Venture outside the box

Author: Michele Lawson

Date: Jun 02, 2008

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Michele Lawson

When travelling around northern Italy, Darlene Christianson, who founded Venture Bound with her husband Tom, spent some time in Verona – the city of Romeo and Juliet. Now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city continues much as it has for centuries with the Adiage River snaking quietly through it.

When they looked across the expanse of green lawn, the baron himself beckoned them to follow as he entered his castle.
Sounds like a line from a melodrama, but it was a stunning moment of reality for tour guide Darlene Christianson.
“It just doesn’t happen,” she says of this memorable visit to Brolio Castle in Italy’s Tuscany region.
“He introduced us to his wife, who made coffee, showed us paintings of his mother and his family. He ended up inviting us into his dining room – I swear the table was 20-feet long. The king of Italy had actually eaten dinner there.
“I felt so privileged to meet this gracious man – he talked about their business, kids. They’re normal.”
These opportunities aren’t very likely when travelling with a busload of other people, says Christianson, who runs Venture Bound Tours with her husband Tom.
“Our tours are more custom, she explains. “We sit down and create a tour for them – it’s usually a small group of four to eight. We look after everything.”
Whether it’s golfing in Tuscany, ballooning in the Loire or sailing in Croatia, “we’re always looking into different options,” adds Christianson. “It’s pretty much whatever you want. I think the key is flexibility.”
Some travellers like to shop, others like opera – Christianson spends a lot of time researching and prepping for each trip.
“We’re making sure we eliminate wasted time,” she says. All tickets and reservations are made in advance. “We alleviate the aggravating times when travelling. We know where to park, where to eat – the best hot chocolate and pizza, the out-of-the-way places to shop. We dot the Is and cross the Ts.
“The signage can be very difficult, but all that’s looked after,” she adds. It also doesn’t hurt that husband Tom, a retired military officer, speaks five languages and has lived throughout Europe for 14 years.
“We’re like parents, we want to show our kids everything,” she says enthusiastically. “Tom and I are really passionate about what we do.”
The couple came to this business from different places. Darlene, a Bobcaygeon native who has lived in Collingwood since 2000, had a successful first career selling log homes. She then became an on-air host at Rogers Television.
Tom, formerly a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, had been leading military tours through Europe.
His qualifications speak for themselves: an advanced degree in European history, a successful army career and teaching experience at the military academy West Point.
After picking clients (sometimes veterans) up in Paris, he would take them to Normandy to detail the historic events at Juno Beach, Dieppe and/or Vimy Ridge.
Although his current tour company doesn’t specialize in military history tours, they are still available through Venture Bound Tours. Above Juno Beach sits a white house that is the generational home of Christianson friends Hervé and Nicole. His father owned it during the war, but it was occupied by German soldiers until liberated by Canadians. They willingly open their home to visitors Darlene and Tom bring by and share their stories.
“It’s the house you see in the beginning of Saving Private Ryan,” she says. “Our friends in France just blow us away.”
The couple uses this insider information to their clients’ advantage.
“We have lots of friends over there now,” she confirms. “My husband is kind of like a local – we both are.”
They know for some the tour is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Fittingly, they take their jobs seriously. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have fun.
“Every place is an adventure,” she smiles. “Everywhere I go I try to savour the moment. I might go the same region, to the same wine tasting, but with different people, it’s a different experience.”
And, despite four years of travelling and an average of 12 tours per year, she still has her feet firmly on the ground.
“My favourite place is wherever my husband is,” she concludes. “We make sure we’re back (in Collingwood) in time for skiing.”