Cast & Crew
It takes a lot of enthusiastic, dedicated people to create Butterfield & Robinson trips around the globe. We’re lucky to have talented teams at our offices in Toronto, Burgundy and Tuscany. We also have Regional Directors conducting research on six continents, and ridiculously well-travelled Trip Designers and Travel Advisors.

And then there are the Guides. The heart and soul of B&R, they understand extraordinary travel experiences—and what you have to do to make them happen. Modern renaissance men and women, our people are eclectic, creative, and incredibly well-connected.

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Meet George
In 1966, George Butterfield organized a student biking trip in France with his wife Martha, and her brother, Sidney Robinson. That pioneering venture evolved into Butterfield & Robinson, the world’s premier luxury active travel company. Still at it after all these years, George continues to serve as B&R’s spiritual leader, resident travel sage, voyageur extraordinaire, and CEO of all things slow. Always on the hunt for new and interesting places to explore, his favourite trip is always the one he’s taking next.

Linda Laskowski
Argentina Biking 2010
"Nancy is the quintessential B&R guide—quietly seeing what needs to be done to make something even better and taking care of it before you even need to ask. She is also a very interesting person who added to our evening discussions. The local touches on the trip (lunches/stops at private homes) are priceless, and turn it from one more great ride through fantastic scenery, into an unforgettable experience."

Want to start with a blank canvas and create your own days? Check out our custom trips.

Meet Erik
Erik Blachford first donned a B&R guiding helmet in 1988, and has been at it ever since—as a guide, trip planner, Advisory Board member and, most recently, as CEO and the newest partner in B&R. A long time devotee of the slow road, Erik’s ridden and walked all over the world, both with B&R and in his former life as CEO of online travel company Expedia.

Eclectomaniacs
B&R guides are a tough lot to sum up. Polyglots, athletes, artists, historians, sommeliers, interpreters, and all-around all-arounders, our guides are a diverse group for whom sharing the pleasures of our trips is not just a job, it’s a calling. Their lives are devoted to taking the path less travelled. They embrace the unexpected. They know the region intimately. Most importantly, they anticipate your every wish, and do it with creativity, passion and style—not to mention grace, wit, rigour and ingenuity. They take care of all the tiny details, and set the stage for those unexpected moments that make each B&R trip unique.

• Now you can check who is going to be guiding where and when with the B&R Guide Schedule.

Christina Cain
Born in Maryland and based alternately in North Carolina and by the sea in Italy, Christina has led almost 30 trips—Italy, Greece, Vietnam, others—during her tenure with B&R. Noted for her boundless energy and infectious laugh, she stays busy studying to be a sommelier when not on the road. Her personal goal: to go 10 years without staying in the same place longer than three months—halfway there!

Paolo Mularoni
Hailing from the tiny enclave of San Marino—it’s smaller than some North American farms—Paolo’s greatest passions (besides travelling, of course) include climbing mountains and architecture; he’s trained in both. Over the years, he’s guided for B&R in Holland, Iceland, Cambodia, Italy and other places, taking particular care to seek out the tallest hills and choicest wines each region has to offer.

Stéphane Leclerc
A versatile, fun-loving free spirit, Stéphane has swapped the chilly winters of his childhood in Ottawa and Montréal for adventure in warmer climes like Morocco, India and the Galápagos Islands. An expert at making and maintaining close relationships with local friends, he’s got a knack for getting people to open up their homelands (and often their homes) to B&R travellers. In addition to speaking four languages, Stéphane’s also a talented artist; he’s even designed some of our guide t-shirts.

Fanny Viret
Swiss-born Fanny’s natural curiosity has led her to some of the world’s most out-there destinations: she lived in the Congo for six months while working with Médecins Sans Frontières, and just recently rode her bike through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. France is essentially her backyard, and she’s a regular feature on our trips in Burgundy, Provence and the Loire. Her current challenges: learning Finnish and working towards a diploma in Environmental and International Development.

Leah Howe
A native New Yorker, Leah has guided with B&R since 2003 in regions as diverse as Italy, Slovenia, Vietnam and Croatia. Fluent in Italian (she’s lived in Italy for more than ten years), she also speaks Spanish (the Argentine kind), loves to cook with unusual Asian ingredients (she was a pro chef in her pre-B&R life), and enjoys enlightening her charges on her regions’ cultural nuances. Added bonus: she makes an absolutely killer martini.

Our gurus on the ground
Our Regional Directors live in every place B&R travels, have guided countless trips, mastered local dialects and met everyone who matters—from hoteliers, chefs, historians and folklorists to local movers and shakers. They’re designers extraordinaire, and their network of contacts untangles snags, provides unique regional insights and often gives you exclusive access to cultural sites, fabled wine cellars and local secrets. And of course they’re always on the lookout for new hotels, restaurants and special events that will make our trips even better.

Marya Dumont,
Piemonte & Sicily
A native Washingtonian, Marya traded in her rainy days, Starbucks lattes and a career with Microsoft to explore the world as a B&R guide. An avid cyclist, master of three languages (plus a working knowledge of three others) and adventurer par excellence, she’s led over 100 trips for us in regions as far-flung as Italy, Holland, Ireland, France and Vietnam. Currently serving double-duty as our Regional Director for both Piemonte and Sicily, she’s a whiz at sorting out the intricacies of rare wine varietals. Her top trip: Corsica, for its unique language and people; “It’s the Mediterranean’s Isle of Beauty, full of contrast and almost out of time.” We can’t say it better than that.

Nancy Towns,
Argentina & Catalonia
“Multi-faceted” is probably the term that sums up Nancy best. Trained in anthropology and schooled in adventure, she’s an ideal blend of book-learning and on-the-fly adaptability. She is a master at finding those amazing little touches and interesting people that make a good trip great—rock climbers, historians, chefs… you name the experience, Nancy can (and will) find it. Fluent in Spanish and French (plus a smattering of Italian), she’s also the perfect point-person for our Catalonia trips. Europe and Latin America are her stomping grounds of choice, with the former’s abundant history and the latter’s all-encompassing solitude spurring her to go further and dig deeper.

Courtney Mundy, Tuscany & Amalfi Coast
When it comes to local immersion, no one can top Courtney. Pennsylvania-born, she lives in Tuscany full-time (such a hardship, we know) and is so entrenched there the locals consider her one of their own. An elementary-school music teacher in her pre-B&R life, Courtney has led trips in Ireland, Holland and New Zealand, but Italy is her first and truest love; she’s at home wherever the Chianti and olive oil flow freely. Not surprisingly, Tuscany and Amalfi are her favourite destinations; the former for its incredible scenery and fantastic food and wine, the latter for its sleek sophistication, relaxed attitude and the stunning Pathway of the Gods walk.

Olivier Maillard,
Burgundy & Morocco
Olivier combines his two passions in life—Morocco and his native Burgundy— by serving as the Regional Director for both. Starting out as a bike mechanic at B&R's atelier in Beaune, this Burgundian now has 80+ trips under his belt and an avid passion for travel and cycling. (He watches the Tour de France every year—roadside!) "Today my desire to discover the world isn't over yet, but I'm always delighted to show and explain the destination that both my grandfather and George Butterfield are fanatics of. On a bike we'll follow their paths, we'll follow their paths to continue the tradition. My tradition."

Simon Elliott has lived in both South Africa and South Korea, and is always planning ways to get more stamps in his passport. As our Sales Manager he loves sharing his experiences and the excitement of seeing new places with our travellers. When not in the office he can be found on the tennis court or playing bass in his band.

• simon.elliott@butterfield.com

When life as an urban planner had lost its luster in 2007, Stephanie Nicholson joined the B&R Sales Team, bringing her infectious laugh along with her. Steph began collecting stamps in her passport as a child, when she and her family moved to Europe, travelling all over in a Volvo station wagon. Her recent travels include: Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Greece and France.

• stephanie.nicholson@butterfield.com

Caitlin Ryan’s love of travel began at a young age. Family trips took her all over the world and she spent summers studying French in Nice, France and fashion design in New York City. After graduating from the University of Southern Queensland she wanted to find a job where she could use the business skills she acquired and fuel her love of travel. When she is not at work as a Travel Advisor for B&R, she can be found relaxing at home with the crossword or baking cupcakes.

• caitlin.ryan@butterfield.com

Like many of B&R’s success stories, Darius Arjang started as a guide. Living in Europe, he became our Regional Director for Prague to Vienna, as well as a bike mechanic in our Beaune office. His love of travel, passion for cycling, extensive trip experience and upbeat attitude, make him the perfect addition to our Sales Team. When not helping our travellers choose their perfect trip, Darius can be found working on his bike, brushing up on his Japanese, or sampling the newest Czech beer.

• darius.arjang@butterfield.com

It seems Trip Planner John Lansdell has always been creative when it comes to travel itineraries. When he won a travel grant at the age of 16 to research the wines of the Medoc region, he spent a month hitchhiking throughout France with a friend. These days he researches trips in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Americas. The latest stamp on his passport? Laos, where he had the hardship of experiencing our popular Laos to Vietnam Biking trip!

• jonathan.lansdell@butterfield.com

After working in the travel industry in Greece for eight years, Jérôme Boré moved to Canada and joined the B&R team as a Travel Advisor before becoming our France Trip Planner. Born and raised in France, Jérôme attributes his love for travel and languages to his summers spent exploring Europe with his family. If he’s not playing piano, you can usually find him researching his next travel destination.

• jerome.bore@butterfield.com

Chris Mark has been part of B&R since the days of student biking. In 1989 he completed the grueling one-day ride from Paris to London (and lived to tell the tale). Less crazy after all these years, Chris now limits his single-day rides to a daily commute to our office, where he oversees the research, planning, and operations of all of our published trips. His favourite, among all the innovative itineraries he’s championed? Paris to London, of course.

• chris.mark@butterfield.com

With parents in the Foreign Service, travel has been a fundamental part of Kathy Stewart's 
life from the start—by age 18, she’d already been to more than 30 countries. Since joining B&R in 1994 Kathy has sold, designed and guided trips all over the world plus created our With the Kids program—which, as a mother of three, gives her keen insight into what makes a perfect family trip. As our Director of Media Relations, she now channels her abundant energy and expertise into sharing B&R with the world.

• kathy.stewart@butterfield.com

Kristi Elborne cut her teeth with B&R guiding in the treacherous Provençal countryside. When life on the road became too much for her—a game of boules, anyone?—she quickly found a place on our Trip Planning team. In her previous life, Kristi spent time living in Costa Rica, China and France. She’s travelled extensively though Europe and Asia and just happens to speak four languages. B&R is thrilled to see her experience at work as our Director, Travel Industry Relations.  

• kristi.elborne@butterfield.com

Whether our friends are local archaeologists, history profs, artists, artisanal winemakers, world-renowned chefs, organic farmers, curators, counts, mayors, botanists or even presidents (yes, we have been known to have tea with the odd head of state), they share with you their deep roots in the region, not to mention their expertise.

Our local friends make the difference between seeing a place and experiencing it. They live and breathe their home. So will you.

• Read about our local friends on our Bordeaux to Dordogne Biking trip.

Don Frey, Archeologist
Turquoise Coast Walking
A decision in 1969 to take time off from his job as a Physics professor, to work on the underwater excavation of a Roman shipwreck would translate into a dramatic career change for Don Frey. His pioneering work in underwater archeology- specifically in the Bronze Age copper trade- has been instrumental in deepening the understanding of the cultural history of the Mediterranean. Don lives with his wife in Bodrum, Turkey, and when he's not under the sea, he can be found giving us a private tour of ship wrecks he helped to excavate, in the Bodrum Museum.

Eve MacDonald, archaeologist 
Greek Islands Bespoke Walking
A veteran B&R guide and researcher, Eve is our own in-house archaeologist (although technically, she’s rarely ever in-house). Holding a Ph.D. in ancient history and a master of Latin and Ancient Greek, she’s most at home digging through the past in the Mediterranean, especially Greece and Sicily. Need help sorting out the Ionic columns from the Dorics? She’s the one to ask. When she’s not busy teaching, Eve usually turns up on our Mediterranean or Middle Eastern trips.

Rita Annunziata, Local Expert
Italian Lakes Walking
Rita was born and raised in Bellagio (“the pearl of Lake Como”), Italy, and her enthusiasm for her home town couldn’t be more contagious! Want to know the history of the stunning villa? The latest local gossip? Or maybe the name of the beautiful flower by the side of the path? Rita is your gal! Year after year, travellers tell us she was one of the highlights of their trip- but don’t take their word for it, come see for yourself on our Italian Lakes Walking trip.

Alex Kerr,
Local Expert
Indochina Grand Journey
As the son of a U.S Navy family, Alex spent his formative years living all over the world including Japan, where he first fell in love with all things Asian. A celebrated author, he is a noted authority and consultant of the traditional arts and culture of Asia. He published his first book, Lost Japan, in 1996—which he originally wrote in Japanese—chronicling his experiences living in Japan as a boy in the 60s and 70s. He currently splits his time between his farm house on the Japanese Island of Shikoku and his home in Bangkok.

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Sign up for The Slow Road to receive updates on new trips, stories from the road, and B&R news. To subscribe, simply enter your information into the form in the footer below.

A business is judged by the company it keeps, and our contact list is packed with like-minded souls. Say hello to some of the businesses that help us help you slow down to see the world.

AirMed Traveler
Sometimes there are moments in life that defy explanation. Whether travelling domestically or internationally, medical emergencies are sometimes an unavoidable reality. To provide you the utmost security while on the road, Butterfield & Robinson has partnered with the AirMed Traveler Membership Program.

Bullfrog Power
Bullfrog Power is a Canadian company offering consumers a way to support locally generated renewable power. B&R was one of the organization’s first Toronto-based corporate clients.

Cannondale
We knew Cannondale made great hybrids and road bikes, but what really sealed the deal for us was how handily they’d put them together. Long known as an industry innovator—they were building bikes with aluminum frames when most of their competitors were still using steel—Cannondale has cross-bred their award-winning bikes and developed a ride that blends the speed and performance of a touring bike with the comfort offered by a flat-handlebar setup. Innovative? Customized? Unique? That sounds familiar…

Kiwi Collection
Kiwi Collection is an online magazine with a global collection of preferred luxury hotels that are the most unusual places in their destinations, offering travellers an unbiased voice of reviews of luxurious ultimate, unique travel experiences worldwide. Each hotel and resort is hand-selected and personally known by Mary Gostelow, a global hospitality expert and a trusted brand within the luxury travel industry for over 20 years.

Leica Camera
Butterfield & Robinson’s guides and staff use Leica’s incredible cameras to capture incredible moments on B&R journeys around the globe. Leica, founded in the 1870s, has the reputation of being the world’s premier camera and optics company. It serves as the standard of excellence for the photography industry.

Markets Initiative
The role of Markets Initiative is to shift consumption patterns of industrial paper consumers so that their purchases do not destroy ancient and endangered forests such as Canada’s boreal, temperate rain forests and the tropical forests. They work with companies to shift the demand for paper products to sustainable options. Because of their efforts, more than 160 Canadian publishers have switched to printing up to 95% of their publications on Ancient Forest Friendly or eco-friendly paper. B&R has worked with Markets Initiative to help change its office purchasing and celebrates the accomplishments of this dedicated group.

Rocky Mountain
An innovative company born out of Canada’s West Coast mountain biking community, Rocky Mountain has built a strong reputation among serious cyclists worldwide. We use custom-build Rocky Mountain hybrids on most of our trips in Asia-Pacific and Africa.

The Stop Community Food Centre
B&R is filled with active and competitive people who love a challenge. Nowhere is this more evident than in our ongoing fundraising activities for The Stop. An innovative “community food centre,” The Stop works to increase people’s access to healthy food in a manner that maintains dignity, builds community and challenges inequality.

Ted Rogers School of Hospitality & Tourism, Ryerson University
Butterfield & Robinson has partnered with the School of Hospitality & Tourism. Led by their professors and under the direction of B&R, Ryerson students are assisting B&R staff in formalizing a sustainable tourism policy for the company.

TerraPass
The first step you can take to fight global warming is to reduce your carbon footprint through conservation. Drive less. Turn down the thermostat. Buy locally produced goods. Then use TerraPass to balance the emissions you are unable to reduce. TerraPass is B&R’s selected partner to invest in carbon offsets. In 2008, Butterfield & Robinson’s trips and operations became carbon neutral. Our investment in TerraPass and its offset projects represents one of the many initiatives in our sustainability and environmental strategy.

Toronto Bicycle Friendly Business Awards
Butterfield & Robinson was the recipient of the Best Overall Bicycle Friendly Business Award for the City of Toronto in 2007. B&R makes an extensive effort to encourage and support its staff to choose alternative methods of transportation—especially to bike and walk to work. For us, it is about both the environment and keeping a healthy lifestyle.

Travel + Leisure
B&R was approached by Travel + Leisure to be a contributor to their “20 Life-Changing Trips.” The philosophy that “Some travel to change their lives, others the world. But, a truly transformative trip has the power to do both” resonated with our trip planning team. Check out our “Burgundy Transformation” trip here.

World Literacy of Canada
WLC is a small grassroots non-profit organization that works worldwide to promote literacy as a tool for community development, poverty eradication and personal empowerment. For years, B&R has sponsored WLC’s primary fundraiser, the Kama Reading Series, and other initiatives like our donation of bicycles to a WLC-affiliated girls school in India.