Owner & Manager - Mike & Dana Bayda

Mike Bayda has been working in the travel industry for over 30 years and has travelled pretty much everywhere. He is a huge Saskatchewan Roughriders fan. Mike's favourite travel spot? Knysna, South Africa - paradise! mike@lobsticktravel.com

Dana Bayda joined the Lobstick team in 2011, and is the Tour Manager of the Lobstick Tours department. Dana loves equestrian sport, fine cuisine and travel. Dana's favourite travel spots - pretty much anywhere in Europe, Hawaii, and New York! dbayda@lobsticktravel.com

Dana and Mike have a yearly tradition of taking a small group to New York. They see a few shows, go to a major league baseball game, and take in all the sights and sounds of this amazing Metropolis. 

Lobstick Travel

TRAVEL AGENTS:

Meet our hard-working travel agents that make up the staff of Lobstick Travel. They research, book and manage all travel needs from flights to unique travel destinations anywhere in the world. Their professionalism and knowledge ensures that they can truly serve any travel client. Please feel free to contact them with questions or quotes for any type of travel.

Nicole has been an agent with Lobstick Travel for over 20 years. Some of her favourite travel spots include Italy and Denmark. Nicole is great with booking your dream European vacation, winter getaways and cruises, and is happy to assist with your travel needs. nicole@lobsticktravel.com

Lynn has been an agent with Lobstick Travel for over 10 years, and in the travel business for over 20 years. She has travelled to Australia, Eastern Europe and Mexico - Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Ixtapa, Cancun, Mayan Riviera and Cozumel. Her years spent living in Florida gave her the opportunity to explore the US, visiting Arizona, Dallas, LA, San Diego, Las Vegas, Orlando, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Anchorage and Hawaii. Lynn is a great person to see about sun destinations. lynn@lobsticktravel.com

Lobstick Tours

 TOUR DIRECTORS/HOSTS:

Our Tour Directors are the fun, experienced travellers that will be assisting you on your tour. They take the stress out of travel - coordinating buses, hotels, flights and cruises while you are away on your trip.

Doug and Nancy Porcina joined the Lobstick team after retirement because of their love of travel. Some of their adventures include camping through the Continental United States to California - the trip back to Saskatchewan took them through the Red Wood forest area, all this with a two year old in tow. Their first venture to a new continent was a tour of Kenya and South Africa. A Safari on the Serengeti Plain and a balloon ride over the plains were highlights of their trip. When in Cape Town and on a tour of Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years, they learned a lot about his political life. This gave them a very personal connection to his recent death. They have toured across Canada from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island. What a fabulous way to see our great country of Canada - on either the Maritimes and Newfoundland Tour or Victoria in the Spring. India in 2014 was a fabulous journey from New Delhi to Mumbai and then to Kochi. Highlights were the Taj Mahal and going on safari and seeing their first tiger. Doug and Nancy have also taken tours to Australia and New Zealand and the Caribbean.  In the United States they have taken tours to California and the West Coast USA, a Hawaiian Cruise, and the 2014 Panama Canal Cruise. Hostfest and Branson were some of their first trips, and they have hosted several of these tours over the years now - they have invaluable insights and experience. Doug and Nancy are always ready to discover new and exciting destinations. They look forward to you joining them on one of their informative and friendly tours.

Colin and Dianne Markusson joined the travel and tour business after retiring from careers in health care and finance.  Prior to retirement, they travelled to South East Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, Caribbean, North America including Alaska, Hawaii, Churchill, Nunavut and Yukon.  They now live in Balgonie, Saskatchewan. Since joining the Lobstick Tours team, they've found the true meaning to the old saying that "it's about the journey, not the destination". They take great pride in providing their guests with comfortable, hassle-free travel. Colin and Dianne have escorted Lobstick Tours throughout North America and to South America and Asia. What’s next for Colin and Dianne?  Give us a call!  We would love to travel with you. 

Richard and Agnes Fredericks have been hosting tours since 2008.  Richard is an electrician and millwright.  He is semi-retired but likes to keep busy so he still works part time.  Agnes (a social worker) worked for the health region for 20 years and now works part time for the provincial government. When at home they spend a lot of time doing volunteer work with various agencies.  They love to travel and have been to over 40 countries; visiting some of them on more than one occasion. These destinations include Egypt, Russia, China, Turkey, Mexico, Hawaii, Sweden, Denmark and Great Britain. As hosts they have taken groups to the Caribbean, Turkey, Panama, Greece, Italy, Spain, France plus numerous trips into the USA and across Canada. Richard and Agnes take pride in making every tour fun, worry free and the absolute best that it can be. In 2015, they hosted a motor coach tour called Absolutely Arizona, which took them to many beautiful places within the state. Next was a fabulous tour of China, a Yangtze River cruise and a tour to Hong Kong, and in September - Iceland with an amazing cruise to the Baltics. Rick and Agnes would love for you to join them on their next tour adventures.  

Joanne Johnston and Maureen Safinuk - Joanne Johnston and Maureen Safinuk are the newest team of travel hosts to join the Lobstick Travel & Tours family. They are retired teachers who both live in Prince Albert. Their sense of adventure has taken them throughout Europe, Mexico, the United States and Canada. Learning about local history and culture is one of their favourite reasons to travel. Therefore, it is no surprise that a tour of the battlefields of Normandy has been one of their favourite trips to date. Due to their love of travel, they chose to try their hand at hosting tours. They completed their training tour in the spring of 2023 and are now ready to launch! As ambassadors for Lobstick Tours, they look forward to meeting their guests as they begin this new venture. They are excited to have you join them in your travels.

Email: safinukm@hotmail.com johnstonjo@hotmail.com

“People don’t take trips – trips take people.” – John Steinbeck

Archie and Bev Esplin (Retired) - Archie & Bev hosted tours for over 15 years.  They loved meeting the great people who joined them on trips all over the world. Their adventures over the years: China, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Australia, Hawaii, Ukraine, Poland, British Isles, Paris, Texas, South Padre Island, river & ocean cruises, bus tours through the USA and Canada, and the Musical Sounds of Missouri and Tennessee, including Branson, Nashville, Memphis and Dollywood. The Panama Canal 2016 Cruise was their last tour as directors with Lobstick Tours. We thank them dearly for their service and for the memories!