Meet Our Tour Hosts

An avid traveller herself, Cathy has spent over fifteen years in sales, marketing and senior management roles in the world of travel, which allows her to bring a unique perspective to tours that we create.

Women’s travel has always been a passion for Cathy and seeing a gap in the marketplace for small group women’s tours she founded a number of Women’s travel initiatives including the Women’s Travel Club (Canada) and the Women’s Travel Connection.  She has personally led hundreds of women to spectacular destinations around the globe. On the top of her list have been the women’s tours she created and hosted to Southern India, Northern India, Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Paris, Myanmar, Italy, Singapore, Malaysia, an Arctic Expedition and kayaking the Broken Group Islands of Barkley Sound on Vancouver Island’s west coast. Cathy is hosting a tour to the ever-exotic Laos and Thailand in 2023, and a Middle East Meandering Oceania Cruise in 2024!

Cathy is the owner of Departures Travel in beautiful Victoria and co-owner of Departures Travel in BC Sidney By The Sea. Cathy also owns Niche Travel, a luxury inbound destination management company (DMC) on Vancouver Island.

Spending over 30 years in the travel business Colleen has travelled the world and she loves it! She has hosted a number of women’s tours including NYC, Paris, Morocco, France, Kayaking the Gulf Islands of Vancouver Island and Northern India with Cathy in 2013. You can contact Colleen at our sister company Departures Travel where she creates exceptional travel experiences for her friends and clients.

“My parents were avid travellers; in fact adventurers, so I come by my passion for travel naturally! I lived in Europe for a year as an exchange student and travelled extensively that year. I have a long bucket list and since then have been to most key spots in North America, Mexico and Panama, Western Europe and most recently to China, and still, my list is very long! I have a degree in social anthropology and have a fascination with different cultures. I have often said I would take a ticket anywhere as long as there was not a war!”

Kerry has hosted women’s tours to Italy and China. Join Kerry on her next Niche Women’s Tour:  South Africa Winelands & Garden Route tour in 2023!

In her work life, Kerry is a professional business coach with Success Biz Coach.

Frances Litman has seen the world through a wide variety of cameras and lenses in her 20+ year career as an international, award-winning professional photographer. Her easy-going and friendly approach with others, combined with her love of photography, people, food, nature, art and culture makes her a popular host. Frances freely shares her knowledge so that everyone can embrace the joy of creating memorable images with whatever camera they have.

In addition to having her own photography studio, Frances also offers private photography lessons and teaches group creativity workshops. Frances hosted South Africa Safari with Winelands and Garden route in Sept 2018 and Tuscany and Cinque Terre in 2019.

Juhli is a Victoria BC native who spent many years living in San Diego, CA and has been lucky enough to travel the world. She has travelled to over 100 cities in 18 countries – her favourite places include Morocco, Egypt, Bali, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam & India. Of all the fantastic places she had travelled, the place that has stayed with her the most is India. It’s a place of such contrasts – poverty & wealth, beauty and filth, joy and sadness, organized chaos, animals everywhere, culture, tradition, architecture and incredible history! The thing she loves most about travel is how it changes your perspective. Join Juhli on her 2023 Southern India tour!

When not travelling the world Juhli spends her time helping small businesses with their social media in her business JUHLi SELBy Social Media.

Kari McLay is a Victorian who likes to call Montreal her second home. Kari moved to Montreal at the young age of 18 where she first studied esthetics and beauty therapy at the Edith Serei Institute and later Clinical Social Work and Art History at McGill University. While living in Montreal, Kari also enjoyed studying dance and treasured excursions to museums, galleries, theatres and the many lovely shops, cafes and restaurants. Kari returned to Victoria in 1992 and shortly thereafter began a 15-year career as a medical social worker and family therapist and parent educator. In 2005, she opened her lifestyle boutique Tulipe Noire Clothing which she describes as a business that “connects all the dots” from her past and provides a nurturing beautiful environment for customers from all walks of life. Kari loves to travel and the arts and she looks forward to establishing new friendships as a host for Niche Women’s Tours. Check out Kari’s amazing store Tulipe Noire.

You will find Karma with a fork in one hand and a camera in the other on all corners of Vancouver Island exploring its many farms, vineyards, markets, cafes, pubs, restaurants and festivals. She’s not shy. She gets to know the people. She asks a lot of questions. She finds her way behind the scenes. She is hungry not just for a good meal, but for the story behind it too.

Karma is an avid gastronome and proud Vancouver Island resident where she has planned and hosted visitor experiences for the last 20 years. After 10 years of running Inbound West, a boutique tour operator business, Karma launched  Feast Concierge and Media in 2010 to focus on her combined passion for gastronomy and travel.

Originally from Toronto, Jane chose Victoria as her home in 1999. Her love for travel was instigated by the stories her Dad, who was born in Singapore and grew up in Scotland and her Mum, who was from Wales, used to tell her about the many exotic places they visited. Jane literally circumnavigated the globe in her 20s as a post-graduate present to herself and has travelled to over 20 countries including Europe and Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. It gave her a new appreciation of the benefits of living in Canada and specifically, Victoria. Jane’s favourite places so far have been Malaysia for its natural beauty and warm people and New Zealand for its rustic, raw scenery.  Jane is an avid sportsperson and enjoys hiking, rowing and speedskating. When she can’t be found above the water, you will find her below the water SCUBA diving with her husband, Chris and two children, Morgan and Catriona.

Recently Jane hosted the Portugal Walking & Wine tour in September 2022!

Heidi Fink, a Red Seal Chef and an award-winning cooking instructor, has been teaching cooking classes in Victoria, BC, since 1999. Her fresh recipes, down-to-earth teaching style, and many cooking tips ensure that her students leave class with the confidence and enthusiasm they need to cook delicious food at home.

Previously Executive Chef of the renowned ReBar Modern Food restaurant in Victoria, Heidi now spreads her cooking knowledge and enthusiasm through her classes, culinary tours, and food articles. Her cooking classes and blog have both won multiple local awards for her contribution to culinary education on Vancouver Island. When not working on her business, she works as an instructional assistant in the Professional Cook Program of Camosun College.

I’ve been in the travel industry for 36 years, both in management and as an advisor. My attention to detail and knowledge make me an expert in complicated itineraries, for both corporate and leisure travel. From cruises and tours to active adventures off the beaten track, I listen to your needs and design a trip to fit your style of travel and your budget.

At Departures Travel, we are a small boutique with experienced staff who give you personalized service and travel experiences tailored to your needs.

I’ve always been a dreamer, and I’ve always loved to travel. You could say that aviation is in my blood; my mother was a flight attendant, and both my father and late husband were pilots. At a young age, I left my home in Alberta to train in competitive figure skating; and later trained and mentored skaters as a coach in Canada and Denmark.

Later, my career as a broadcast journalist took me across the country to write, produce, and voice documentaries. Eventually, I found my way to Vancouver Island as a sales manager with Telus, which allowed me to travel from one end of the island to the other. I fell in love with the incredible diversity and natural beauty of this fascinating piece of paradise.

I’m so excited to channel my professional expertise, my passion for travel, and my love of Vancouver Island into crafting unforgettable experiences here on this piece of paradise I call home.

Shari is hosting a Kenya Flying Safari & Tanzania with an optional Gorilla Safari Uganda tour in 2024!