Our Tour Leaders
Passionate, prepared and professional, our tour leaders are the key to bringing a wealth of knowledge to your travels.
Meet our experts
Our tour leaders have solid postgraduate qualifications, university level teaching and research experience, and a thorough knowledge of destinations.
This ensures that they are fresh, enthusiastic and can provide genuine insight rather than just facts and anecdotes. If you are thinking about travelling with us, we encourage you to find out as much as possible about your tour leader.
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Dr Amelia R. Brown
A Greek archaeologist and historian, with specialities in Late Antiquity, maritime culture, Corinth, Thessaloniki and Malta.
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Anne Harbers
An art historian and lecturer based between Australia and the Netherlands, specialising in Dutch Golden Age painting.
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Ben Churcher
An educator and practicing archaeologist, who works both in Jordan and with Aboriginal sites in Australia.
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Dr Bernadette Drabsch
A scientific illustrator and historian who has worked in the field of archaeology for 15 years.
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Dr Bill Manley
A lecturer, curator, hieroglyphics expert and bestselling author, who has worked as an Egyptologist for over three decades.
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Brad Manera
A Military Historian and Museum Curator, who has featured in a range of documentaries on Gallipoli and The Great War.
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Prof. Carol Reynolds
A musicologist who specialises in Russian, East European, and German cultural history.
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Chris Aslan
An author, lecturer and Central Asia specialist, who has spent more than 15 years living and working across the region.
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Christopher Bradley
An historian specialising in the religion and art of the Middle East and North Africa, having spent several years in Arabia.
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Dr Chris Carter
An indigenous and historical archaeologist, actively involved in research in the Atacama region of Chile.
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Christopher Menz
A former art museum director and curator, with expertise in the arts and music throughout Europe, the USA and Australia.
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Dr Deanne Bird
An environmental scientist affiliated with Iceland’s tourism through work and academic research for more than 20 years.
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Deborah Trentham
A specialist in garden design and founder of The Garden Historians, with a BA in the History of Art and an MA in Country House Studies.
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Dr Eireann Marshall
An Honorary Research Associate and Associate Lecturer with the Open University.
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Elena Ortega
A practicing artist and expert on the art of Spain, with degrees from the University of Sydney and the National Art School.
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Dr Estelle Lazer
An archaeologist with an international reputation for her work on the human victims of Pompeii in southern Italy.
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Dr Farès K Moussa
An anthropologist, archaeologist and cultural heritage consultant with 20 years’ experience leading cultural tours.
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Dr Garth Gilmour
A trained biblical archaeologist and a fluent Hebrew speaker, with doctorate from Oxford University.
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Giles Tremlett
A historian, journalist and best-selling author specialising in the histories of Spain, Portugal and the wider Iberian world.
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Dr Jeni Ryde
A linguist and art history specialist, with a PhD focusing on Tourism, Heritage and Renaissance Studies.
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John Haycraft
A professional artist, university lecturer, published author and art tutor exploring the intersection of art and architecture.
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Dr John Tidmarsh
An archaeologist, former lecturer and current Co-Director of the University of Sydney excavations at Pella in Jordan.
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Juan Cardenas
A South American Naturalist with more than 30 years experience guiding and sharing his passion with travellers and friends.
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Judy Tenzing
An historian with a passion for and deep knowledge of the history, music, textiles and literature of South Asia.
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Kate Bolton-Porciatti
A cultural historian, critic and journalist, and professor of Italian cultural history at the Istituto Lorenzo de’Medici in Florence.
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Assoc. Prof. Kate Foy
A professional actor, research-practitioner and arts educator who specialises in actor-training and theatre history.
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Kenneth W. Park
A curator, presenter, fund-raiser, tour leader and writer, who has visited well over 150 countries.
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Dr Lauren Mackay
An historian, author, presenter and consultant who specialises in the Early Modern World.
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Dr Lauren Richardson
A lecturer, researcher and public commentator specialising in the international relations of Japan and the Korean peninsula.
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Lucia Gahlin
An Egyptologist with a wealth of experience as an educator, researcher, archaeologist and museum curator.
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Dr Matthew Dal Santo
A writer, historian and foreign affairs commentator, with Honours degrees from both Sydney and Cambridge Universities.
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Dr Matthew Laing
A political scientist and expert in US history, with a doctorate on the history of the United States presidency.
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Dr Michael Dodds
A musicologist, conductor, composer and author whose work bridges scholarship and performance practice.
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Mike Turner
A cultural and garden historian with a strong interest in the art, history, literature, and mythology of the Classical past.
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Misha Donat
Composer, writer and former BBC Radio producer with decades of experience working with leading musicians.
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Neil Moore
A Walkley Award-winning illustrator, artist and art historian who has lived in Italy for over 30 years.
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Nicole Hayward
A cultural historian with a passion for art, fashion and textiles and a career in international corporate business.
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Patrick Bade
An historian, writer and broadcaster, who has worked for the Art Fund, Royal Opera House, National Gallery and V&A Museum.
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Peter Eyers
A professional actor, producer, host, and passionate advocate for the Arts in education.
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Prof. Emer. Peter McNeil
An award-winning design historian internationally known for his work on the visual culture of fashion and design.
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Peter Rose
One of Australia’s leading literary figures, an award-winning poet, memoirist and novelist, and Editor of Australian Book Review.
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Prof. Emer. Philip Dwyer
A historian and award-winning author specialising in Napoleonic Europe and the history of violence.
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Rachel Jackson
A heritage consultant with a wide-ranging interest in architectural and design history, cultural heritage, and archaeology.
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Prof. Richard Bell
A scholar, writer and teacher at the University of Maryland, and specialist on the history and culture of the United States.
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Sandy Burnett
One of the UK’s most versatile music commentators, with a career that combines broadcasting, performing and lecturing.
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Stuart Barrie
A social historian and founding director of Academy Travel, with strong interests in the history and architecture of the USA.
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Dr Tarita Botsman
One of Australia’s most accomplished classical performers, and also a celebrated director, producer and writer.
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Thomas Abbott
A specialist in the music, art and architecture of Germany, who studied in the USA and Paris and has lived in Berlin since 1987.
Get to know our experts
Our experienced Tour managers
Following your Tour Leader, you will also be accompanied by an experienced Tour Manager, responsible for the seamless delivery of your journey from start to finish. Working alongside your Tour Leader, they manage all on-the-ground logistics, allowing the program to run smoothly and ensuring you can focus fully on the experience.
Below, we introduce a selection of our most frequently travelling Tour Managers. While not all will appear here, each brings the same level of professionalism, care and expertise to your journey.
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Alessandra Ryde
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Claudia Weymayer-Czaak
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Fergus Geddes
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Galal Alsenusy
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Ilaria Gentiluomo
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Jackie Colonnelli
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Jamal Fairbrother
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Katrin Derbsch
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Kerry Ashton
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Klemen Hojan
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Liselle Pullen
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Michael Weymayer
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Michelle Maloney
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Paula Booth
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Simona Albanese