About Cross-Culture Journeys
Cross-Culture Journeys was founded in 1985 by an educator who combined her interests in travel, the arts and history to create unique travel experiences that were not available through other travel providers. Cross-Culture grew from the two in-depth European itineraries offered in that first year to over 50 destinations worldwide scheduled in 2008-09.
Ati Jain purchased the Cross-Culture Journeys in 2004. He introduced small-ship itineraries to unique destinations such as Antarctica, the Arctic Circle and Libya; new ports-of-call from Central America and South America to India, Africa, and Southeast Asia and new tour styles including soft-adventure programs.
In recent years, Cross-Culture Journeys launched special President's Tours itineraries to India and The Adriatic, accompanied by Ati Jain. Ati also introduced "Europe By the Book", a travel program influenced by literary classics and best-selling novels. "The DaVinci Code" was the first highlighted book; its corresponding tour was featured in the New York Times, USA Today and other publications.
More than 80% of Cross-Culture's clients return year after year to participate in its travel programs, and the Company's 50 group leaders in ports of call around the world receive rave reviews for their knowledge of local sites, history, past & present culture, unique superb restaurants, and off-the-beaten track charm of the cities and regions they guide.
Cross-Culture Journeys has provided group travel programs to non-profit organizations, cultural groups, and media outlets since its inception. Among its partners at NPR, Cross-Culture developed over 20 itineraries for WFCR in Western New England. NPR host Diane Rehm has accompanied Cross-Culture cruises for WAMU in Washington, DC and KUER in Salt Lake City. Other NPR stations who have partnered with Cross-Culture include KACU in Abilene, TX; WGUC in Cincinnati, WVTF in Central and Western Virginia and WMHT in Schenectady/Albany, NY.
Cross-Culture Journeys has become a leader in delivering group travel programs to some of the nation's most prestigious college and university alumni travel programs. In partnership with UC-Berkeley, UCLA, Duke University, Georgia Tech, University of Georgia, Lehigh University, North Carolina State, University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill, Penn State, Texas A&M, Wake Forest University, University of Washington, Washington & Lee University, and Williams College, Cross-Culture helps alumni travellers visit Russia, Belgium and Holland, Mexico, Italy, Southeast Asia, and more. Some trips are customised variations of our current offerings; some are developed from scratch. If a newly-developed customised trip is a success, it becomes part of Cross-Culture's future public offerings.
The Museums 10, a consortium of Western New England museums, The Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra, The Mount Holyoke Museum of Art, and the Salamagundi Club of New York have partnered with Cross-Culture Journeys.
Cross-Culture Journeys is committed to responsible tourism and to being a good citizen in the communities it serves. Cross-Culture sponsored a Volunteer Tourism Forum at the Educational Travel Conference in Washington, DC, a performance by Music in Deerfield, Massachusetts, and the Museums 10 regional exhibitions "Go Dutch" (2006) and "BookMarks" (2007-08). exhibition.
The Cross-Culture Journeys staff are committed to providing in-depth, unique travel itineraries to popular and innovative destinations with all-inclusive pricing, expert guides, and individualized service. Cross-Culture Journeys programs will continue to be limited to small groups with flexible, convenient departures, a choice of gateway cities, and generous offerings.
The Cross-Culture Journeys Family
Ati Jain began his career in travel with a major airline, working in a variety of roles from reservations to airport services. He worked with a large US tour operator in Boston as Director of Air Contracting Worldwide, before moving to a European based multi-billion dollar tour operator in 2000, as Director of Product Development & Air Operations for Asia, Australia and the Americas. After gaining tremendous complimentary experience, Ati sought a travel company that would highlight exemplary customer service, unique itineraries, and extraordinary value for travelers who want a memorable, cultural vacation experience that is more than just a tour. Cross-Culture Journeys was a perfect fit.
Helga Beatty, who joined Cross-Culture Journeys in 1994, was born in Munich, Germany and was fascinated by the cultural differences and similarities of the countries and their people. She moved with her parents to the United States many years ago, but still has family in Germany. Both of her children have also become avid travelers. Before working at Cross-Culture Journeys, Helga worked as an Organic Research Chemist and later for an Educational Testing Company. She has been fortunate to hike in Ireland, Wales, Germany, the French Pyrenees and the Spanish Pecos and to bicycle along the French coast. One of her most recent trips was an Expedition Cruise to the Arctic along the coasts of Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland ending in Montreal.
Jo Ann Brown has worked for Cross-Culture Journeys for20 years and has extensive international travel experience. She has visited Albania, Alaska, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Protugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden & Tunisia. She worked in university and public health educational programs in the US as well as Canada, where she and her family resided for 10 years, before moving to Amherst, Massachusetts 30 years ago. She is interested in art, history, architecture, antiques and gardens. Jo Ann is also a tour guide at Historic Deerfield Massachusetts, a living history museum.
Priscilla Drucker joined the Cross-Culture staff in 2007, after spending over 20 years as a music host and producer at public radio station WFCR in Amherst, Massachusetts. For some of those years, she administered and publicized station-sponsored travel programs in conjunction with Cross-Culture and other travel companies. She accompanied WFCR station trips to: Austria, France, and Spain. A lifelong writer and editor, she has worked on publications ranging from a music history textbook to Texas Optometry and has turned out newsletters for public radio stations, political organizations, musical ensembles and schools. She lives in Amherst with her husband Jean-Pierre Berwald, and while not writing or traveling engages in rowing, bicycling and choral singing. Priscilla has visited numerous European countries and has lived in France.
Allie Molloy joined Cross-Culture Journeys in 2007 as Office Manager, after graduating from Brandeis University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Highest Honors in Russian Language and Literature, and a second Bachelor's degree in English and American Language and Literature. She spent a semester living in St. Petersburg and traveling to Moscow, Novgorod, Peterhof, and Pskov, as well as a few cities and towns in Bavaria, Germany. Between Brandeis and Cross-Culture, Allie worked with Teach for America, teaching 7th and 8th grade English in New Haven. She also taught English at a nursery school in St. Petersburg, Russia while abroad. She has an interest in Russian history, folklore, literature, and above all, the Russian language.
Molly Nelson has worked in the travel industry since 1996, in collaboration with Cross Culture since 2005. As a travel agent she has planned honeymoons, booked incentive trips for large multi-national corporations and everything in between. She enjoys incorporating her hobbies of coin collecting and photography as she travels the world, visiting favorite places such as Australia and Iceland. She feels train travel is a great way to meet the locals, see the countryside and slow down the pace of an activity-packed itinerary.
Desha Peacock become an avid traveler at the age of 18, after studying Spanish in Salamanca Spain. She remained in Europe where she traveled extensively and worked the following year. She graduated with honors from the University of Arkansas and later attained a Master’s degree in International Education and Training at SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont. During that time, Desha studied Environmental Sustainability in Costa Rica, volunteered as a Medical Spanish translator in Guatemala, and conducted various Cross-Cultural workshops throughout Central America and Europe. Later, she participated in a Women’s Leadership Conference in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, of The United Arab Emirates, where she became fascinated by Middle Eastern culture. Desha has just returned from her first trip to Africa, where she was a bridesmaid in beautiful wedding on the Mediterranean coast of Djerba, Tunisia.
Mark G. Auerbach Public Relations provides marketing and public relations counsel to Cross-Culture Journeys. Mark has a background in cultural tourism acquired through work assignments with Wolf Trap Farm Park (Washington, DC), Houston (TX) Grand Opera and Ballet, Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra, and the Greater Springfield (MA) Convention and Visitors Bureau. Since 1986, Mark has run a public relations agency. His cultural travel-related clients have included public radio station WFCR (where he launched the station's travel program), The Rouse Company's Bel Canto Opera Competition tour, and the Stanley Park of Westfield. As a journalist, he was Arts and Travel editor of the Jewish Weekly News. He has travelled extensively throughout North America, Israel, and Europe.
Susan Bergeron-West picked up crayons as a young child and hasn't put them down since. She enjoys traveling and cultural diversity, making it a real pleasure to have been working with Cross-Culture Journeys since 2006. With a background in fine arts and agency experience with local, national, and international accounts, she started Sirius Design in August, 1999 as an opportunity to work in partnership with her clients and find creative ways to achieve their objectives. Assisted by Tim Derouin, current projects include collateral, print ads, posters, brochures, logos, direct mail, multimedia design and production, web page design, exhibit design, and radio production. Sirius Design is located in the wilds of western Massachusetts.