Moorestown Resident Finds 'Awfully Nice' Job

When Moorestown resident Andy Maunder left the corporate world a few years ago, he set out to "find his passion."

"I'd had enough of the high stress," he says, referring to his 25 years as chief financial officer for a number of software companies. So, he started looking around. For awhile, he tried to buy a coffee shop, putting in offers on several franchises, but ultimately deciding to go a different way, finding that nothing he'd looked into, including running an art center, really did the trick.

Then, in 2006, while on a Roman holiday, Maunder and his family took what amounted to a personal tour. "It was just this guy with a van. He took us everywhere. I thought, this is a really fun thing to do, and wondered if they had anything like this in Philadelphia."

Upon his return Maunder did his research and found that, no, there wasn't such a thing. And so, after studying up, driving around and pretty much becoming an expert on Philadelphia, he bought his own van and, because he is English, named his touring company Awfully Nice Tours. The website, www.awfullynicetours.com, launched in November 2008 and he took his first couple on a tour of his favorite Philly spots the following January.

Having recently partnered with Philadelphia Urban Adventures, Maunder now takes groups on walking tours as well. He says he will "take people anywhere they want to go," and has added several specialty tours to places such Lancaster County and Valley Forge.

"One of my favorite tours to give is the 'Rocky' movie locations tour. It's a great way to see the neighborhoods and adds so much to the normal tourist sights, and it appears to be getting more popular," says Maunder.

He also admits to loving the special tours he set up for couples or groups. There was the Brandywine Valley trip he planned for a birthday treat in June; a South Jersey wine tour for his buddies from Moorestown in March; and in June, he met "a wonderful family from Tiburon, CA, who had flown in on the red-eye and had a layover in the city before heading off to Italy that night on vacation."

"That was on the day of the Philadelphia/Manayunk bike race and we managed to see it race past the Art Museum after taking the Philly Phlash! I even got to go to Gettysburg," says Maunder, who is happy and excited about his new career.

"There's very little stress, the people are friendly, fun and relaxed, there are always new destinations and great stories, and I am continually finding out more about the city and its hidden mysteries. And I can say without reservation, that I really enjoy everyone I meet."