Born and based in London, I am a Blue Badge Tourist Guide in my home region and a Tour and Events Manager globally. I organise and deliver highly-individualised private sightseeing visits and travel arrangements for ultra-small groups mainly in the luxury market. A former lecturer in Higher Education, I am a confident and engaging communicator with native-standard German, proficiency in Russian and French, working Italian and Spanish. With over twenty years' experience, working with some of the industry's most famous names, I have built a solid network of contacts and recommendations: “Friendly, knowledgeable, flexible and fun” sums up the comments I’ve heard most over this time.
2022 - present
Specialising in Art and History itineraries, I advise on the selection of very best properties and unique experiences worldwide.
Atelier Voyage is a Virtuoso Founding European Member and travel expert, creating tailor-made itineraries.
2016 - present
I coordinate travel arrangements and manage events for some of the most important art institutions in the world. These are unique experiences, offering our clients and their patrons not only flawless itineraries but also privileged access to museum directors and curators with private after-hours visits, exclusive behind-the-scenes tours and VIP preview days.
Clients include:
Notable events:
2012 - present
I am a professional guide in English and German in London and South East England with over 80 five-star TripAdvisor reviews. I wear the coveted Blue Badge, the UK’s highest guiding qualification and an internationally recognised hallmark of excellence, awarded to fewer than twenty-five candidates each year in London on successfully completing a rigorous examination process endorsed by the Institute of Tourist Guiding. We alone are licensed to guide inside Britain's most prestigious touristic sites and I have worked as gallery guide/lecturer for The National Gallery in London. Out of town, I specialise on English country estates and the history of landscape gardening.
Accreditation in:
TV appearance:
2012 - 2015
I worked with tour groups of up to 50 English-speaking passengers in Germany, Switzerland, Austria for Trafalgar's premium brand. Most important roles were:
2012 - 2016
I delivered luxury tours in South East England, with a specialist focus on stately homes and gardens. This entailed not only detailed tour management, organizing and lecturing, but most importantly attending to the individual needs of guests in small groups from Switzerland. As a British national, tour guiding in German, my guests got the best of both worlds: The cultural background in their mother-tongue.
1998 - 2012
Apart from confirming all on-tour components prior to departure, the main role was to guide groups of up to 50 North American teenagers and their chaperones in Europe, specializing in the German-speaking countries. I gave commentaries on aspects of culture and saw to the safe and smooth running of the tour.
1994 - 1997
I devised, taught and examined intensive language degree modules at all levels in German and Proficiency courses in English.
Institutions:
University College London, 1995
Dissertation: The phenomenon of asymmetrical verb second movement in German
University of Greenwich, 1993
Specialising in Language and Information Technology teaching
University of Bristol, 1989
Class: 2i
Colfe's School, London, 1985
French, German, Russian A levels; 10 O levels
updated February 2022