Historians
Historians
Our historians add context to every destination, sharing tales of famous polar explorers, tracing the legends of the Vikings, or delving into mythology as we explore the temples of the ancient Greeks. They tell holistic narratives of the places we visit and connect the stories of neighboring destinations, bringing centuries-old sites to life and putting the modern day into perspective—whether they’re guiding you through prehistoric sites in Scotland or sharing insights into the Khmer empire that built Angkor Wat.
We also invite guest speakers to join us in certain destinations, including professors, scholars, and even former prime ministers.
Our historians add context to every destination, sharing tales of famous polar explorers, tracing the legends of the Vikings, or delving into mythology as we explore the temples of the ancient Greeks. They tell holistic narratives of the places we visit and connect the stories of neighboring destinations, bringing centuries-old sites to life and putting the modern day into perspective—whether they’re guiding you through prehistoric sites in Scotland or sharing insights into the Khmer empire that built Angkor Wat....
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Meet our Historians
Historian
Stephen Fisher
Stephen was born in Singapore but spent his early childhood on British Forces bases in Germany and his teens in the iconic World Heritage Site of Stonehenge. The combination of armored cars behind the school playground and the view of 4,000-year-old burial mounds from his bedroom window created a deep fascination with history, which he has made into his profession. This fascination led Stephen to take part in groundbreaking excavations in and around Stonehenge in 2007 and 2008 and, since then, his work has embraced archaeology and history and the sharing of the stories they tell. As well as researching elements of all periods of European history, he has led investigations into the history of the New Forest National Park in England and studied more than one thousand First World War shipwrecks lost in the English Channel. Among his most extraordinary discoveries are two German destroyers, which had been abandoned in the middle of a Royal Navy base in the 1920s and completely forgotten. Between 2019 and 2021 he was the historian and archaeologist during the restoration of the world’s last surviving Landing Craft Tank that served at Normandy during Operation Overlord. A recognized expert on D-Day, Stephen has extensively investigated the extent of surviving D-Day infrastructure on England’s south coast, and the work of the landing craft that sailed from there. He is a trustee for the Coastal Forces Heritage Trust, who commemorate the Royal Navy’s Motor Torpedo Boats and Motor Gun Boats. Stephen is well-traveled; after graduating he spent four years in Japan and made the most of the journey back to the U.K. by traveling across land and spending time in each country on route. He has extensively explored Europe and likes nothing more than loading up his bicycle and visiting another country.
Historian
Robert Heacock
Robert is a native of eastern Washington and an avid outdoorsman who enjoys exploring and sharing the splendor of the Pacific Northwest with others, whether it is by foot, auto, or boat. His work career was in agribusiness, insurance claims/Special Investigations, and project management. A graduate of Washington State University, Robert is also familiar with the region’s vast agriculture production and exporting. He has been “fiddling around” since as early as 1997 with the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Aside from that of the Native Americans, the story of Lewis and Clark is one of America’ s great adventures and is the first story in the Pacific Northwest. This has naturally led to interest in other subjects, such as Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon Bonaparte, early maritime explorers, the vision and desperation of the Astorians, and the founding of the fur trade, as well as geology and the Ice Age floods. Robert feels that simply reading about a subject is often not enough; it is often necessary to see where an event occurred, which has enhanced his local explorations and taken him on eight European trips. Robert has served as president of the Washington chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Inc. and is a frequent contributor to the Washington chapter’s LCTHF newsletter, Worthy of Notice . He is also the author of Wind hard from the west: The Lewis and Clark Expedition on the Snake and Columbia Rivers. Robert resides in Liberty Lake near Spokane, Washington with his wife Melanie, and has taught most of his eight grandchildren the art of eating ice cream.
Historian
Josh Peck
A native Falkland Islander, Josh has always been fascinated by the natural world and exploring new destinations. Growing up in the wildlife haven of the Falklands - with the polar regions on his doorstep - Josh has spent most of his life living alongside penguins, seals and whales, most recently in South Georgia where he was based for 4 months working for the Government of South Georgia. Josh is used to living and working in remote locations and on isolated islands, travelling and working extensively around the world from the USA and Canada to Iceland, Zambia and Poland. Following on from obtaining degrees in History and Politics in Bristol and London in the United Kingdom, Josh returned home to the Falkland Islands to pursue his passion for wildlife and wild places, co-founding a local tour company with two childhood friends in 2016. Focusing on nature and historical tours, Josh worked for the following four seasons guiding and sharing his love of his home with the many guests that visited. An avid photographer and an international footballer (soccer), he is always looking for new experiences and places to visit to broaden his horizons and is looking forward to the next adventures with Lindblad Expeditions.
Historian
Mark Vogler
Mark graduated the prestigious UCLA Film School and is published travel writer and photographer. In 2006 he heard the call of the ice and ventured to Barrow, Alaska to see the frozen ocean. In 2011 he then went South, sailing below the Antarctic Circle, where he developed an acute case of Polar Fever. Mark built his polar credentials, earning his STCW-95 certification at the California State University Maritime Academy, trained with US Coast Guard in maritime safety, become NOLS certified in wilderness first aid. Since then Mark has guided, explored and photographed both the east and west coasts of Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard, Canadian Arctic, Alaska, Antarctic Peninsula, the Weddell Sea, Falklands, South Georgia, The Ross Sea and New Zealand's Sub Antarctic Islands. In 2017 and 2020, he semi circumnavigated the Great White Continent 3 times, sailing from Argentina to New Zealand and back. Mark 2018/19 season with the US National Science Foundation and the United States Antarctic Program living and working at McMurdo Station. With his vast experience, Mark has been awarded the Sr. Polar Expedition Guide Certification by the Polar Tourism Guides Association. In the 2019/2020 he returned to the Ross Sea, sailing nearly 24,000 nautical miles across the world's oceans in a single season. Mark is thrilled to join the Lindblad/Nat Geo expedition team and to share his love and passion for Polar Travel with our guests.
Historian
Karin Murray-Bergquist
Karin Murray-Bergquist is a folklore PhD student at Memorial University of Newfoundland, focusing on nautical folklore and ghost ship legends around the province, as well as interactions between the natural and the supernatural, particularly with regard to fantastical geographies. The most recent iteration of her research is a digital map of these legends which is an ongoing project. Previously, Karin studied social anthropology at Dalhousie University, and obtained an MA in Viking and Medieval Norse Studies at the University of Iceland, with a focus on the role of sea mammals in medieval literature. A writer, actor, stained glass and watercolor artist, and SCUBA diver, Karin's interests tend to be eclectic. The endeavors in which she is currently engaged include an ocean history and folklore podcast, The Deeps, as well as Terra Precognita, a map of original poems.
Historian
Pelin Asfuroglu
Pelin was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. Growing up in a very big city, she was amazed by the stories she read about the adventures of early explorers and mountain climbers who traveled to the most remote places in the world. She discovered her real passion for the great outdoors at age 17 when she first started paragliding. Thanks to the great extracurricular student activities offered in her university, she ended up spending most of her time paragliding, mountain climbing, caving and sailing. During the long summer holidays, she worked as a trekking/mountain guide in diverse locations throughout Turkey. Her love of outdoors has taken her so many wonderful places in the world; from the Himalayan Mountains to the Patagonian steppes. Pelin finally settled in Chilean Patagonia in 2013 where she has been working as an outdoor guide leading multi-day hiking and wildlife trips. Her interest in Polar Regions was kindled when she first traveled to Antarctica in 2019. In other words, she caught “Polar Fever”. Since 2021, she has been working most of the year on board expedition vessels both in Antarctica and the Arctic. Pelin holds a master’s degree in History from the University of Leiden. She specially is interested in Polar Exploration history and loves to share her knowledge with the guests.
Historian
Anna Webster
Anna's love for nature and wildlife can be traced back to her upbringing, where she spent her childhood exploring the diverse landscapes of Scotland. From the dramatic mountains of the highlands to the beautiful bays and beaches found along the coast, Scotland's beauty inspired an appreciation and wonder for the natural world of Anna. School trips spent exploring the many ancient ruins and castles of Scotland stirred Anna's curiosity in politics and history, and she went on to gain a First-Class Honors in International Relations. After working as a policy intern in the Colombian Government, Anna went on to join the UK Civil Service where she worked in the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland. She also spent time in the Cabinet Office working as a Policy Advisor on Brexit. Anna is particularly interested in how history and politics influence culture and identity, and she loves to share these insights with guests. In her spare time, Anna likes to read, write, and explore her local area on the West Coast of Scotland
Historian
Maria Intxaustegi
Maria Intxaustegi is an internationally awarded maritime archaeologist, naval historian, commercial diver, professional offshore sailor, and expedition guide from the Basque Country. An in fatigable researcher and passionate about knowledge, her specialty in history is the Modern Age with emphasis in shipwrecks from the 15th to the 19th century and the Age of Exploration. She has been diving and researching all over the world in different kinds of maritime history projects. In 2015, her master thesis about the Havana shipyard in the 18th century, was awarded with the Iberoamerican "Cortes de Cadiz" prize. When she is not diving in a shipwreck, researching, or writing a book she will probably be outdoors in nature, sailing in the ocean or hiking in the mountains. Her love for wildlife and nature inspires her to go one step further and during her Ph.D. she became a professional skipper. She already sailed around the Southern Ocean and Antarctic waters several times and in 2020 she received the award "Expedition of the Year" by the oldest exploration society of Spain for her sailing trip from Ushuaia to the Netherlands during 82 days without stops. Nowadays she combines her research with her other passion: Guiding expeditions, showing, and sharing all her knowledge and passion about the wonders of our blue planet.
Historian
Douglas Kenck-Crispin
Doug Crispin is a historian who honed his craft at Portland State University (Hist. BA, MA) in Portland, Oregon. A lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest, he has been captivated by the exploits of exploration since he was a boy, and he has continued his professional career with that same infatuation. He is a filmmaker, journalist, and historical consultant who loves sharing the stories he discovers. Doug relishes researching documents at regional archives and burrowing through the back of musty used bookstores, but nothing compares to voyaging the same historic terrain, and seeing the sights as our predecessors saw them, from the perspective of the water line and beyond. Whether in Lewiston, Idaho, or Santiago, Chile, Doug likes to explore local breweries, wineries, and restaurants noted for their regional cuisines, so be sure to ask him for a recommendation! A seasoned traveler, Doug has extensively explored Southeast Asia, South America, and most recently, Belgium. When not investigating historic sites up and down the Columbia and Snake, Inland Passage, Antarctic, and all points beyond, you'll find him at his cabin on Puget Sound, shucking oysters, reading history books, and trying to figure out where D.B. Cooper stashed all that dough.
Historian
Tom Heffernan
Tom, a native of New York City, who has had a life-long passion for travel and exploration, is the Kenneth Curry Professor of Humanities at the University of Tennessee and the founding Director of the university’s Humanities Center. His areas of interest are anthropology of religions and historical linguistics. Tom’s BA is from Manhattan College and his Ph.D. from Cambridge University. His Ph.D. studies were on Latin church histories and ancient Greek biography. Tom did post-doctoral work at Harvard University in the study of ancient manuscripts. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters LHD ( honoris causa ) from Manhattan College in 2008. Tom has taught in the U.S. and Europe. He has received numerous fellowships, including the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is the author of sixty essays and six books. His most recent a study of the conflict between the Roman state and early Christianity, The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity, for which he received the prestigious Modern Language Association Prize for best Scholarly Edition for 2013. Tom has received the Alumni Outstanding Teaching Citation by the University of Tennessee, and the Alexander Prize in 2012, the most significant research and teaching award presented by the University. Tom teaches every summer at Cambridge University which also allows him access to English and European archives. He has appeared on National Public Radio and local television. Tom is married and has a daughter. He has worked with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic since 1991 and has loved every minute of it.
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