Valesa Cultural | About Us

About Us

Valesa Cultural Services – Spain & Portugal has been owned and operated by Americans for the past 50 years. Our background and long experience are your guarantee that we understand and meet the expectations of the most demanding clients. We are an expert team of enthusiastic travel professionals, long-term resident bilingual Americans and Spaniards who work together combining specialties such as history, art, food and wine in order to offer the best and most attractive trip arrangements. Our team includes the best guides and drivers, historians, art curators, chefs, flamenco dancers and exclusive local experts available for our most discerning clients.

Our Philosophy

Our philosophy can be summarized as an ongoing search for excellence in our service. We are dedicated to creating unique and personally fulfilling trips for our clients with the best products and services available on the Iberian Peninsula, for individuals or groups. No effort is spared if we think it might help in making the trip memorable for you, our clients. We treat our clients like we would our dearest friends, calling to say hello, following up on how they are doing, helping with information, changes, restaurant and shopping suggestions, even lending our coats when their luggage is delayed. We are even available after office hours on our cell phones. Our clients’ testimonials are our best reference; feel free to ask us for a list of travelers who have used our services from your area.

Our Team

Miriam, María, Jessica, Nuria, Laura, Yolanda, Inés and Enrique

We are the best and most experienced bicultural and bilingual team on the Iberian Peninsula. Based in Madrid, Valesa’s staff understand the clients and master the destination too, as only bicultural professionals can. We work closely with our top local experts (historians, professional chefs, art historians, nature experts, someliers, musicians, and more) as well as our local coordinators in every major city, to create unique and up-to-date tailormade proposals for each client to have the best travel experience possible. Thanks to our American owners we boast a similar work ethic, methodology and communication style so that working with us is a seamless process.

Marcy Forman

Vice President and Co-Owner

Marcy Forman, Vice President and Co-Owner, is an accomplished travel professional with twenty five years experience on both sides of the ocean in meeting planning, hotel and airline management, travel agency sales and tour operation. Marcy is the editor of Valesa’s magazine, España and Portugal Cultural, which provides clients with an update twice per year of what is happening in art and culture across the Iberian Peninsula. BS Hotel Administration Cornell University; Southern Methodist University (Madrid) in Spanish Culture Studies.

Barbara Fulford

President and Founder of Valesa

Barbara Fulford, President and Founder of Valesa, has specialized in organizing art and cultural tours of Spain and Portugal for more than thirty years. Barbara is also a great connoisseur of Spanish regional cuisines, lending special attention to gastronomy to complete the cultural experience of our clients. BA Indiana University; MA Middlebury College / University of Madrid in Spanish History and Culture.