I spent 9 years climbing the corporate ladder in a career in finance, but after a 2 week Contiki trip to Italy in 2002 I decided to completely change my life and become a tour manager and I have never looked back. I’m able to manage detailed logistics & multi task, while at the same time be incredibly excited & giddy when I see something fun, sparkly or tasty. I can easily get a full bus worked into a frenzy over a specific scone, dessert or beautiful site. From a work perspective, the most prevalent compliments that I get about myself are my organizational skills, my attention to detail and the fact that I treat everyone equally regardless of their “status” within an organizational structure. Then once they see past the “hard skills” it is often my positivity, genuine excitement for the joy of life and gratitude over the little things that are remarked about (and that I laugh a lot and loudly). In my corporate days I used to keep these 2 aspects of myself completely separate (serious hard working in the office, fun only with friends). Once I started tour managing I realized that by embracing and authentically sharing all facets of my personality, I could create a space of safety and security for clients along with a huge amount of laughter & joy. Being fully myself gave them permission to be fully themselves and created genuine moments of connection with my groups. If I had to narrow my life down to one specific trait/ motivation it would be to both seek joy & choose joy (both sayings which are plastered all over my home 🙂
![Shelly-Lowerison-photo](https://travelcampfire.com/wp-content/uploads/jet-engine-forms/2300/2022/05/Shelly-Lowerison-photo.jpg)
Shelly
Lowerison
18 years of experience
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada
Contact Options
About
Tours Offered & Destination Knowledge
Bus ToursLarge Group ToursLocal GuideMulti-Day Tour Director/Leader
Full details in Resume, but summary: Canadian Maritimes & Newfoundland (20 + tours in each) Eastern Canada (16 tours), Canadian Rockies (48 tours) United Kingdom (57 tours) Ireland (35 tours) Italy (31 tours)
Fun Fact!
I played Gretl in Grade 7 for a high school production of The Sound of Music.
Hobbies & Interests
I love nature & hiking, finding local businesses to support and sourcing out the best treats where ever I travel. I love the ocean and the sound of waves, yet I'm not crazy about boats! I love reading and my book shelf is equal parts travel related, spiritual-meditative related and joyful-childlike wonder related. The perfect example of my personality is that as a going away gift from my recent office job they gave me a zen meditation sand garden, but to replace the sand they bought 3 different colours of glitter :). (my unofficial title was "director of all things shiny" I love collecting rocks/ crystals from around the world and have over 200 in my possession. I'm known amongst my friends as being an excellent "card giver" as I enjoy finding the perfect cards and personalizing them with hand written letters of gratitude and appreciation of the recipient, reflecting what makes them special. I also started making "joy on the go" jars (basically jars of mixed shiny confetti) to give out to people just before the pandemic started - much more fun than stress balls. I believe that joy is crucial to life and strive hard to experience it and create experiences of it for others. I believe that life is about continually learning and growing, and I am always excited to encounter something new and to share my "finds" with others.
Virtual Tour Experience
None
Testimonials
I used to keep the hard copies of all the end of tour cards & notes that clients would give me, but a few years ago in an effort to downsize & purge papers, I stopped storing these.
Details
Gateway Airport(s)
YHZ
Licenses
Training
Certified Tour Director- ITMI 2003
Language(s)
English, Italian, French
Additional Education
ITMI Certification - 2003 From Corporate life: Certified Management Accountant, MBA & Bachelor of Commerce. Toastmasters - Competent Toastmaster & Competent Leader designations.