News

Back by popular demand! TourMagination is hosting Round 3 of the virtual museum and archive tour. Tuesday evenings, 8 PM ET/7 PM CT/5 PM PT, from January 5 to February 2, 2021 archivists and executive directors from Anabaptist and [...]

As Christmas approaches, we've been discussing how to do something special for our TourMagination community of travellers. We decided on a Virtual Christmas Party on Thursday, December 17 at 8 PM EST/7 PM CT/5 PM PT. Wear your favourite ugly holiday [...]

TourMagination hosted Round 2 of the virtual museum and archive tour. Tuesday evenings, from November 3rd to December 1, 2020 archivists and executive directors from Anabaptist and Mennonite museums, archives, and heritage centres in the USA and Canada showed [...]

On his deathbed in 2014, David Riesen asked his daughter Ingrid to organize an event to remember Mennonites' historic migration from Russia to Canada beginning in 1923. While the First World War was underway, Vladimir Lenin’s Bolsheviks seized power [...]

With restrictions on international travel, sometimes we forget that there are many things to see and do in our own backyards. Below are six tips to help you make the most of a local trip.    Discover What’s Special [...]

Do You Need to Re-register for a Tour? Were you on a 2020 tour and need to re-register? You will receive a personal email with instructions on how to re-register for your specific tour. You will be given a two-week […]

Dear TourMagination Travellers, We have been alerted that Mennonite World Conference (MWC) decided to postpone the global Assembly until July 5-10, 2022. From an MWC media release: “The Indonesian Mennonite churches are committed to hosting the Assembly in Indonesia. […]

Leading a Learning Tour & Pilgrimage Journey Since 2003, about every two years, I have led the Exploring the World of Paul tour. Initially, it was called In the Footsteps of Paul, but it quickly became apparent that it [...]

Learning and Loving in Cuba TourMagination Tour Leaders Jack & Irene Suderman have been leading faith-based cultural tours to Cuba since 2015. They have a 30-plus year history of connecting with Cubans and helping to train Christian leaders in [...]

Smiles Are a Language Fred and Shirley Redekop have led a variety of TourMagination tours. Beginning in 2005, Fred co-led World of Paul tours to Turkey and Greece with Tom Yoder Neufeld. “It was neat to watch people get [...]

Open to a Full Encounter with Culture & History After participating in several TourMagination experiences, Bob and Margaret Nally had an inclination that TM travellers might like to explore their homeland, Ireland. The Nallys mentioned the idea of a [...]

June 15-19, 2020 TourMagination is celebrating 50 years of helping people of faith explore, experience, and expand their worlds. The company began in 1970 to help North American Anabaptists explore their heritage in Europe. See a timeline of important […]

Growing up in multicultural Winnipeg, Canada, Cheryl Gilmore vowed to one day travel and see the world. After graduating from design in Toronto (1991) and following a season of local theatre, a unique opportunity arose to experience the high […]

Six years ago, Lorna Sawatzky (left) embarked on a remarkable trip to India and Bhutan.  She kept meaning to make a photo book because she didn’t want to forget a thing.  But life was busy with travel plans and […]

Tuesday evenings in May & June, archivists and executive directors from Anabaptist and Mennonite museums, archives, and heritage centres across North America showed unique artifacts, photos and documents as they shared part of the Anabaptist story. Watch the presentations […]

Updated: October 14, 2020 If you are registered for a TourMagination tour in 2020, we want you to know we are committed to informing you about the status of tours as soon as we have the information we need […]

MANULIFE UPDATE AS OF APRIL 9, 2020: Some travel insurance policies provide coverage that may pay for costs that consumers cannot recover when trips are cancelled.  In the past, travel service providers usually provided consumers with refunds where the […]

We want you to know that we are doing everything we can to communicate with TourMagination travellers about the status of tours happening in the next 6 months. We are monitoring the COVID-19 situation and waiting to hear decisions from […]

We are providing the information below to bring clarity for TourMagination travellers during the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. If your question is not answered, please contact us. We are here to help!   TourMagination’s Governing Body  Like all other travel […]

We care about your health and safety and want to assure you that we are attempting to make the best decisions we can with the information we have. We understand your frustration and your desire to know what will [...]

Southeast Asia Tours Compatible with Mennonite World Conference Assembly Gathered Our itinerary expert, Cheryl Gilmore has been hard at work researching and sketching out some tours in Southeast Asia that are compatible with Mennonite World Conference Assembly Gathered July [...]

    How can rugby inspire a nation?  It’s worth noting that rugby was long the White Man’s Sport in South Africa, as captured in Clint Eastwood’s brilliant film Invictus.   Which is why non-whites hated the team known as […]

It is possible to do good while having a good time if you choose the right tour. Tourism is an important source of income in many countries. When visitors remember that they are visiting someone else’s home and they […]

As you may have heard, on June 5th, 2019 the United States Government issued new rules governing travel to Cuba by American citizens. Canadians Jack & Irene Suderman have been taking groups, mostly of Americans, on educational tours to […]

Nelson Mandela.  Desmond Tutu.  These two must be among the biggest names of our time. Both proudly South African.  Both closely connected to Cape Town.  Both statesmen of the world.  And both at the heart of the stories we’ll […]

Waterloo, ON July 10th, 2019 Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) held its first official meeting on September 27, 1920, in Chicago, Illinois. Canadian and U.S. Mennonite relief efforts came together under the umbrella of MCC to meet the desperate needs […]

By Conrad Stoesz, archivist at the Centre for MB Studies Who am I? Do you ever ask yourself that question? Part of the answer includes where you came from—not only your past but your family’s past. It is one […]

I believe in maintaining family ties. One small way in which I do this is sending a personalized email or text to immediate and extended family members on their birthdays. It’s not a long message, but it lets them […]

“One’s heritage cannot be taken away from you, but it can be lost by failing to save it for future generations,” said Tom Sherk, one of the founders of the Schürch Family Association of North America (SFANA). Tom believed […]

Our tour leaders intentionally build community on all TourMagination tours and ensure that single travellers feel welcome. As an extra special welcome, we are pleased to announce that we are waiving the single supplement for the following three spring […]

Schedule of Screenings in 2018 If you have ever travelled with John Ruth on a European Anabaptist Heritage tour you won’t want to miss his 90 minute documentary entitled Is There a Lesson?. During this 90-minute documentary, relive your memories of […]

Schedule of Screenings in 2018 If you have ever travelled with John Ruth on a European Anabaptist Heritage tour you won’t want to miss his 90 minute documentary entitled Is There a Lesson?. During this 90-minute documentary, relive your memories of […]

Do you live near Steinbach, Manitoba? Come to Pioneer Days at Mennonite Heritage Village, August 3-6, 2018. Enjoy a short dramatic presentation of a Mennonite migration story with TourMagination staff member Sandra Reimer on Friday at 3:00 pm or […]

Guests will stay in one of two large lodges in the village, each with several bedrooms and one or two bathrooms. Sararo Lodge is pictured to the left.  There are additional bathrooms in the bathhouse between the two lodges.  The […]

We would like to extend our condolences to the staff at Bonaventure travel as they mourn the untimely passing of former owner Ruth Wiebe on Saturday, June 2 in Winnipeg. Ruth spent many years in the travel industry. READ […]

It’s been hard to wait for the concert schedules to book tickets for performances that travellers will attend on the Marvelous Music & Culture of Germany Tour, September 19-30, 2018 with Rod Zook and Rennie Regehr. Here’s what professional musician Rennie […]

Waterloo, ON May 8, 2018 Recognizing shared values and an overlap between TourMagination travellers and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) donors, the for-profit business and non-profit organization recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding signalling their desire to collaborate more closely […]

As you may have heard in the news, Cape Town has been experiencing a serious drought. We want to assure you that we are proactively monitoring the situation in consultation with our contacts on the ground in South Africa. […]

Choosing to go on a TourMagination group tour is an investment of your precious time and money. You want to be sure you’re going to have an outstanding experience. Tour leaders have a significant impact on the quality of […]

We were deeply saddened to hear of the unexpected and tragic passing of David Friesen last week. We mourn with David’s wife Trudy, son John, and other family members. David led several tours to Mexico with TourMagination. He will […]

By Len Friesen Robert Mugabe’s recent “retirement” in Zimbabwe provides a good opportunity to reconsider the remarkable legacy of Nelson Mandela, the first President of a post-Apartheid South Africa. There are, interestingly enough, many parallels between them. Both were […]

On Wednesday, November 8 the Trump administration announced that it will be tightening travel restrictions in Cuba for American citizens. Americans are still allowed to fly to Cuba under new rules issued by the US government, but they must […]

                                With the current political climate in the United States, you might be wondering, “Can Americans travel to Cuba?” It is important to note […]

For those in the Waterloo region, an event that might be of interest is “Peace on Paper: What’s Ahead for Colombia?” CLICK HERE to read more at the Woolwich Observer.

We would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to Roma and John Ruth on the loss of their beloved daughter Dawn Ruth Nelson. Dawn passed away at the age of 65 on August 21, 2017 at her parents’ home […]

Many of you may know Shirley Redekop. She has led TourMagination tours on her own and with her husband Fred. Shirley recently approached us about putting together a women’s tour. As President of Mennonite Women Canada, Shirley is passionate […]

Sometimes solo travelers who inquire about our tours worry that they’ll feel out of place among couples. A good balance of couples and singles travel with us on most tours. If desired, we assist travellers to find roommates and […]

We offer our deepest condolences to John and Michele Sharp as they grieve for their son Michael, who was tragically killed while working for peace in the DR Congo. Many of you may have traveled with John on a […]

“The Celtic world knows darkness and pain, but rejoices in light, poetry, song and celebration. It displays penitence and the heights of praise.” Join Irish-born Margaret Nally, leader of TourMagination’s Sights, Sounds & Sacred Space of Ireland tour, at […]

On Thursday, February 9, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, TourMagination will host a Mennonite Family History Night in collaboration with Mennonite Archives of Ontario in the Community Education Room (Room 2202) at Conrad Grebel University College, 140 Westmount Rd […]

You could book your own trip to Cuba. Or you can explore this intriguing island nation with a TourMagination tour group. Here are ten reasons to join the Fresh Perspectives on the History, Church, & People of Cuba tour, January 20-29, 2017 with Jack and […]

With sadness, we announce that former TourMagination co-owner Janet Martin passed away suddenly on September 7th, 2016. Janet and her husband Wilmer were owners at TourMagination for more than 40 years. During that time, Janet co-led many tour groups […]

Ken Yoder Reed is launching his new book Both My Sons at a launch party hosted by Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society on Thursday, October 6, at 7pm at the Historical Society auditorium, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602. Ken […]

As of April 1, 2016, Audrey Voth Petkau will assume sole ownership of TourMagination. Previous co-owners Wilmer and Janet Martin have sold their remaining TourMagination shares to Audrey. For more than 45 years, TourMagination has been building bridges among [...]

There is no shortage of conflict in the world today. But anxiety should not prevent us from visiting these troubled countries as long as reasonable precautions are taken. TourMagination proceeds with a trip only after reviewing travel advisories from […]