jackson
The talented Bell Tour guides form the backbone of our company and possess a huge pool of knowledge that they are keen to share with visitors. Born in England, Phil went to university in the UK and Germany and lived in Switzerland for many years before moving to Canada. Fluent in French, German and English, Phil is a much sought after guide in Victoria, the beautiful capital of the province of British Columbia on Canada’s West Coast.
Meet Bill Giuriato
Born and raised here in Vancouver , I studied modern languages at UBC, obtaining a BA in French and eventually an MA in French Literature.
I have spent most of my adult years teaching French in high schools in Vancouver. These years have been punctuated by a year of study at Université Francois Rabelais in Tours, France.
I began guide career in the mid 80’s and thoroughly enjoy showing this beautiful region to visitors. I believe that in addition to historical and factual information a good guide is one who transmits the ” pulse” of a city. In my spare time I enjoy travelling, playing a variety of sports, riding my motorcycle and time with my family. Hope to see you here in Vancouver!
Erik Stevenson
I have been a tour guide, director and operator for the last 15 years in North America, Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico, and Western Europe. I am fluent in three languages (French, Spanish, and English). Travelling and learning about other cultures and languages have always been a passion of mine. Also, being a former collegiate volleyball (U of Ottawa) and basketball (U of Valencia) player I have a love for sports and physical education.
Marta Porras
La beauté du Canada
Tour guiding is one of the most wonderful opportunities to experience first hand the beauty of Canada. I was born in Venezuela and been living in the West Coast for many years. I really believe that travelling is one of the best ways to bring people closer and to learn from each other. I speak English, French, Portuguese and Spanish is my native language.
Ursula Alberts
Ursula Alberts was born and raised in Berlin, Germany, but Canada has been her home since 1974. Because Ursula love this country, especially the area of Western Canada,she has made it a career to show people the region’s highlights. Shebecame a Vancouver city guide in 2001 specialising in Vancouver, but she also leads groups to Whistler and Victoria. If you want to have a good time and see interesting places, then come and join Ursula on a tour. Ursula is fluent in German and English.
Georges Diard
Born in France. Worked 40 years for Lafarge Cement(10 years in France,30 years in Vancouver).Married more than 50 years to a girl from Paris. I have been a Vancouver city and Victoria city tour guide in French and English for more than 20 years. My hobbies are golf ,tour guiding in Vancouver, walking, reading, socializing and travelling. I want people at the end of the tour to have general information on Vancouver history, population, economy, quality of life, cost of housing, climate, universities etc. I especially want people to have found the tour enjoyable .
Phil Storey
Born in Liverpool, England, Phil emigrated to Canada in 1990 and worked in retail travel near Toronto then moved to Vancouver in 2004, again having 4 years in retail travel and also working at Vancouver Airport in Customer Service.
Phil has travelled in 46 of the American states, most of Europe, South Africa, South America, Brazil and Chile, Asia Hong Kong, and Australia. His hobbies include amateur radio for which Phil has held a license for 30 years and have operated in various countries, including last April at a Canadian special event station at Vimy Ridge in Normandy, France to commemorate the centenary of the 1917 Battle after which he spent 2 weeks touring Normandy, Brittany and Paris. Besides amateur radio Phil also enjoys travelling and sailing.
Lorna Lissner
Lorna’s travels date back many years. She has spent many years travelling independently, has worked as an international tour guide as well as a local guide in various locations in Canada. she has covered the middle east, Africa, west and east Europe , western Asia, Finland, Russia and even central and south America.
Whether she is leading tours in Canada or abroad she is always looking forward to learning new things and experiencing new traditions.
Perfect motto for life….”life is not measured by the number of breaths you take… its the number of moments that take your breath away”.
Jim Walker
Jim Walker’s passion for showing visitors the highlights of Calgary and the Canadian Rockies is– Rotary International, Calgary Ad and Sales Club, and Toastmasters evident in his 7-year work history with the local travel industry. A 36 year resident of Calgary, Jim is a former Calgary Herald newspaper Sales Manager. Jim became very active with many local organizations International.
Jim has traveled to many parts of the world working with J.D. Power. These countries include India, Indonesian, Singapore, Thailand, Brazil, Guyana, Mexico, Caribbean, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Germany and Lithuania. Jim was also a National Trainer for Chrysler Canada for 8 years and markets himself as a ‘customer satisfaction specialist’.
For recreational activities, Jim loves to take ocean cruises and travel to new destinations around the world. He is a DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster with Toastmasters International), twice a Western Canadian Champion in full contact Tae Kwon Do tournaments and is a licensed private pilot. Jim enjoys showing visitors the beauty of the Canadian Rockies and of course, his home city of Calgary.
Robert Ogden
Born and raised in Deep Cove, North Vancouver Robert took off on a world-wide sojourn in 1988 and didn’t look back. With experiences ranging from a hotel barge captain, sailor, ski and snowboard instructor, alpine hotel manager, tour leader and guide, he has visited more than 70 countries, and worked and led tours in over 50. After recently settling down back in his birthplace he is feeding his passion for adventure by spending the winters as a manager at a local ski resort and summers leading tours throughout the Rockies and British Columbia.
Robert Turenne
Robert Turenne has been a Tour Guide for 5 years and during that time has led over forty tours across Canada, Mexico, the United States and Iceland. His tours have included train trips, bus tours, coastal cruises, and grizzly and whale watching tours from a kayak. Robert enjoys meeting people from around the world and educating them about the history and the physical wonders of Canada. He likes to describe himself as ‘engaging, informative, humorous and organized’.
Privately, Robert has travelled to all seven continents and visited over eighty countries. As a Geography, History and Physical Education teacher for thirty-five years he took the opportunity to travel widely, lived in Australia for a year, taught in Korea for a summer and has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity on housing projects in Bali, Fiji and Nicaragua. He is an avid outdoors person who enjoys cycling, hiking, scuba diving, kayaking and sailing as well as the arts and regularly attends concerts, plays and visits museums.
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