Who is Corina:
Corina has been part of the GCTC team in an accounting role since 1998. Corina grew up on a farm in southwest Manitoba and will always be a country girl at heart. When Corina is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and family. She loves camping, tennis, cycling and curling.
What are Corina’s TOP 5 travel experiences:
- Cruising the Panama Canal! This was a bucket list trip for her father and she had the opportunity to experience it with him and her brother. As a first time cruiser, and as someone who had never left North America, it was an amazing experience
- Canoe tour through the mangroves near Cartagena, Columbia
- White water rafting on the Chattanooga River
- Watching a live NFL game at AT&T Stadium
- Lakeside camping, hiking and canoeing at Rushing River in Lake of the Woods
What is Corina’s closing comment:
Happiness is a journey, not a destination. –Ben Sweetland
Who is Arnie:
Arnie is the Africa Specialist here at Great Canadian Travel Company. We call him our Dr. Africa! He has been to Africa about forty times (he’s lost count) as a tourist, travel agent, and tour leader, and has slept on the ground under the African skies and stayed at some of the most exquisite safaris camps imaginable. Arnie grew up in Flin Flon, Manitoba and has a PhD in Food Science (so, he really is a Dr.!). Growing up he had an uncle who always threatened to send him to Timbuktu when he misbehaved at home. Later, he found out that Timbuktu was a real place and yes, he has now been to Timbuktu and back 2 ½ times. Introducing people to Africa is a passion of Arnie’s.
Top 5 Travel Experiences:
- Being a trailblazer on first trip to Africa – Destination was Lake Turkana (Northern Kenya)
- Lunch of fish (and sand) overlooking the dunes at Timbuktu
- Witnessing the Migration with wildebeest crossing the Mara River and crocodiles awaiting lunch
- Riding the Ougadougou Choochoo
- Market day (Mondays) at Djenne, Mali
What is Arnie’s closing comment:
Arnie has a bad back and says it is because he has lugged over 50 elephants back from Africa (they’re wooden, of course!). When friends say “Wow, that means a lot of dusting” he asks them, “Who dusts elephants?”
Who is Shauna:
Shauna lived in southern and eastern Ontario until the age of 21, when she moved to Banff, Alberta. She expected to only stay in Alberta for about 6 months, but ended up staying for over 8 years. She met her husband there in 2006, they married in Las Vegas in 2010, and moved to Winnipeg in the fall of 2013 with their 2 cats Mr Vegas and Miss Money Penny (Penny for short).
Shauna has been with Great Canadian Travel since October 2013, and works as a Travel Consultant, specializing in the Top of the World, especially Iceland and Scandinavia.
Past travels have included Faroe Islands, Russia, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, England, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Poland.
What are Shauna’s TOP 5 Travel experiences
- Seeing St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow
- Travelling along the Norwegian Coast by ship, taking the legendary “Norway in a Nutshell” tour and staying at the Snowhotel Kirkenes in Northern Norway
- Seeing Eqi Glacier in Ilulissat, Greenland from both the water and the air
- Witnessing incredible Northern Lights in Iceland
- Exploring Old Town Tallinn, Estonia
What is Shauna’s closing comment:
‘Travelling leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” The way a favourite destination or travel experience brings a smile to a person’s face when they think or talk about it – that is why I love what I do.
Who is Oksana:
Oksana was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She came to The Great Canadian Travel Company as a Travel Consultant in 2007, dealing with a variety of clients, both leisure travellers and corporate clients. She enjoys building a relationships with clients that she has gotten to know over the years. Oksana is now our resident airfare and ticketing specialist and, although the airfares she books may not all be to exotic locations, each travel booking is equally important to her.
Top 5 Travel Experiences
- Travelling to Iceland, a company specialty and an always exciting place to visit.
- Staying in a mobile lodge right on the tundra just outside of Churchill. Seeing the polar bears from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep is an experience like none other.
- Another northern experience – Alaska! The landscapes and the beauty of this part of the world is truly something to see.
- Escaping the cold Winnipeg winters and to sip margaritas and lay on the beaches in Mexico and Cuba.
- Hanging around with Goofy at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
What is Oksana’s closing comment:
Whether you’re flying for business or pleasure, on your own or with family members, each trip has a purpose and a meaning, big or small. Oksana is an experienced airfare and ticketing specialist and will always do her best to assist you in finding the most convenient flights at the best price to suit your specific, individual needs.
