Frances Gertsch

Background

About Frances Gertsch

Growing up in Alberta, Frances always loved travelling and exploring the great outdoors. Her passion turned into a career after she followed her mother’s wise advice: “Do what you love!” This passion merged into her career at Parks Canada - exploring, discovering, and sharing our country's natural and cultural history - and travel - experiencing new-found places around the globe. Frances took her first solo trip by bus from Edmonton to Calgary at seven years old to visit family friends and she’s never looked back. Since then she’s travelled in the arctic by bush plane, snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef, taken a train to mountain villages in Switzerland, relaxed on the beaches of the Caribbean, slept in an underground hotel in the opal-mining town of Coober Pedy, remembered Canada’s fallen in the battlefields of Europe, wandered the hip streets of Nuuk, Greenland, and visited the Tower of London guided by a Yeoman Warder. She's lost track of the number of Parks Canada places she's visited from coast to coast to coast. The places on Frances’ travel bucket list – from eco-tourism destinations to urban hotspots – are too numerous to mention here, but will always include great food, unique experiences, and the chance to create unforgettable memories with family and friends or share these experiences with Canadians experiencing these places for the first time. By day, Frances works at Parks Canada as a manager is the Office of the Chief Information Officer, leading and coaching teams, building relationships, and supporting the delivery of the Agency's incredible mandate. By night, Frances and her partner, Kelvin Jones, are Trusted Travel Advisors with Stewart Travel Group where they specialize in hosting group tours, curating unique independent experiences, coordinating wine and culinary tours, and organizing adventures for solo travellers. They work primarily with adult travellers who have the time and money to fulfil their dreams of exploring the world. And, they have a particular knack for helping first-time travellers and ensuring they are well-looked-after. Frances brings with her an Honours Bachelor of Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, nearly 20 years of experience in travel, tourism, and government. With her focus on providing very best in customer service, exceptional value, and an unparalleled attention to detail Frances will take care of the details and help you achieve the travel and project goals you are aiming for. Ask us how we can help you make your next trip extraordinary!