Over the last couple of years I’ve noticed more and more travellers starting to offer their own tours.

This is a great, natural progression for people who are experts in their travel destination or a specific skill set, such as photography. I wanted to give some of these people that I know a shout out, as their niche efforts and passion go beyond what some large-scale tour operators can offer. These trips are all about passion and sharing special experiences, without cutting costs to improve the bottom line. Now some of these people have been running tours for many years, while others are brand new.

I’ve worked with, travelled with or become friends with all of these people, so they all get my personal stamp of approval. Take a look at them all if you want to experience something different than the typical tour groups.

Photography Tours for Travellers

If you’re into photography, this first one is easy for me. I’ve travelled with many fantastic photographers and learned a lot over the years. Back in 2005 I spent a month overlanding in Africa. Photographing the wildlife was my passion (and still is). Before that trip, I’d known Ewen Bell by email as we worked with similar travel companies, so I knew it would be a treat travelling with him.

His style of photography goes beyond the landscapes and natural world, as he has an ability to connect with the people in places he visits. I’ve never been one to photograph people, but have often been amazed by his photos.

Oh, and if that isn’t enough he is a solid writer as well and has won numerous photography awards, including Travel Photographer of the Year from the ASTW.

Check out photos, tours and workshops by Ewen Bell at: ewenbell.com/tours and www.photographyfortravellers.com

Travel Blogger Hosted Tours

Switching gears a bit, there has been a rash of travel bloggers getting into the tour game recently. Among them all, the ones I like most are the trips being offered by Canadians Dave and Deb, known as The Planet D. What separates them from most other travel blogger trips I’ve seen recently is their level of professionalism and the range of skills they bring along as an added-value to your trip.

One problem with committing to a trip with a new company or individual is that you may not have have any guarantee of services if something goes wrong. Large tour companies are members of organizations like ABTA, IATA, TICO or PATA. You don’t need to know what these acronyms mean, but they’re essentially regional or international associations that often require members to be financially stable and responsible. In some cases funds from members go into a pool so that if a business goes bankrupt, you’re not stranded in some foreign country.

Why am I mentioned all of this now? Well Dave and Deb are based in Ontario, Canada. As such they need to have a licensed tour company that is a member of TICO running their tours. They teamed up with the good people at The Travel Society, to create their tours and adhere to all local regulations. Such safety measures vary greatly across countries, and even provinces or states within countries. If you’re going to book with a local / small company be sure to ask if they’re licensed to actually sell travel services and what happens if something goes wrong on their tour.

For Planet D, Thailand, Kenya and Switzerland are up first on their tour list. Their personable nature, great photography and ability to turn their blogging into a successful business with many great partnerships shows how dedicated they are to doing things right. You can expect no less from their tours.

Check out The Planet D tours at: theplanetd.com/travel-and-tours

Uncrowded and Untravelled Asia

I worked with Masha for many many years at one of the big, global tour operating companies. When I went to Russia in 2012 she was the first person I thought of when asking for some tips and advice. That’s her speciality – not just Russia, but Central and Northern Asia – oh and SE Asia too of course. But it is her passion, knowledge of, and experience in leading tours and organizing tours to places like Iran, Russia, Mongolia and the “Stans” that make her trips special.

She has been a tour guide and has also ran the operational / logistical side of things for tours in these areas for many many years, so she knows how to create the best trips out there.

I expect her new trips to be full of amazing meals, lots of laughs and local expert “inside” information.

To learn more, head over to itsjourneytime.wix.com/journeytime or visit her Facebook page. 

Have to Add Some Local Flavour to this List

Local travel can be just as fun and rewarding as hopping on a plane and stepping foot on foreign land. When it comes to fun day tours and adventures around Toronto, look no further than Tour Guys Toronto.

I’ve taken their Beer Makes History Better tour and learned plenty of beer factoids, as well as some interesting Toronto history. It was fun, involved beer, and was led by a great guide. As these tours are short, that guide aspect really is a key component to their success. Having great, knowledgeable and enthusiastic guides makes a big difference. Now if beer isn’t your thing, other tours around Kensington Market, or their When Pigs Fry tour are great options.

If you’re visiting Toronto, or have friends coming into town and want to suggest some ideas for them, then send them to Toronto Tour Guys. The Tour Guys also run trips in Vancouver.

Check them out at:  www.tourguys.ca

Bootcamp Challenges and Pure Travel

From Ethiopia to Tanzania and Nepal to Cambodia, Original Trails offers up some of the most carefully crafted custom tours and ethical adventures out there. Aaron and Aparna who run the company are big supporters of helping local communities and giving back to the places they visit. They call it “Pure Travel” and it shines through in everything they do.

They also run great fundraising trips and bootcamp challenges for people to make it to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro or trek the Inca Trail. If you need a dose of inspiration and personal challenge with your travel, check them out.

Original Trails tours are found at: www.originaltrails.com

I’m lucky to have travelled with, worked with or become friends with the people running these tours. It really is worth seeking any of them out, as they all run specialized tours in places that they’re passionate about. It’s not just about making money for these guys and gals, it’s about making the most of your travel experiences.