Goway's Schmidt carries the Pan Am torch

With the Pan Am Games just around the corner, the event has already begun to touch communities with its traditions and ceremonies, including the travel industry.

Aubrey Schmidt, business development manager for Goway Travel, had the opportunity to carry the iconic flame as part of the Pan Am Games Torch Relay, on June 13 - Day 15 of the torch’s 41-day journey.

Schmidt was one of eight participants who carried the flame through the village of Alton, where it was passed on to the city of Mississauga

“I followed a lady who won a silver medal in the summer Olympics a few years ago,” Schmidt told PAX, “and a guy who played on Team Canada's Cricket Team. Pretty tough to follow Olympic medal winners. Of course, what did I do? I talked about my job in the travel industry and how blessed I am to see the world and ‘promote dream trips’. Now if that's not worthy of having my photo on a cereal box I don't know what is!”

The Pan Am flame is being carried by 3,000 torchbearers and is stopping in more than 130 communities in Canada as it makes its way from Teotihuacan, Mexico to its final destination in Toronto for the Opening Ceremony on July 10, 2015.