My name is Adam and I have been leading tours for three years now. I love to travel and being a Tour Director is the perfect opportunity to do so. I think travel is the best way to learn new things, experience a wide range of cultures, and have fun! Travel has taught me so much, however there is always more to learn, and more places to visit.
Sugar Shack in Québec is super fun! Whether it's making maple syrup popsicles in snow, listening to live music, dancing, or learning about the diverse animal and plant species at the museum, Sugar Shack is a must! The Museum of History and Civilizations in Ottawa is also interesting. It showcases the rich and diverse history of Canada and the people who have called it home for thousands of years!
My favourite destination to travel to on tour is Ottawa! Did you know that Ottawa at one point was one of the most dangerous cities in North America? That was back when it was still called Bytown. Today, it is very safe and has such a rich and diverse culture!
Besides travelling with family and friends, I am passionate about musical theatre, and I love performing on stage. I was born and raised in Toronto and hope to make it on Broadway one day! I've had the pleasure of working with kids in a variety of settings including sports teams, summer camps, and vocal studios.
A tour highlight for me is cheering on the Toronto Blue Jays in the Rogers Centre with my students. Let’s go Blue Jays!
Did you know that the Rogers Centre has more than 50,000 seats?! That’s a lot of popcorn and a loud stadium when everyone is cheering!
Growing up in a small town in Ontario, I've always had a desire and passion to get out into the world and explore. I believe the best way to learn and grow as an individual is to put yourself in unfamiliar situations and travel has allowed me to do just that! My travels as a student, both local and abroad, have allowed me to develop this passion into a rewarding career—I’m ready to share it with you! I want to encourage those of all ages to get out, grow, learn, and most importantly, have fun!
The experiences with the students are always the highlight of the trip. Once, while on the way to a Québec Remparts junior hockey game, the bus turned into a concert. The “We Will Rock You”, “Thunderstruck” and all the arena rock songs started to play and never have I seen a group of students so excited for a hockey game!
Did you know Québec City is the only fortified city north of Mexico? Their walls have been standing for over 400 years and have survived battles and government changes in Québec. They're a part of the culture and historical architecture in Old Québec—giving visitors a feel of Europe here in Canada!
My favourite part of being a Tour Director is travelling. It has consistently provided me with the best learning and growth opportunities, as well as connections with people around the world. Ever since I was young, I remember road trips around Canada’s East Coast and the North East USA with my family. When I was old enough to travel independently and with friends, I fell in love with exploring the world. I have an honours Bachelor of Applied Sciences, and I’m currently pursuing my Masters in Applied Disability Studies. I am passionate about disability justice and social justice, and I love making new connections and exploring, learning, and growing together!
There have been so many highlights that I can't just pick one. The two that stand out the most to me are exploring the Ice Hotel in Québec City and the Huron Village breakfast—yum!
Did you know that Harriet Tubman crossed the Niagara River when helping enslaved people escape to Canada? She also lived in St. Catherines while working as an abolitionist and helped formerly enslaved people adjust to their lives in Canada.
I've been a Tour Director since 2017, and getting to take thousands of students to see new places and make new memories has been one of the highlights of my life! I’ve led tours across Canada from Vancouver to Halifax and many places in between, as well as making frequent trips to New York City. I hope to have a positive impact on every student I work with and to help them find the same joy for travel that I feel on every single trip—there's nothing like getting out on the road to give you a new outlook on life!
I've seen everything from Broadway shows to tours of hockey arenas to one-man comedy acts, but I think the local ghost tours in Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto (and more), offer the perfect combination of historical intrigue and dramatic storytelling!
Montréal is one of my favourite cities to visit—did you know that municipal regulations forbid any building from exceeding the height of Mount Royal, or 233m (764 ft) above sea level.
I absolutely love being a Tour Director as these tours take me all around North America—most recently to Washington, D.C.. Each trip is incredibly special to me because I actually participated in a Brightspark tour as a middle school student. I had so much fun that I came back as a Tour Director! The unique food, history, culture, and entertainment of various destinations make each trip a new adventure. Spending quality time with the students is by far my favourite part—watching them get excited about learning is a rewarding experience.
I loved seeing the Capital building in Washington, D.C. on a rainy night—the entire group hopped off the bus in the rain and took some photos—it was completely empty, we were the only group there! It made for great photos and even better memories!
You can visit Darth Vader at the National Cathedral! Gargoyles are sculpted into this iconic building and at the top of the northwest tower you can find a small sculpture of the famous Star Wars character himself!
I started as a Tour Director more than 20 years ago when I was in university. What started as a summer job unlocked my passion for experiential education and travel. Now a certified teacher, I've spent most of my career beyond the four walls of a traditional classroom, including teaching high school students aboard a tall ship, running youth expeditions in the Canadian Arctic, and continuing to lead tours! When I'm not working, you can typically find me outside in a forest, on a lake or river, or reading a book under a tree.
My favourite tour destination is New York City because I get to expose youth to such a busy and vibrant city, but a close second is showing them around Ottawa—the city I've called home for the past 7 years.
I have been a Tour Director since 2019 and I’ve loved every second of it! It has given me the opportunity to travel, experience new cultures and meet new people. Being a Tour Director means I get to use my love of travelling to develop new skills and teach students and teachers alike about the destinations we visit. The best part? There is always something new to learn.
There are so many memorable moments that stand out to us as Tour Directors, but my personal favourite was when I got to meet David XII—the white Saanen goat and his companion Henrietta—at Fort Henry. David XII is one of the most important members of the guard and Fort Henry’s official mascot!
During WWII, members of the Dutch royal family took refuge in Ottawa during the German occupation of the Netherlands. After the war ended and the family returned to Europe, the Dutch sent 100,000 tulips to Canada as a thank you. Every year, Ottawa hosts a Tulip Festival to commemorate, and the flower continues to be a sign of friendship and goodwill between Canada and the Netherlands.
I love to travel and have been touring since 2018. I’ve spent the last year living in Québec City—one of my favourite tour destinations. After a month in Guatemala, I’ve returned to Toronto where I'll be studying to become a lawyer at York University.
A highlight of mine would have to be visiting the Canyon Sainte-Anne in Québec City. The trail offers amazing views as you walk across three bridges overlooking the canyon carved into the 1.2-billion-year-old bedrock!
I’ve been a Tour Director since 2019 and I love giving students the experience to learn about new places. My favourite destination is Ottawa because of all the cool and interesting museums. I also enjoy spending time outside and exploring—whether that’s through travel or in my own backyard.
Meeting Jagmeet Singh on Parliament Hill! His niece was on our tour, so he came out to speak to the group and take some photos with us!
Ottawa wasn’t always Canada’s capital! In fact, at one point the capital moved between Québec and Toronto every four years. This wasn’t very practical however, and finally Ottawa was given the official title because it balanced English and French cultures, was easily accessible along transportation routes, and had lots of land available for parliament buildings.
I have been a Tour Director for three years and I have enjoyed meeting new students and teachers from across Canada. Joining the team in 2019 has been a great privilege as I recall how memorable my grade 8 trip to Ottawa was and I want to give other students that same experience. One of my favourite things about being a Tour Director is that I get to do the two things I'm most passionate about—working with young people and travelling!
While on the bus during a tour in Ottawa, we saw Justin Trudeau walking by. He ended up stopping to talk to all of us and the kids were stunned! It was a moment I will never forget.
Though it appears that Toronto is a concrete jungle, it actually has over 10 million trees. Also, Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in Toronto!
I have been a Tour Director for a year, and I have loved every opportunity to travel and educate students along the way. I’ve always found that the best way to learn is with hands-on experience, which is why I love what I do! I always enjoy bringing out the fun in history and culture so that my students can see the value in learning about the world around them. That being said, it’s hard not to have fun on these tours! Between beautiful destinations, exciting activities, playing fun games on the road, and finding delicious spots to eat, I can never get enough of being on tour!
There’s something great about every location we visit on tour, but I honestly love getting to know my students. Also, I get a kick out of hosting “Name that Tune” and other trivia games while we’re travelling to our destination.
Niagara Falls generates enough hydroelectricity that it could charge 360,000,000 phones at once! Although, they don’t exclusively use that power for phones—it’s also used to power millions of homes and buildings in the Niagara region.
I’m Nya and I’m a recent History (honours) graduate from Brock University! For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, so once I got the opportunity to work as a Tour Director, it was an easy ‘yes’ for me! Since my first job at fifteen, I’ve worked with young people, but I have to say, there’s not been an experience as fun or enriching as being a Tour Director!!
One of my favourite parts of being a Tour Director has been sharing information with students and each time—even if I'm sharing the same information—there is always something different the group takes away. It’s amazing to see which parts of the story resonates the most with them.
One of my favourite facts about Québec City, outside of its rich history, is that you can tell who lived where based on the exterior of their house. If you wanted to know if the house inhabited French or English families, look at the layout of the exterior brick. Want to know which region of France the house’s design was inspired by? Just look at the colour—blue, red, or green represents the colour of their town back home.
I have been a Tour Director since 2019. I started working here while I was in university studying education. On top of seeing how students build lifelong friendships, the things I appreciate the most about being a Tour Director is that every day is different, we do so many fun and unique activities, and I get to travel for work.
One of my all-time favourite activities on tour was the ghost hunt in Montréal. Our group went hunting for ghosts while learning about the history of the city. We all had a great time exploring while laughing—and screaming—together.
Did you know that the flag on top of the Peace Tower in Ottawa is the size of a canoe? They change it every day and you can put yourself on the waitlist to get one... you only have to wait 100 years or so!
My name is Sabrina and I’m a Tour Director from Québec City. I am currently studying to be an elementary school teacher and what I enjoy most about becoming a Tour Director is that it gives me the opportunity to meet new people and visit new places—things that I love. If there is a perfect job for me, this is it!
One tour highlight that sticks out to me is visiting the Citadelle in Québec City. Not only is it a cool installation, but there is also so much to learn from its history.
One of my favourite facts is that nobody knows exactly what Samuel de Champlain—the founder of Québec City—looks like!
My name is Sarah. I joined the team in 2020 and can gladly say, it was one of the best decisions I've made as a young adult. I’m a university student who loves a great adventure, travelling, trying new things, and speaking on subjects I'm passionate about. I’m known to be an extrovert and enjoy meeting new students and teachers on each of our fun-filled tours. Something I've recently learned is that no matter where you’ve come from, commonality, compassion, and creativity can always be conjured on an educational tour!
Touring is always a great time with the students and although all experiences are beyond enjoyable, one of my favourite moments was partaking in a two-hour singalong with students while enroute to our destination. Seeing the comradery exhibited by the students was incredibly special.
Every tour destination has unique and interesting facts, however, my love for food always had me interested in the St. Lawrence Market—located in Downtown Toronto. Did you know that the St. Lawrence Market was named the World's Best Food Market by National Geographic in 2012? That is a huge title to hold and goes to show why the St. Lawrence Market has been the culinary focal point of the community since 1803.
I have been a Tour Director since 2016 and loved every moment of it. I love experiencing new destinations, trying new things, and meeting new people. One of my favourite things about tour directing is teaching students about the cities we’re in and the life skills that come from travelling. Years later, I still remember tree trekking in Gatineau, having dinner at a live jazz restaurant in Cleveland, and seeing Come from Away on Broadway, twice! I strongly believe that travelling creates lasting experiences. In my personal travels, I am quite adventurous, and most recently, I bungee jumped off a bridge in Whistler BC.
On a tour to Ottawa, my students and I ran into the Amazing Race Canada. The production team was very friendly, they let us sit on the mat, and even took professional photos for us. It was so cool!!
Did you know that the term “The Big Apple” was used to refer to horse racing. Big Apple was used to describe big money prizes at important horse races held in the city. The term was used in a local newspaper and only much later was adopted as a city nickname.
Since 2018, I’ve been a Tour Director and my decision to join the team was and continues to be one of the best choices I’ve ever made. Every new group that I get to travel with is a unique chance to experience a destination and explore Canada’s history right where it happened. There’s no better way to learn about Canadian government than visiting the House of Commons or experiencing the Battle of the Plains of Abraham than right on the hills of Québec City. My love of travel started from a Brightspark trip in 2010 and I hope to ignite that spark for all my students today.
While on tour in Ottawa, 2022, we heard that the Prime Minister was raising the Pride Flag on Parliament Hill to kick off Pride Month. After a few small changes to the schedule, we ended up listening to speeches from Members of Parliament and the PM—he even took a selfie with the group and stayed to chat! I will never forget the faces of the students as they met these government figures—a once in a lifetime experience!
While the history of Ottawa traditionally begins with Samuel de Champlain’s arrival in the 1600’s–the nation's capital has been inhabited by Indigenous Peoples for at least 8,000 years prior to the arrival of European settlers. The name Ottawa comes from the Algonquin word “adawe”, which means “to trade”. Algonquin people continue to inhabit the land and carry on their traditions and language.
