As a kid, Brian’s wanderlust was sparked while leafing through pages of National Geographic. Now, he’s been a full-time tour director for nearly 20 years, leading groups to places he once only dreamed about.
Brian never planned for a career in travel. He studied art history in his home state at the University of Rhode Island, then moved to the West Coast to pursue graduate studies in San Francisco. After working in the restaurant industry, he decided to take a nine-month sabbatical to journey through Europe and parts of Africa, fulfilling a long-held goal to further explore outside the U.S..
For several years, Brian followed this pattern: working in restaurants and wineries, then taking off for months at a time to travel the world. He then returned to his home in Rhode Island to continue his work in the business of wine.
“Eventually, I became a sommelier, and food became a focus of my work life and my personal life,” Brian said. “I moved back to Rhode Island after being in San Francisco for many years.”
After accompanying a friend on two group trips with a tour operator, Brian was offered his first job as a tour director. At first, he was hesitant.
“I was happy, everything was perfect, and then this job opportunity came up,” Brian said. “And at first, I didn’t want to confuse my passion for travel with work, because I thought they would not mix well.”
Unsure about taking a new career path, Brian leaned on advice from his father.
“My dad would always tell me, ‘You’re going to come to a lot of times in your life when you’ll need to choose between a couple of things. You should always choose the one that scares you the most,’” Brian said. “And taking a job as a tour director scared me.”
Since taking that leap of faith, Brian has fully embraced his role as a tour director, combining work and wanderlust, and occasionally pulling from his experience in food and wine. He’s been working with Arrangements Abroad since 2015, guiding diverse groups of travelers to culturally rich destinations around the world.
After nearly two decades of personal travel and leading tours, it comes as no surprise that Brian often brings guests to destinations he’s visited several times. However, his enthusiasm never fades. He finds new details each time, energized by travelers experiencing the place for the first time.
When asked about his favorite destination, Brian chose India, explaining that it reminds him of the childlike wonder of dreaming about travel.
“I’m fascinated with India, every different part of it,” Brian said. “And it often reminds me of when I was looking at National Geographic as a kid, only dreaming that I could travel one day, looking at cultures and images that are just so far beyond anything in my everyday life.”
