Founder

Brett Naisby

Founder & Chief Adventurer

Originally from Ottawa, Canada, Brett has spent a lifetime blending his love of travel, culture, and the outdoors. After studying in Canada and France, he earned a Master’s degree in International Studies from McGill University in 1990. That same year, he began guiding luxury biking and walking tours in France with Butterfield & Robinson—and promptly fell for adventure travel.

In 1994, Brett left a promising career with the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and returned to Europe. He founded Customwalks in 1996, later dividing his time for nearly thirty years between homes in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Tuscany. What began as a small operation grew into a thriving boutique tour company, including a 23-year partnership with REI Adventures. Over the years, Brett has designed and led hundreds of tours for thousands of travelers across destinations including Italy, France, Spain, Croatia, Turkey, Greece, Algeria, Slovenia, New Zealand, and the Republic of Georgia. In 2018, he established Customwalks Italia Srl, a fully licensed and bonded EU tour operator. In 2023, he moved to Italy full-time, and the company is now run entirely from there.

A hands-on leader, Brett continues to research new itineraries and personally audits several tours each year. He’s the first to admit he’s not a businessman at heart (we’re no marketing juggernaut), but a bon vivant and traveler who’s been lucky enough to turn his passions into a lively little company—ably supported by the excellent team you’ll meet on our “Our Guides” page.