Our Team in the Field
Tour leaders are an integral part of the Worldwide Quest and Quest Nature Tours experience. They bring a particular expertise in some - and sometimes many - elements of the destination you are visiting and the theme we are exploring. They work with our expert local guides and naturalists to help you see and experience more and to create a context for the observations you will make. Our leaders take care of logistical concerns in order to maximize your experience. Last but not least, they ensure your safety and comfort. We carefully select our leaders and match them to tours based on their experience, their interests, and their compatibility with the destination and tour theme. Meet our exceptional group of leaders below and see where they're heading next.
Naturalist
Alan Watson
As a former faculty member in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph, Alan Watson taught nature interpretation, environmental stewardship and a conservation field course. With over 25 years of experience leading nature tours, Alan has guided groups in southern Ontario, Canada's Maritime Provinces, Trinidad and Tobago, the Lesser Antilles, Costa Rica, Brazil, Tanzania, and the Galapagos.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Scientist
Alison Criscitiello
Dr. Alison Criscitiello is a world-renowned ice core scientist, mountaineer, and advocate for gender equity. An Assistant Professor and Director of the Canadian Ice Core Lab at the University of Alberta, she earned MIT’s first PhD in glaciology. Her work bridges research, exploration, and storytelling to inspire curiosity about the polar world. Alison is a Fellow International of The Explorers Club.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Ornithologist
Catherine Jardine
A graduate of the University of Guelph, Catherine Jardine is a staff ornithologist and data analyst with Birds Canada, based at the organization’s National Data Centre in Delta, B.C. She has conducted field projects in remote locations around the world and is the Bander-in-Charge at the Iona Island Bird Observatory.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Author & TV Personality
Dan Riskin
Dan Riskin, PhD, is a television personality, scientist, and author. He is best known in Canada as the co-host of Discovery's flagship science program, Daily Planet, and elsewhere as the host of Animal Planet's hugely successful show about parasites, Monsters Inside Me. He is passionate about wildlife, especially the underappreciated creatures that he thinks deserve a closer look.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Professor, Biological Sciences
Jane Waterman
Jane Waterman is a professor in Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba, where she specializes in behavioural ecology. She has taught courses such as Biology of Mammals, Animal Behaviour, Ecology, Ornithology, and Conservation Biology, and offers field courses in the biology of African mammals. Her research focuses on the factors that influence the evolution of sociality and mating systems and the majority of her research focuses on sociality in ground-dwelling squirrels. For the past 30 years, Jane has also studied sociality in the Polar Bear.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Director at Worldwide Quest
Janet Gates
Janet Gates is a Director at Worldwide Quest and a lifelong adventure traveller. Hailing from Parry Sound, Ontario she grew up canoeing, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing. Her experience as a cross-country ski racer, coach, and official led to her serving as an international cross-country ski official and volunteer, working with event organizing committees around the world.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Czech Language Scholar
Jaroslava Baconova
Born in Kladno just outside Prague, Jaroslava Baconova started as a scholar of Czech language and literature. She moved to Canada in 2001 and carried her love for her country into her new expatriate home. She has taught Czech in Prague, Glasgow, and eventually across Canada.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Field Biologist
Josh Vandermeulen
Josh Vandermeulen is a professional Field Biologist and is an active and well-known member of Ontario’s naturalist community. He regularly travels the province in pursuit of his two core interests, field herpetology and ornithology.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Author and Trained Primatologist
Keriann McGoogan
Keriann McGoogan (PhD) is an author and trained primatologist. She received her PhD in Biological Anthropology from the University of Toronto. In pursuit of primates, she has lived and worked in Belize and Madagascar. She is the author a memoir Chasing Lemurs: My Journey Into the Heart of Madagascar (Prometheus Books, 2020) and Sisters of the Jungle: The Trailblazing Women Who Shaped the Study of Wild Primates (Douglas & McInture, 2025).
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Professor
Kevin James
Kevin James is Professor of History, Director of the Centre for Scottish Studies, and holder of the Scottish Studies Foundation Chair at the University of Guelph. A graduate of McGill and Edinburgh Universities, he publishes widely on Scottish tourism history, and has appeared in print, radio, and on television, including on BBC Scotland's hit tv show 'Grand Tours of Scotland.'
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Lesley Anderson
Lesley Anderson brings a wealth of experience from across the tourism
industry, including seven years guiding cycling, hiking, and multi-sport
adventures both in Canada and internationally with the world's largest
active travel company. Based in Nanaimo, BC,
Lesley enjoys hiking, skiing, cycling, and paddle boarding when she’s
not sharing her passion for meaningful travel with our guests.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Flanders Destination Expert
Marco Frank
Marco Frank, Trade & Partnerships Manager for Visit Flanders in North America, brings over two decades of experience in travel, culture, and storytelling. As tour leader, Marco curates engaging, sustainable journeys that highlight Flemish art, history, and local life. His enthusiasm and expertise make every trip to Flanders both unforgettable and enriching.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Professor
Maria (Maite) Maldonado
Maria (Maite) Maldonado is a Professor of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at University of British Columbia. Her research explores how bioactive trace metals shape phytoplankton physiology and how phytoplankton influence metal chemistry in seawater. She earned her PhD from McGill University in 1999. Her work includes iron limitation in the Arctic Ocean and leadership roles with GEOTRACES.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Personal Trainer
Marisa Mae
Marisa has trained clients 1:1 and in small groups, online and in person from her base in Vancouver, for over 14 years. As a certified leadership coach and personal trainer she helps clients align their lifestyle to one that supports healthy, sustainable, habits for a long & active life. She creates and leads health-related workshops, programs and workouts for various departments at UBC.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Meera Kachroo
Meera Kachroo is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Religion and Culture at St. Thomas More College in Saskatoon (Treaty 6). In both research and teaching, she highlights the perennial texts and teachings of Asian religions and how they flourish in modern lives.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Professor
Natalie Van Deusen
Natalie Van Deusen is the Henry Cabot and Linnea Lodge Scandinavian
Professor at the University of Alberta in Edmonton (Treaty 6), where she
teaches a variety of undergraduate- and graduate-level courses on
Scandinavian language, literature, and culture from the Middle Ages to
the present. Her area of research specialization is Old Norse and early
modern Icelandic literature, with a focus on topics relating to
religion, gender, and disability.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Professor of Oceanography
Philippe Tortell
Philippe Tortell is a Professor of Oceanography at UBC, and Head of the
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. He has conducted
oceanographic research expeditions around the world from the Arctic to
the Antarctic, measuring marine biological productivity and the oceanic
concentration of dissolved ‘climate-active’ gases, including carbon
dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. His work focuses on the development
of ship-board automated sensors, field experiments and the use of
satellite-based remote sensing observations.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Travis Steffens
Travis Steffens (PhD) is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Guelph. He is a Fellow International of the Explorers Club, a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society, and the founding Executive Director of Planet Madagascar, a charity focused on conserving lemurs and improving the lives of people in Madagascar. Since 2005, Travis has led over 70 wildlife and cultural trips to Belize, Botswana, Canada, Costa Rica, Madagascar, Namibia, South Africa, Russia, and Zimbabwe.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
Chef & Author
Vikram Vij
Vikram Vij is an Indian-born Canadian chef, cookbook author, and television personality. He is a passionate supporter of the sustainable food industry and has championed many causes including the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise Sustainable Seafood Program and the UBC Farm.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
World Traveller
Wendi Lacusta
Wendi Lacusta is our Concierge in Charge. Hailing from Nova Scotia where she grew up sailing and open ocean swimming, Wendi has lived many years since on Canada’s West Coast. Wendi is an inveterate (and veteran) solo world traveller and since her first retirement, has also undertaken work aboard polar expedition cruise vessels.
More >
UPCOMING TOURS >
More About Us
- The Worldwide Quest Experience
- Our Team in the Field
- Our Team in Toronto
- Explorers Club