Leonard Friesen

Tour Storyteller, Len Friesen, grew up knowing that the world was a big place; that it extended well beyond his home community. That’s no surprise given that he was the child of immigrants from another land, or the fact that his mother tongue was not English. In time, Len studied the history of other lands, which included a period of research and study overseas. Since 1994 he has been a history professor at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. In 2000 Len also established Canada’s first university-level Global Studies programme, and it was that experience that opened the world, literally, to Len and Mary (they had married in 1977). Since then, Len and Mary have often led learning and adventure tours together to various European and African destinations. Both appreciate the informal interactions that occur on these tours, and they love to get beyond the museums and galleries to the everyday sights and sounds of a location. Len and Mary have three children, three in-laws, and seven grandchildren.  Len says about TourMagination: “It’s unlike any other tour company I know; it really is travel with a purpose. TourMagination builds community in life-changing ways, and we’re delighted to be associated with it.”