ExperiencePlus! has come a long way since our first tour across Italy in 1972. But we’re still a family business. In 2008 Monica and Maria Elena Price bought the bicycle tour company their parents began in 1972 as Bike Across Italy. Trilungual and dual citizens, Monica and Maria Elena (M.E) have been traveling the world since they were 9 months old. After working as bicycle tour leaders and as daughters of two bicycle tour and travel enthusiasts they felt it was time to follow their own passion for travel, bicycles and people and continue the family tradition.
In our Colorado headquarters, we gather each day for lunch around the dining table which doubles as the venue for our weekly staff meeting. This is where we discuss tour logistics, accounting, customer service... and eat ice cream cake to celebrate the latest birthday.
At our Italian headquarters we have rooms, a living area and a large kitchen next to the office, shop and garage for our 350 some bicycles. Every day, our staff cooks lunch for the five to ten staff and tour leaders who might be coming or going from the beginning of a tour. We wouldn't be Italian after all if we didn't have a fresh plate of pasta at lunch!
Monica Malpezzi Price
Monica has worked many years leading tours in Italy and France in between studying at the University of Oregon in Eugene and at American University in Washington D.C. In 2006 Monica completed a Master of Science in Development Management at American University in Washington DC. With her MS in hand, she manages trips and international operations as Director of International Operations out of the "farm" in Italy.
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Maria Elena Malpezzi Price
Maria Elena is likely one of the most experienced bicycle tour guides and managers out there (for her age!). 'M.E.' started her bicycle tour leading experiences as a 5 year old, helping translate ice cream flavors on our first Venice to Pisa tours. Since then, she's led tours in more than ten countries (specializing in Spain, where she lived for more than a year). With a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and International Affairs and an MBA From the Leeds School of Business at University of Colorado, Boulder, she manages the business and its development at the Fort Collins office in Colorado (and of course traveling to Europe in the summers). She loves going out on tour and hopes to manage to travel a bit even though now she is she based at the "home" office in Fort Collins.
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Julie Horton, Director of Operations
Julie has walked or biked in more than 20 countries around the world. On her year long trip around the world, she rode more than 14,000 miles through 11 countries. When not traveling or working, she enjoys skiing in Colorado, playing with her dog and cat, attending film festivals and shooting hoops.
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Joeann Gutowski, Reservations Specialist and Accountant
Joeann and her husband Bob have tackled many trails while mountain biking and hiking in Colorado and Utah. When not crunching numbers at work she enjoys cycling, calligraphy, digging in the garden dirt, and reading. Also, her dog makes sure that she is always on her toes!
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Our Tour Leaders – Your Travel Companions
It takes a special person to be a great tour leader. Along with an unlimited supply of energy, talent, resourcefulness, knowledge of local history and geography, and a natural sense of direction for steering you to the most entertaining café in town, we also expect our ExperiencePlus! leaders to have a sixth sense for knowing when to help and when to let adventure happen naturally.
All our tour leaders are from the country you are traveling in — or they have lived there so long that even the locals have trouble distinguishing them from natives! They are all multi-lingual, creative and entertaining with a passion for sharing their love of the outdoors, people, culture and local food.
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RELATED VACATIONS
In addition to bicycle tours & mountain biking, browse related adventure travel and active vacations such as canyoneering, golf resorts, golf vacations, health & wellness, hiking & trekking tours, martial arts camps, mountain & rock climbing, multisport adventures, running vacations, sports & fitness camps, surfing vacations & camps, and tennis resorts.
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