Join us on Friday, March 21st, 2025 at 8 p.m.
OLD YORK TOWER, 85 THE ESPLANADE, (SE corner of Church St.)
Our 2006 trip to SENEGAL presented by Alex Rice
Join us at OLD YORK TOWER, 85 THE ESPLANADE, in downtown Toronto.
We are always looking for volunteer presenters.
Please contact
Svatka Hermanek hermaneks@yahoo.ca or
Bruce Weber bruceaweber@hotmail.com
EVERYONE WELCOME – ESPECIALLY VISITING TRAVELERS
Join us on Friday, November 15th, 2024 at 8 p.m.
OLD YORK TOWER, 85 THE ESPLANADE, (SE corner of Church St.)
Chinese garden in Suzhou presented by Bang Wang
Join us at OLD YORK TOWER, 85 THE ESPLANADE, in downtown Toronto.
We are always looking for volunteer presenters.
Please contact
Svatka Hermanek hermaneks@yahoo.ca or
Bruce Weber bruceaweber@hotmail.com
EVERYONE WELCOME – ESPECIALLY VISITING TRAVELERS
Speaking on Saturday, September 6, 2025, we have :
1st: Darran Rees – Love Letter to Romania
When Darran Rees first drove northward toward Transylvania he felt he was being transported back in time. These remarkable landscapes were like visions of the past with such odd beauty and majesty that betrayed little of their recent history. Over the following fifteen years he was fortunate enough to continue that journey and indeed accompany Romania on its own journey as it unbuckled itself from the chains of its dictatorship and looked to an independent and brighter future. These images represent a record of this unique yet often misunderstood country, its exceptional people and their rare culture, family values and traditions. It shows a moment in time, a unique time in a unique country among extraordinary people.
Darran Rees was born and raised in Wales. Originally trained in art, he later discovered the power of the ‘still’ image and photography. Following photography college and two years assisting a London based commercial photographer, Darran began his own journey with his chosen medium in 1992. This is his first book. Darran Rees, a Welshman by birth, now resides in North London, but travels internationally for his work.
2nd: Olivia McGregor – Guiana
Olivia McGregor was the recipient of the Royal Geographical Society’s 2024 Neville Shulman Challenge Award and will be talking about her journey to the savannahs and rainforests of Guyana.
Olivia travelled to The Lost World, one of the last wildernesses on Earth, a land steeped in exotic myth and legend that served as inspiration for Jurassic Park. Among its inhabitants were the Makushi people, indigenous to the region, with a rich culture dating back 11,000 years.
The Makushi people are at a crossroads, caught between traditional ways of living in close connection with their natural environment and the influences of the modern industrialised world. Olivia will talk about how they are adjusting and the implications of this for everyone. Their survival could be humanity’s own.
Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.
We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.
Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.
Tickets go on sale just before the meetings.
Speaking on Saturday, October 4, 2025, we have :
1st: Lola, John & Danny Wild Guide Morocco
1st: Oliver Smith – On This Holy Island: A Modern Pilgrimage around Britain
Acclaimed travel writer Oliver Smith embarks on an epic adventure across sacred British landscapes – climbing into remote sea caves, sleeping inside Neolithic tombs, scaling forgotten holy mountains and once marooning himself at sea. Following holy roads to churches, cathedrals and standing stones, this evocative and enlightening travelogue explores places prehistoric, pagan and Christian, but also reveals how football stadiums and music festivals have become contemporary places of pilgrimage.
The routes walked are often ancient, the pilgrims he meets are always modern. But underpinning the book is a timeless truth: that making journeys has always been a way of making meaning. So often, Oliver finds, “the unravelling of a path goes in tandem with the unravelling of the soul.”
Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.
We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.
Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.
Tickets go on sale just before the meetings.
Speaking on Saturday, November 8, 2025, we have :
1st: Speaker to be confirmed
2nd: Speaker to be confirmed
Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.
We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.
Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.
Tickets go on sale just before the meetings.
Speaking on Saturday, December 20, 2025, we have :
1st: Speaker to be confirmed
2nd: Speaker to be confirmed
Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.
We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.
Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.
Tickets go on sale just before the meetings.
Speaking on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025, we have :
1st: Jo Bradshaw – Mountains of Patience – Climbing Everest and The 7 Summits.
As the famous saying goes ‘All good things come to those who wait’ and this is particularly relevant to Jo and her 7 summits project. She will take you on a whistle stop tour to all 7 continents, from the jungle to the polar regions and everywhere in between whilst following in the footsteps of the first woman to climb all 7, Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei. What makes each mountain so unique and why on earth did she take on this monumental project whilst raising funds and awareness for children’s mental health charity Place2Be.
Find out more at these links:
2nd: Maria Hickey – Japan Unfolded: A Cultural Journey with Maria Hickey
Join Maria Hickey (aka Sakura) on Saturday 3rd May for a unique cultural experience through Japan!
Maria, a passionate photographer, will offer you an exclusive look at Japan, showcasing its beauty through her lens. From lesser-known festivals to ancient temples framed by delicate cherry blossoms (sakura), you’ll explore a side of Japan that few get to see.
Having spent approximately three years living and working in Japan with programmes like the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, the Ship for World Youth Programme, Peace Boat and the GET Programme, Maria brings a wealth of authentic experiences. She’s even participated in the Queen Himiko contest!
As an avid artist with a love for crafting, Maria will also lead you in a hands-on demonstration of making an origami heart to take home. All you’ll need is a square piece of paper if you’d like to join in.
We encourage you to submit any questions for Maria in advance for the Q&A session.
Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.
We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.
Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.
Speaking on Saturday, June 7, 2025, we have :
1st: Ash Bhardwaj – Why We Travel
Have you ever had a bad travel experience or a disappointing holiday? What if there was a way to avoid that?
In his award-winning book Why We Travel, Ash blended smart-thinking, psychology, and journalism to reveal the secret to satisfying travel – and how understanding motivation can transform not just journeys, but careers and lives.
Ash brings these ideas to life through real-world examples from his work and travels, ranging from a 1000km walk through Uganda and Sudan, an 8500km journey along Russia’s European frontier, soldering in Estonia, and telling the stories of indigenous cultures in Ecuador, Nepal, and New Zealand.
Key Takeaways:
• How to identify your personal motivations and align them with your goals.
• The three mindsets that create more fulfilling experiences at work and beyond.
• Why hardship and discomfort can unlock greater satisfaction.
• How to apply the lessons of travel to professional decision-making and resilience.
BIO
Ash Bhardwaj is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and author, whose work sits at the intersection of travel, culture, and current agairs. He has reported from over 50 countries for outlets including BBC Radio 4, The World Service, The Telegraph, Times, Guardian, Condé Nast Traveller, and Hugington Post, and he appears as a travel expert on BBC One’s Morning Live, Channel 5, and Sky News.
Ash wrote and presented the BBC Radio 4 documentaries How Ukraine Made Us Care & NATO’s Newest Member and appeared on Sky News’ The Great Debate about Ukraine. He produces and presents The First Mile and The Human Advantage podcasts, hosts The Moth storytelling events in London, and delivers workshops & keynote talks on leadership, influence, storytelling, and motivation.
Ash’s journeys include: a 1000km walk through Uganda and Sudan whilst filming Levison Wood’s Walking the Nile for Channel 4; travelling 2500km along the India-Pakistan border to present a 4-part TV series for Discovery Channel; retracing secret British missions in Albania; kayaking through New Zealand; and travelling 8500km of Russia’s European border (including Donbas and occupied Crimea) for his Telegraph podcast series Edgelands.
Before travel writing, Ash was a ski instructor, science teacher, and wannabe cowboy. He is a captain in the British Army Reserve (RIFLES), an MA graduate of King’s College London, and a lecturer in journalism at City University London. He is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and has judged both the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing and the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award.
Ash’s debut book, Why We Travel: A Journey Into Human Motivation, is a smart-thinking blend of memoir, travelogue, research, interviews, and advice; it explores our motivations for travel, how to do it better, and how it can help us to live a more fulfilling life. It was recently awarded Best Travel Book of 2024 by The Independent.
2nd: Mary Fogarty – A Sri Lankan voyage round my father
Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.
We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.
Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.
Tickets go on sale just before the meetings.
Speaking on Saturday, July 5, 2025, we have :
1st: Stuart Bradford – Across Russia from Moscow to Kamchatka
Stuart Bradford lived and worked in Russia for over seven years, a period which was the inspiration for his book Caviar Vodka and Tears. He will share some of his travel experiences in this huge and varied country, from Moscow overland to Vladivostok, and also the magical and remote region of Kamchatka.
Find out more at:
2nd: Laura Coffey – Enchanted Islands
Join Laura for on a mythical journey through the real world. Together we will travel through tiny archipelagos and explore mystical Mediterranean islands thought to be the setting of Odysseus’s epic journey.
We will encounter sea monsters and sex goddesses, fragile masculinity, toxic gods, polyamory and plenty of narcissism as we look again at this old text with fresh eyes. Together, we will explore what myths are, the importance of the stories we tell ourselves, and the magical task of mapping imaginary worlds.
Laura Coffey is not a classics scholar, she cannot read Ancient Greek, often finds herself utterly lost, and so is an unlikely author of a book on mapping The Odyssey.
Stephen Fry said it’s “a magical and hugely captivating journey – a simply marvellous read, hugely recommended”.
Laura’s book Enchanted Islands: A Mediterranean Odyssey, has also been selected by Wanderlust and Citizen Femme as a top travel book for 2024, and by Blackwells as recommended summer reading. It has been long listed for the Anglo Hellenic League Runciman Award
Laura is happy to sign copies after the talk.
You can find out more about the book: Enchanted Islands: A Mediterranean Odyssey
Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.
We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.
Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.
Tickets go on sale just before the meetings.
Speaking on Saturday, 20th September 2025, we have :
Doors open at 1pm for 1:30pm start until 4:00pm
Entrance fee £5 (£4 Globetrotters members*) refreshments included (cash only)
info@chesterglobetrotters.com – www.chesterglobetrotters.com