Mark Ruggiero

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Name: Mark Ruggiero

Email: mruggiero@explorica.com

Phone Number: 1.888.310.7120 x351

Bio: I was born in Syracuse, New York, where three feet of snow overnight meant you still had school the next day.  I lived in Syracuse until I was twelve, enjoying snow sports and Syracuse athletics.

Then my family moved to southern New Hampshire, which was one of the best decisions we ever made.  We were closer to our lake house on New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee and the beaches and mountains of New England….and of course the city of Boston!

I attended Souhegan High School in Amherst, New Hampshire, and it was there that  I had my first true international experience.  I traveled on a school trip to Paris with my French teacher and had a blast.  It was an itinerary very similar to our Paris, City of Light tour.  And it was this trip to France that got me hooked on international travel.

I attended college at the University of Connecticut and graduated with a degree in Sociology, where  I was spoiled my freshmen year by our nationally-recognized basketball program—our Men’s and Women’s teams both won the national championship.   (For those of you wondering, I am still a very big Syracuse fan however when the Orange play the Huskies, you’ll see me in blue and white.)

I studied abroad spring semester of my junior year on the Semester at Sea program.  It was a 100 day voyage around the world starting in Nassau, Bahamas and ending in San Diego, California.  We hit 4 continents, making stops in Puerto Rico, Brazil, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Myanmar, Vietnam, China and Japan.  I love talking about my travels from this experience and sharing stories about being chased by monkeys in India, zip-lining off the Great Wall of China, attending a soccer match in Brazil and visiting the beautiful pagodas in Myanmar.  This experience forever changed my life and really opened up the world to me.

After graduating from UConn, I took the summer off to enjoy friends and family in New England and across the country.  After an unsuccessful attempt to relocate to Washington, DC, I decided to stay local for a bit and began scoping out Boston for an opportunity that allowed me to travel.  I found Explorica and knew that we’d be a good match.

I began working for Explorica in November 2007.  Boston is a great city to live and work in, and our office location does have some perks.  For example, the victory parades that us Bostonians have been getting used to over the last couple of years stroll right in front of our office!

Explorica gave me the opportunity to travel on our Italian Highlights itinerary in the summer of 2008.  I had a great time and traveled with some great student groups from all over the United States.  Needless to say, I’m a bit partial to that itinerary and our Italian Tour Directors…they’re fantastic!

When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time up in the mountains and lakes of northern New England and exploring the city of Boston.  I’m an avid skier and enjoy attending sporting events on both the college and professional level.

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