Pat Probert

Pat Probert’s love affair with travel began in 1977 on ski trips to Mont Tremblant, Quebec. Back then, inspired by The Waltons, he adopted the nickname “Jim Bob,” and from that playful beginning The Bob Family was born. Anytime Pat and his friends traveled, they became known as “The Bob Family” and the name stuck. Throughout the 1980s, Pat sold travel as an outside agent while working elsewhere, escorting cruise groups and building experience that would shape a lifetime career. By the 1990s, he was organizing and leading large group trips, something he continues to do today. Having now visited over 100 countries and every continent, including a three-week cruise to Antarctica in 2023, Pat has escorted thousands of travelers around the globe. His business has always been built on loyalty, friendship, and referrals. In 2027, The Bob Family celebrates 50 years, a legacy Pat proudly passes forward to Marcia and Craig White, who now lead The Bob Family Travel Team.

Cruising is in Pat’s DNA. With more than 100 cruises sailed, including a 2025 Uniworld River Cruise in Portugal, it remains his greatest passion. A future world cruise on a luxury ship is still on his horizon. Growing up in Nova Scotia, Pat once believed he might never travel beyond Halifax. As a young student, he even told his geography teacher to focus on Yarmouth or Cape Breton because he didn’t expect to leave the province. But a train trip to Ontario to visit his father and a first journey to Florida in the late 1970s changed everything. Ski trips turned into worldwide adventures, and a young man who thought he’d stay close to home built a life defined by exploration.

Destinations close to his heart? In no particular order:

• Galápagos Islands
• An African safari experience with a stopover in Dubai
• Bora Bora and Tahiti in the South Pacific

And if you’ve ever met Pat, you already know the finishing touch: his legendary wild and colorful suits, worn proudly for decades, making him just as unforgettable as the journeys he creates.