Trip Designer

Edo can ask for a glass of wine in no less than five languages, with the credentials to boot: Chianti-born, he’s also worked for a small family-run winery in his home region. B&amp;R-bred, he's guided trips for our travellers all over the world. Now based in Berlin, Edo crafts his journeys through the Italian Lakes District with a generous sprinkle of insider knowledge and an alluring mix of Alpine and lakeside tranquillity.

DIGGING DEEP IN THE ITALIAN LAKES

If it's off the beaten path, quiet and soul-stirring—it's probably Christina's doing. This Italy aficionado loves to zig when others zag.Christina believes the best way to travel is to experience it like a native, and with that target, she crafts her journeys: A private gallery visit with the owners accompanied by a jazz trio, a paleolithic cave lunch with a million-euro view, stargazing with an astronomist at 2,000+ metres or simply ensuring that you’re treated like family at our favourite boutique lodgings. From Hawaii to her stomping grounds in the Canary Islands, her trips reflect a passion for digging deep in a region to share with our travellers.

Enthusiastic Oenophile

After studying in Canada, Spain and France, Steph decided the best way to continue her education was to be constantly on the move. Could she have found a better institute for higher learning than B&amp;R? And her syllabus? Wildly varying. Visually stunning. And positively delicious.

Two Wheels Not-So-Firmly Planted

Even Peter Pan grows up, and so did Nathan Lane—but not before guiding more than 100 trips for B&amp;R in his own inimitable way. As a Trip Designer, he now crafts the sort of experiences he used to facilitate as a guide. And we aren't the only ones who think so - for many years running he has been named a Top Travel Specialist by Condé Nast Traveler.

Asia Adventurer

With 200 B&amp;R trips in the books, calling this South Africa native "impressive" is a criminal understatement. Just one of her claims to fame? Spontaneously conspiring with Nepali locals to surprise her American B&amp;R travellers with Thanksgiving turkey—at an altitude of 9,000 feet.

Of Africa and Adventure

When we found out Christine had been to Paris 10+ times and never gone up the Eiffel Tower, we knew she was a keeper. She elevates "the road less travelled" to a religion, plotting eclectic trips from East Africa to Spain.Despite her frequent travels to the rainbow continent, Africa remains an endless source of learning for Christine. While her adventure started with a six-month research trip in Nairobi, her latest claim to fame includes launching a photography gallery in Rwanda's gorilla-viewing hub. At the heart of Christine’s travel philosophy is a desire to introduce travellers to places that have the power to positively transform them, where the very energy seems to rise from the ground itself.

Adventurer Extraordinaire

If you wanted to sum up Ernesto by conventional standards, you might start by addressing his most pressing job: the owner of a small farm in southern Italy where he works with olive oil. Things start to get more fluid when you add his occasional yoga retreats (all organized by him), six years wandering around Europe as a B&amp;R Guide, his work as a private chef, his fondness for languages (a cool five), his academic training (diplomacy, law and human rights) and perhaps the tip of the hat: his love of solo long-distance biking. Apulia and Southern Italy have always been at the centre of Ernesto’s life, and after many years of world wandering, he decided to return there to organize your unforgettable adventures!

Apulian Explorer

Affectionately known as B&amp;R’s Indiana Jones, Tom has visited 40 countries, lived in six, and has a finely honed sense of how to knock travellers’ socks clean off the continent. Tom’s odysseys (his word, not ours) are known for being 97% life-giving… 3% crazy. (Warning: may reverse ageing.)

40 Countries and Counting

Seattle-born and Corsican-settled, Marya explored Europe high and low (much like her namesake wind) before settling down to craft poetic, resonant trips to let travellers in on the fun. Full-senses fun like sand-sailing Norman beaches, yodelling to Swiss cows, tasting sumptuous Nebbiolos with their humbly brilliant makers or following your nose through the maquis gathering wild herbs for a picnic beside the Med. Dive in!

Europe-Bound from Birth

Definitely the B&amp;R Trip Designer with the cutest accent, this native Kiwi loves nothing more than showing off his stomping grounds. He's been our (wildly popular) New Zealand and Australia expert for 11+ years. But beware: Rob's sincere, open, heart-on-sleeve journeys have left many misty-eyed.

KIWI TO THE CORE

The question isn't "should I go on a Jérôme-designed trip?" The question is: "How will I return to normal life after?" This native Frenchman's B&amp;R trips are infamous for their passion, decadence and non-stop, shiver-worthy thrills—visual, oenological and gastronomic. Ooh. La. La.

Of Wine and Wanderlust

Georgia joined B&amp;R in order to spend one summer as a guide before getting a "real" job. That was 24 years ago. Fortunately for us, the allure of Italy outweighed the impulse to do anything even approaching ordinary. Now based in Milan, with a home in the Dolomites, Georgia is our resident expert on all things Italiano and eager to share the many ways to experience la dolce vita. Recently named Top Travel Specialist for the Dolomites and Sardinia by Condé Nast Traveler, consider yourself in capable hands.

La Dolce Vita

Slowing down to see the world is in Veronika's blood: she had her own frequent flyer number by the age of six months. She also goes big as a B&amp;R Trip Designer. Big grandeur. Big wilderness. Big tortoises (she is our Galapagos guru, after all). And big stories for the grandkids.

LIFE LONG TRAVEL

With a travel career spanning nearly two decades, expat Dana Quinn has left few stones unturned in Europe. And underneath those stones? Under-the-radar gems like mountain pine grappa and a Sicilian cave that whispers to you.

Digging Deep in Europe

Karen’s love of travel has taken her to over 50 countries. Born in Canada, she spent 16 years living in Thailand, Grand Cayman, and Myanmar. Trading the nomadic life for a fixed address in Toronto, Karen gets ideas out of travellers' heads and into trips of their lifetime. As B&amp;R’s Experience Designer for Thailand, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Myanmar and Indonesia, Karen now does more than wrangle with routine. With over 15 years of guiding and trip planning, she's passionate about injecting the fun and adventure she found in her travels into extraordinary experiences for families, groups of friends, and her favourite – mother and daughter trips. What do you get when you combine extensive travel and a love of culture and exploration? A designer who uses hands-on experience, commitment and personal connections to craft unique journeys that are challenging to plan by yourself.

Asia Aficionado

When it comes to local immersion, no one tops Courtney. Pennsylvania-born, she's spent the past few decades becoming part of la famiglia in Italy, creating long-lasting bonds with scores of charming locals from the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast to the rolling hills of Tuscany. Her insider's expertise, along with 20 years of experience in planning memorable Bespoke Trips, has awarded Courtney as a Top Travel Specialist by Condé Nast Traveler magazine. Still, Courtney continues to boost her arsenal of singular offerings by maintaining a thorough exploration of the regions, leaving no stone unturned in the search for impeccable details for your dream vacation. At home in Florence—or wherever the Chianti and olive oil flow freely—she's planned, walked, biked and hiked trips across Europe, but Italy remains her first and truest love.

Italian at Heart

This lifelong rover's trips—backed by 15 years of experience—have compelled gasps, cries of joy and even the odd proposal (yes, really). Will your Orsolya moment be melt-in-your-mouth sukiyaki in Kyoto? Or aperitifs atop a sunbathed kasbah under the Skoura sky? There's only one way to find out...

Deep Immersion in Exotic Locales

Mario has prepared for being B&R’s guy in Central Europe all his life—he just didn’t know. As a freelance travel writer, he discovered places worth telling people about.

Mario has prepared for being B&amp;R’s guy in Central Europe all his life—he just didn’t know. As a freelance travel writer, he discovered places worth telling people about. With his film production company, he learned how to orchestrate a group of diverse talent to show the audience their combined best. As a chef, he got the knack of how that extra little pinch makes for a most memorable dish. And in his free time, he zig-zagged the roads of the European continent in his camper van.Somehow he is still wearing all these hats. Except now he’s finding those places for you. He lets his local friends and contacts make their stories come alive for you. And because other—and probably better—chefs now do the cooking, he has even more time to zig, zag, discover and plan.

World Wanderer

If there's one standout quality of this Australian native's trips, it's a childlike wonder. Her big secret? Test-driving everything on a literal child (her daughter, Charlotte). Expect isolated white sand beaches, lemon tarts with fresh Tasmanian cream and communion with wombats.

OUR EXPERT DOWN UNDER

After contracting a severe case of wanderlust, Steve said adios to finance, trekked all over Latin America, and then jumped into the travel industry. His specialty? Multi-country exploring and multi-week (or month) stays. His trademark? Every day of exploring—no matter how remote—ends with a great meal (and even better wine).

Unquenchable Thirst for Adventure

Dane’s personal connections are the stuff of legend. (Seriously: this is the guy who got by on the kindness of locals when his credit card was blocked for the duration of a trip across Thailand.) Fortunately, his connections can be yours: all of Dane’s trips are infused with deep cultural immersion.

Multi-Talented Globetrotter

Born in a barrel, raised in a big Burgundian family, Eugénie has a natural taste for refinement, authenticity and all things delicious: food &amp; wine top on the list! She is a very caring host who will naturally go above and beyond to ensure you experience everything Burgundy has to offer in the most memorable and fun way.&nbsp;Her sense of curiosity and passion for connection took her around four continents (Oceania, next!). She then settled in the vineyards of Northern California for a few years before returning to her one and only home, the capital of Burgundy wines: Beaune. She has been a part of the B&amp;R family for 15 years after graduating with a Master of Tourism Management, just because she is a perfectionist like that. Her enthusiasm is contagious, so the main risk you are taking is that once on your trip, you will never want to leave. Eugénie doesn’t just know Burgundy. She is Burgundy.

Born-and-Bred Burgundian

No one takes 'slowing down to see the world' quite like Yvonne. After spending her years living in both Italy and Spain and getting (way!) deep into the Mediterranean way of life, one truth remains certain: taking things slow and being fully immersed in a country is the best way to really get to know its culture, customs and people. Since making Madrid her home eight years ago, Yvonne has become a true expert in all things Spain-related and loves nothing more than to plan amazing adventures to her adopted Spanish soil.

Spanish Savant

Alvaro was bit by the travel bug in his early teens during his first trip abroad to the United Kingdom and never looked back. He ditched his 9-5 as a corporate consultant and followed his wanderlust across Europe, Mexico, Abu Dhabi, Thailand and Indonesia—then found his calling at B&amp;R in 2015. When Alvaro isn’t guiding, you can find him tending to his pistachio trees and vegetable gardens in the Iberian Peninsula.

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