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 when creating tours.

Women’s travel has always been a passion for Cathy. Recognizing a gap in the marketplace for small-group women’s tours, she founded 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, including Southern and Northern India, Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Paris, Myanmar, Italy, Singapore, Malaysia, an Arctic expedition, and kayaking the Broken Group Islands on Vancouver Island’s west coast.

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

Colleen has spent over 38 years in the travel industry, building a career rooted in experience, passion, and a love of exploring the world. She began her journey in travel while recovering from a back injury sustained during her previous work in health care, and has since developed specialties in small ship cruising, women’s tours, and small group exotic and cultural journeys.

Throughout her career, Colleen has travelled extensively and has hosted a number of women’s tours to destinations including New York City, Paris, Morocco, France, Northern India, and Sri Lanka. She has also brought her own dream vacations to life, from celebrating her 60th birthday on an African safari to experiencing a Paul Gauguin cruise through the Tahitian Islands, gaining firsthand insight into the magic of travel.

She continues to create memorable journeys through Departures Travel, where her expertise and personal approach ensure every trip is thoughtfully tailored.

With 38 years of experience in the travel industry, Ronnie has built a career spanning both management and travel advisory roles. Her strong attention to detail and extensive knowledge make her highly skilled in designing complex itineraries for both corporate and leisure clients.

From cruises and guided tours to active, off-the-beaten-path adventures, she takes the time to understand each client’s needs and crafts travel experiences that align with their style and budget. Ronnie has previously hosted an 11-day in-depth tour of Newfoundland, offering travellers an immersive experience of the province’s culture, history, and natural beauty.

At Departures Travel, Ronnie is part of a small boutique team of experienced professionals dedicated to delivering personalized service and thoughtfully curated travel experiences.

Shari has always been a dreamer with a deep love of travel. Aviation runs in her blood; her mother was a flight attendant, and both her father and late husband were pilots. At a young age, she left her home in Alberta to pursue competitive figure skating, later going on to coach and mentor skaters in both Canada and Denmark.

Her career then took her into broadcast journalism, where she traveled across the country writing, producing, and voicing documentaries. Eventually, she found her way to Vancouver Island, working as a sales manager with Telus, a role that allowed her to explore the island from end to end. Along the way, she developed a deep appreciation for its incredible diversity and natural beauty.

Today, Shari combines her professional expertise, passion for travel, and love of Vancouver Island in her role as Adventure Travel Specialist and Director of Inbound Tours at Niche Travel to craft unforgettable experiences on this piece of paradise she proudly calls home.

Shari has previously hosted some incredible women’s tours in Kenya, Zanzibar, Uganda, and Newfoundland.

With over a decade of experience and a deep passion for crafting unforgettable journeys, Courtney brings both expertise and enthusiasm to her role as a Travel Advisor with Departures Travel. She focuses on creating meaningful travel experiences that resonate on a personal level.

Over the years, she has explored many corners of the world, from hiking in the foothills of the Kathmandu Valley to walking the coastal trails of Cinque Terre and cruising through the Galápagos Islands. Each journey has shaped her perspective and continues to inspire the experiences she creates for her clients.

Courtney hosted her first women’s tour last year in Costa Rica, and will be hosting another Costa Rica Wellness Journey in 2027.

Heidi Fink is a Red Seal Chef and award-winning cooking instructor who has been teaching cooking classes in Victoria, BC, since 1999.

Previously Executive Chef of the renowned ReBar Modern Food restaurant in Victoria, and a Culinary Instructor at Camosun College, Heidi now shares her knowledge and enthusiasm through her cooking 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.

Heidi has also previously hosted a Culinary & Culture Tour of Thailand, combining hands-on cooking experiences with an exploration of Thailand’s rich culinary traditions and local culture, and will be hosting another one later this year. When not working on her business, Heidi enjoys spending time with friends & family, often in the beautiful Vancouver Island outdoors.

Originally from Toronto, Jane chose Victoria as her home in 1999. Her love for travel was inspired by the stories shared by her Dad, who was born in Singapore and grew up in Scotland and her Mum, who was from Wales, about the many exotic places they had visited. Jane circumnavigated the globe in her twenties as a post-graduate present to herself and has travelled to more than 20 countries, including Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Jane’s favourite destinations so far include 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 not above water, she can be found scuba diving with her husband, Chris and two children, Morgan and Catriona.

Previously Jane has hosted a Portugal Walking & Wine Tour as well as a cruise through Spain & Portugal.

Juhli is a Victoria, BC native who has spent many years living in San Diego, CA and  travelling the world. She has visited over 100 cities in 18 countries, with favourite destinations including Morocco, Egypt, Bali, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam & India. Of all the fantastic places she has travelled, the one that has left the strongest impression on her 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.

When not travelling the world, Juhli spends her time helping small businesses with their social media through her business Sandhi Social Marketing Training.

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 nature, combined with a 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 running her own photography studio, she also offers private photography lessons and group creativity workshops. Frances has previously hosted women’s tours in South Africa, Tuscany, and Cinque Terre.

Kerry’s passion for travel began early, inspired by her parents, who were avid travellers and true adventurers. She further developed that passion while living in Europe for a year as an exchange student, where she had the opportunity to travel extensively.

Over the years, Kerry has explored many regions of the world, including much of North America, Mexico and Panama, Western Europe, and most recently China. With a degree in social anthropology, she has a deep fascination with different cultures and a curiosity that continues to drive her ever-growing travel wish list.

Kerry has also hosted women’s tours to Italy, China, and South Africa, sharing her love of travel through thoughtfully curated group experiences. In her professional life, Kerry is a business coach with Success Biz Coach.