Pedro Porqueras

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou

something ABOUT PEDRO



I was born in 1974 in the suburbs of the enormous city of Buenos Aires in a typical italian-argentinian working-class family where I learnt that PASSION & HARD WORK are the keys to success!
From the very begining my family knew there was something wrong with me... I wanted to "see the world" so when I was 18 I did not ask for a motorbike or an old tiny car as expected! A few months before my birthday I had started my first real english lessons with Anthony, a young english bagpacker I met in the local bus who had just arrived in my town by mistake. I started begging my poor mum for a ticket to England in order to
improve my very basic english while living & working in Hastings (Southern England) with Anthony's family! This trip simply changed my life!
After learning a little bit more english I decided to bagpack all of Europe for months & years! At first I was by myself but I ended up leading a group of english speaking only low budget travelers who, I guess, enjoyed my cooking & negotiation skills!

Back home I finished my 5year degree in Tourism Administration at the jesuit Universidad del Salvador mostly to keep my mum happy & then go back to Europe but... last year in college I fell in love with VERONICA & we got married several years after.
In 1997 I got my first real job at United Airlines exactly the same day I was not accepted by British Airways so I had to change accents & learn how to deal with a totally different & amazing culture... the american way! At the same time Veronica was working for American Airlines so we were not allowed to talk business (pepsi vs coca cola)!
So many sudden changes in my life: 1- I change the cheapest seats in Aeroflot for free first-class seats at United (stand-by though) & travel all over the world until I left the company when my first daughter was born! 2- I learnt how to organize my chaos, set priorities, establish procedures & just " KISS Keep It Simple Sweetheart" which was very much against my anarchic italian blood! I did absolutely everything at United: check-in, ramp, complicated weight & balance, security & I was also the "lucky" expert on Delays & Cancellations for many many years!
Flight Attendants & Pilots were coming to Buenos Aires with their families & they wanted me to show them around the city in the morning as my shift at the airport started in the late afternoon until midnight! Very soon I was working on my own itineraries for individuals & small groups of travelers almost every day as my loyal flight attendants & pilots were referring me to some of their frequent flyers on-board.
In order to improve my skills as a guide I did every single history, architecture & art course available so that very soon I was OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED as
Professional Tour Guide of Buenos Aires (AGUITBA).
In 2004 Josefina was born & the financial situation at United was simply unbearable so that I decided to quit & dedicate myself entirely to my trips! It was a very risky decision as Tourism was just starting in Argentina & now I had a family to feed but a few weeks later I was leading large groups of cruisers around Cape Horn! I had the rare privilege to visit one of my dream places... Malvinas(Falkland Islands)! The following season I was leading expeditions to one place I had never even imagined I could go to.... ANTARCTICA!!! Since 2006 I am leading the most fascinating trips all over Argentina & Chile for the most prestigious Tour Operators & Universities in the USA! now I already have ALL 7 CONTINENTS!!!
Catalina was born in 2007 & now we are a family of 4 avid travelers who understand traveling as an espiritual necessity!!!


Come & share my passion for this amazing place!

I want to show you the natural & cultural beauties of my land as well as its real challenges for the future!


 

some of my TRAVELERS

 
DUKE UNIVERSITY (February 2007)
http://library.duke.edu/magazine/2007/10/sailing-the-andes/



Proffesor Deborah Jackubs (Duke Librarian) & Professor James Roberts



DARTMOUTH UNIVERSITY (November 2007)
Proffesor Gary Johnson.

YALE UNIVERSITY (January 2008)

 
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (November 2008)
Professor Jere H. Lipps is the Curator at the Museum of Paleontology, Professor of Integrative Biology at Cal & one of the most important scientists in the world regarding Global Warming!


CORNELL UNIVERSITY Family Program(December2008-January2009)
One of the best travel experiences EVER! Over 60travelers (mostly families with kids & teenagers) conducted by extremely professional Cornell Travel Dep rep Barbara Hopkins & Proffesor David Winkler (famous ornithologist)!


TOP PERFORMER letter from Alan Lewis
CEO of GRAND CIRCLE CORPORATION (Grand Circle Travel & Overseas Adventure Travel)

Dear Top 100 Program Directors/Trip Leaders, I am sending this letter to a very elite group. You have been identified as one of the Top 100 Program Directors or Trip Leaders in the world. Congratulations on this achievement and thank you for your consistent high performance in serving our travelers.

Alan Lewis CEO Grand Circle Travel

PEDRO at GRAND CIRCLE CORPORATION BUSINESS WORKS (june2010)

GRAND CIRCLE CORPORATION ANNUAL MEETING (BUSINESS WORKS 2010) Among more than 1500Trip Leaders/Program Directors WorldWide leading programs in all 7 continents I had the honor of being invited! In 2010 I was one of the 10 TL/PDs invited to spend 2weeks at Boston GCC headquarters!

GRAND CIRCLE CORPORATION ANNUAL MEETING ( 2012) Sumner Thoren Award WINNER The Sumner-Thoren Award is presented to outstanding Program Directors or Trip Leaders who deliver unique, cultural and life changing trips to our travelers with excellence and commitment.  The nominees are nominated by our Regional General Managers with the final decision made by the Executive Team. Pedro Porqueras - He has been with us since January of 2005.  Pedro is at 100% Excellence for Learning & Discovery and Sir Edmund Hillary this year.  We have made changes to the way we operate based on his open and courageous feedback and suggestions.  He has a great passion for his country and life and conveys that to our travelers.  He really is an expert in making those people to people connections.  Pedro is a great support to his fellow PD/TLs in Argentina and Chile as well as other countries in around the world where he has supported ride along training and training meetings. He is always open to sharing what has worked for him.  Thank you, Pedro    ALAN LEWIS (C.E.O)

OAT &GCT TRAININGs in NEW ZEALAND & AUSTRALIA , EQUADOR & PERU

COACHING TRIP LEADERS in the BALTICS 2011 (Lithuania, Estonia & Latvia), COLOMBIA2012 , ITALY 2014, the BALKANS 2014 (Croatia & Bosnia)

PEDRO´s PINGUINOS (((3trips with me!!! they DO have a problema!))


 

 

 

DUKE LAW (June 2013)


DUKE LAW Dean Levi & Chilean President RICARDO LAGOS

DUKE UNIVERSITY (December 2013)
 

 

 

UNIVERSITY of TEXAS LONGHORNS (March 2014)



Pedro ON the Travel Channel with Samantha Brown


A DREAM come true:
any traveler around the world wants to be part of a Travel Show! I never expected this to happen to me but I had the privilege not only to be with Samantha Brown (one of the most famous tv-cable conductors) but also to assist fun Dov Ribnick & extremely professional Joan McCord (EMI award winner) both producer of Travel Channel series of Great Hotels in the World & 56 episodes of Passport to Europe on their new project in Latin America!

NOTE: when you watch the show please wait for the credits & you will read PEDRO PORQUERAS... producer assistant



Working with Samantha was a fascinating experience! she was already in love with BA as she met her husband in a friend's wedding here! Extremely easy-going, incredibly energetic & always concerned about showing her travelers the real BUENOS AIRES so we spoke the same language!!!! it was a little bit unreal to have some great friends & tour guides like Pablito Milano looking at me with the make-up girl, the camera & audio guys while Sam was having some pictures taken with their large groups of travelers.

ENJOY the SHOW! it's called BUENOS AIRES in the series PASSPORT to LATIN AMERICA



PEDRO on REVISTA IDEA - October2006