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Resume
PAUL HELLER
websites:
http://www.californiatourguy.com
http://www.thebigbluemarble.com
e-mail addresses:
travelwithpaul@hotmail.com
paul@thebigbluemarble.com
Relevant Work Experience
President of The Big Blue Marble
Instructor, community and adult education programs
Author of several upcoming books
Following 25 years experience traveling around the world as a volunteer, instructor, student, and traveler, Paul Heller founded The Big Blue Marble in 2004. The Big Blue Marble provides seminars, publications, tips, and book reviews regarding alternative travel programs (such as home and hospitality exchanges, learning vacations, and volunteer opportunities); traveling cheaply; living, working, and retiring in another country; and hidden tours of California.
As of July 2007, Paul has taught over two hundred and seventy-five seminars. He is currently teaching (or scheduled to teach) at the following venues:
Northern California: Santa Rosa Junior College; Napa Valley College (Saint Helena), College of Marin (Kentfield), Learning Exchange (Sacramento), Cabrillo College (Aptos), Mount Diablo Adult Education (Concord), Sierra College (Rocklin), Solano Community College (Fairfield), Community College of San Mateo, Las Positas (Livermore), and Sunnyvale Adult Education.
Southern and Central California: Capistrano Adult School, Santiago Canyon College (Orange), Cuesta College (San Luis Obispo), Cerritos College, Pasadena City College, Glendale Community College, Ventura Community College, and Santa Monica Community College
Pacific Northwest: Discover U (Seattle), Portland Community College, Lane Community College (Eugene, OR), Everett Community College, and Tacoma College.
Illinois. Rock Valley Community College (Rockford), Kishwaukee College (DeKalb/Malta), College of McHenry (Crystal Lake), Triton College (River Grove), Illinois Central College (Peoria), and Heartland College (Normal).
Nevada and Arizona. Community College of Southern Nevada (Las Vegas), Truckee Meadows Community College (Reno), University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Coconino Community College (Flagstaff), and Pima Community College (Tucson)
Ohio. Upper Arlington Lifelong Learning Program
Paul plans to expand his course offerings to other parts of the US in 2008. He is also working on several upcoming books including:
The Worlds Best Kept Travel Secret: Discover Why Exchange Programs, Volunteer and Learning Vacations are the Worlds Most Inexpensive, Meaningful, and Spiritual Alternatives to the Beaten Travel Path;
Escape the Rat Race: Live, Work, and Retire in the Worlds Best Places;
Seeing Gold: An Insiders Guide to Hundreds of Mostly Free Guided Tours of California's Best Museums, Neighborhoods, Factories, Architecture, Animal Preserves, Historic Homes and Lighthouses; and
Travel the World for Practically Nothing
Education
BA, Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN. Geography and International Studies. Minor in Spanish (1986).
Masters of Public Administration (MPA), University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (1990). Graduated in top 1% of class.
Near Completion of AA in Travel Management, Los Medanos College, Pittsburg, CA (1999).
Completed several courses on Teaching English as a Second Language, University of California, Riverside (1994).
Travel Experiences
Studied Spanish and tango in Buenos Aires, Argentina (February 2003).
Traveled to Singapore as a courier for two weeks for $750 (February 2002).
Backpacked and stayed with local families in the Baltic States, Poland and in Russia (Summer 1995), Central America and Mexico (July 1992 and January and December 1986), and Indonesia (November 1991).
Studied Russian at Saint Petersburg State University, Russia (May-August 1994).
Home Exchange: Paris (May 1990), London (August 1981).
Semester Abroad, American University in Cairo (Fall 1984).
Studied Spanish in Guadalajara, Mexico (University of San Diego, Summer 1983).
Exchange student in Tepic, Mexico (Summer 1982; World Learning), Yaizu, Japan (Summer 1979) and Baguio, Philippines (Summer 1980; Youth for Understanding).
High school bus trip around the USA (1978).
Cruises around the Mediterranean (2004), Mexican Rivera (2003), and the Caribbean (1978, 1979). Taught English at Kaliningrad Commercial College in Russia from August 1994 to May 1995 through World Teach, Cambridge, MA.
Mexican travel experiences (2005): Studied traditional Mexican medicine in Cuernavaca. Volunteered at a sea turtle conservation camp in Michoacan. Attended Spanish classes in Oaxaca. Studied the politics, culture and history of Tepoztlan. Lived for a month in the American community in Lake Chapala.
Took classes in Thai language, cooking, jewelry making, elephant training, batik painting, and massage in Chiang Mai, Thailand (2007).
Future Travel Plans
Every year for four to six months Paul travels to different parts of the world. During these trips he will research information for his publications and seminars. The rest of the year, he will be teaching classes and promoting his publications.
Other Work Experience and Skills
Published article on Tours of the East Bay (a region of the San Francisco Bay) in Diablo Magazine, September 2002.
15 years public sector work experience including grant administration, affordable housing development, legislative analysis, and public relations (1986-1994; 1996-2004).
Ability to speak near fluent Spanish and Russian. Can speak a smattering of Japanese, Arabic, French, Mandarin, and Portuguese.
President Toastmasters Club, 1993.
Volunteer Tour Guide, City Guides, San Francisco, 2003-4.
President and Secretary, Public Administration Graduate Association Network, University of Southern California, 1989-1990.
Read approximately 1000 travel-related books.
Attended 50 community education courses on travel, careers, writing, and teaching (1999-2004) and two conferences on travel writing.
Participated in nearly 300 tours of Californias wineries, museums, neighborhoods, lighthouses, architectural landmarks, factories, universities, parks, and historical sites.
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