ABOUT US


ABOUT US


It’s very simple

We take all the stress & hassle out of travel
so you can sit back and enjoy your holiday.

Who Are We?

You travel to enjoy your time, explore, experience and feel a part of all that you wish to see, but sometimes there is so much information out there, it’s too hard to find out what is best and how to do it.

That’s where we come in… we are a team of like-minded travel professionals who live, breath and love with a passion the destinations that you wish to explore. Each of us share the same philosophy about travel and all have our own unique travel-life stories that helps bring together the best possible local knowledge just for you to tap into!

Why Are We Different?

We’re also not your average travel agency, planning trips for places we’ve never visited from behind a desk on
the other side of the world.

We live, breathe and work in these locations every day, both as tour guides and travel planners, and this
experience gives us an unique ability to truly create something just for you using our intimate local knowledge.

Our expertise covers not only what to do, but how to do it. We walk you through every step of your trip, connecting the dots in a way other travel companies don’t or can’t.

No matter whether you are individuals, couples, business travellers, or educational and sports groups, nothing
is too big or small for us. We have something just for you and our unique ability is not only to create holidays and tours for you, but to be there along the way in the destinations as and when you need us.

What We Believe In…

Care & Service

It’s more than just giving you the best service. For us it’s much more. It is about going that extra mile, to take the care to think beyond what you are expecting so that your experience is that what we would expect to give our friends and family.

Trust

By eliminating commissions, there is no hidden costs and that means from our Travel planners, drivers to Tour guides, they are there for you and driven by passion and love of travel and not the money! you know where you stand with us every step along the way. No Hidden costs.

Real Experiences

Each day for us is about living it like a local and we love to share that with you. There is so much more in each country than just the things you read about in a travel book. We take you off the beaten track so you can connect and feel a part of the with local cultures and people.

Flexibility

Things are never the same for each person, and for that reason our tours & tailor-made holidays are all designed from the ground up to match your needs and flexible throughout your travels.

It’s All About You

Your holiday, interests, budget & needs using our local knowledge and expertise so you can truly experience
each destination.

The Best & Seamless

All our travel experts are passionate about giving you the best of what is out there based on your needs and
making sure that we have thought of every little detail so that you can sit back and enjoy your holiday…

Peace of Mind knowing you have got the best for you.

Our People

Joshua | Travel Planner & Guide

Based in:     Italy & New Zealand
Joined Weka in: 2008
Areas of expertise: Italy, Europe & New Zealand

Interests: Travel , Food, Wine, Photography and Rugby

Industry Experience: Professional Rugby took me around the world and it was only after spending 15yrs in Italy that my passion for Travel and sharing those experiences really took over. Starting off as a Tour Guide in Rome & Italy I then dreamed of sharing the real experiences & Places of the world and it was a founding member of Weka that this dream came about. Since 2006 I have been travelling, Tour Guiding and helping others as a Travel planner.

Travel Experience: New Zealanders are travelers by nature and since 19yrs old, I have been following the footsteps of my family. From Backpacking South American, the pacific islands to living and breathing over 20yrs in Italy and Europe. I love to explore off the beaten track to find the adventures, the food, wine, and most of the people & diverse cultures that make up this amazing world we live it

Why do I love doing this job: For me it’s about sharing my passion and real experiences of each destination that I live, taste and experience each day. I want each person to connect with a place not just by the sights, but with people the culture, cuisine and all that makes up a place. Things you don’t find in a tourist book.
This job is amazing as I get to explore new destinations and bring them to life for our clients from around the world.

Life is a world of travelling and i love to share it with others

Cristina | Travel Designer 

Based in:     Rome, Italy
Joined Weka in: 2022
Areas of expertise: Italy & Europe 

Interests: Travel, Food&Wine, Cultures, Music, Sport

Industry Experience: I’ve worked as an event planner internationally for over 15 years and loved every minute of it, its ups and downs, the connections with people, the travelling and getting to know new cultures and lifestyles. It gave me an opportunity to explore my own creative side and see a concept become reality.

Travel Experience: Born and raised in Rome I’ve travelled Europe extensively and enjoyed the diversity of its cultures and traditions. India, North Africa, Kenya, Jerusalem, Turkey, China, Mexico, Panama, Honduras, Thailand, Indonesia are some of the destinations I enjoyed the most. I lived in New Zealand for 10 years and had the special opportunity to visit this beautiful part of the world including Australia.

Why do I love doing this job: Coming from a Corporate Event Planning background, I am extremely passionate about travel so is a perfect job as I combine my skills around planning & organising with creating exciting travel opportunities for people. I’m very attentive to details, listening to the client’s wish lists, creating itineraries, planning with them their ideal trip and then help to make it come to life with all my insider knowledge.

 

Manon | Travel Designer 

Based in:     New Zealand
Joined Weka in: 2023
Areas of expertise: Europe, Switzerland, The Netherlands, , Cuba, Dominican Republic & New Zealand

Interests: Traveling, Surfing, Cultures, Food & Wine

Industry Experience: : I was always interested in traveling, different cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds, so I studied Tourism to be able to work in the industry and to expand my knowledge. I worked in hotels, resorts and for international travel companies. I absolutely love it and wouldn’t change working in a different industry. 

Travel Experience: I was born and raised in Switzerland, but my family is from the Netherlands, so I had two countries to call home. For me traveling is not only to see beautiful places this world has to offer, but also to get to know the local people, their way of living and their culture.
I have travelled all over Europe and enjoyed meeting people from different countries in Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Cuba, Brazil, Dutch Antilles, and Dominican Republic. I am living since ten years in beautiful New Zealand and enjoy the outdoors and beaches it has to offer.

Why do I love doing this job:  Having the opportunity to share not only my passion for traveling, but also my knowledge of Europe, and organising the perfect trip for clients excites me. I love dealing with people, getting to know them, and understanding their needs. 

 

Jurga | Flights Expert & Travel Designer

Based in:     New Zealand
Joined Weka in: 2017

Areas of expertise: Flights & Germany, Lithuania, Europe and NZ

Interests: Travel , Food, Books, Music.

Industry Experience: I started my training as Travel Agent in 2002 in Germany and working since then in the travel industry. Travel Experience: To me, one of the most beautiful things about travel is the fact that every journey is different. There are no routines, no set rules, or no expectations. You can do what you want, whenever you please.  

Victoria | Travel Designer, Cruise & Flights Expert

Based in:     Italy and USA
Joined Weka in: 2023

Areas of expertise: France & Europe, Cruises

Interests: Travel, Food & Wine, Fishing

Industry Experience: Cruise Agent and Events F1 & Cannes, Diploma in Tourism France.

From a very young age I have always been intrigued by the idea of travelling to faraway places to experience vastly different perspectives, cultures and lifestyles compared to my upbringing on the French Riviera. Upon completing high school, I took the opportunity to educate myself further in the mechanics of the tourism industry completing a diploma in Tourism from the Sainte-Marie de Chavagnes Institute in Cannes. Since graduating I have worked in the industry for events such as the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, Cannes Film Festival, and various European Heritage celebrations. Between 2017-2019 I worked as an agent representing the world’s largest cruise liner companies, arranging travel itineraries and experiences throughout the world. In late 2019 I moved to New Zealand with the goal of becoming fluent in English as a second language and to learn about the industry there.

Travel Experience: I enjoy working with Weka because it combines my passion for Travel with my organisational and technical skills to deliver range of great experiences and life lasting memories for my customers.

Why do I love doing this job: Because life is for laughing, loving and living!

Ulrike | Operational Software & New Destination Leader

Based in:     Auckland, New Zealand
Joined Weka in: 2023

Areas of expertise: Germany, Europe.

Interests: Travel, reading, upholstery, pottery, what’s happening in the world

Industry Experience: Tour escort of a small group through Russia and China, 3 years at STA Travel in Cambridge, UK, nearly 25 years with Tourplan in Inbound/ Outbound and teaching at MIT

Travel Experience: Italy (Rome, Siena, Florence, Venice), France (Paris, Provence), Spain (Salamanca, Marid, Toledo, Granada, Seville, Barcelona), Portugal (Porto, Lisbon, Algarve), Greece (Athens, Peloponnese), Germany (on recent trips I have been exploring Berlin, Dresden, Görlitz), Prague), China, India (the northern part), Malaysia, Thailand, New Zealand, Taiwan (lived in Taipei for 8 months)

Why do I love doing this job: I love researching destinations and exploring off the beaten track areas, meeting locals.

Jill | Travel Planner & Guide

Based in:     Italy & USA & Vatican
Joined Weka in: 2008
Areas of expertise: Italy, Europe & USA

Interests: Travel (not surprising), Writing, Food & Music

Industry Experience: Vatican Patrons of Arts Consultant & Docent, Travel Planner Weka, Tour Guide Italy. I first dipped my toes in the travel industry when I took an internship with a Tuscan tour operator back in 2010, with the intention of trying to put my degree in languages to good use. Since that fateful summer, I’ve worked as a group leader for both high school and university study abroad programs in Europe, as well as a sales coordinator for the tour operator that got me into the travel game in the first place. Now I’m happy to be putting my trip planning skills to use as part of the Weka team.

Travel Experience: From hot air ballooning in Turkey to midnight kayaking in Latvia and spending entire summers perfecting the art of enjoying aperitivo in Italy, my travel experience is vast and varied – just the way I like it. Although Italy is definitely my home away from home, my love of travel & novelty has led me around the world and back, through 30 countries and counting.

Why do I love doing this job: Its all about giving and sharing my passion of the amazing places I have been to, but also learning and finding new places, people, experiences that suit the client’s. Its amazing chance to travel the world doing the job I love and see others having the same enjoyment as I Do.

To foster new projects and seek new opportunities that build upon my past experiences in the fields of international travel, Catholic ministry, social entrepreneurship, and higher-education administration.

Marco | Travel Planner & Guide

Based in:     Italy, Tuscany
Joined Weka in: 2010
Areas of expertise: Italy – Florence, Tuscany

Interests: Music, Art, Food, Football, history & Culture of Italy.

Industry Experience: Tour Guide Arezzo, Siena, Florence.

Travel Experience: Since the age of 8 when i moved from Rome to Arezzo in Tuscany, my passion for travel began and it hasn’t stopped. As a professional musican travelling throughout Europe before becoming a Tour guide in Tuscany, my home.

Why do I love doing this job: its about sharing my passion of my home, my life and the places that i see and experience daily.

Giuseppe | Travel Planner & Guide

Based in:     Italy, Naples and Ropme
Joined Weka in: 2010
Areas of expertise: Italy – Campagna Region and province of Rome

Interests: Ancient Greek and Roman History, Archaeology, Poetry, Fine Arts, Travel, Soccer, Sailing and Beethoven

Industry Experience: Since studying at university my true passion for exploring and the interests in fine arts and archaeology.. I spent many years travelling and working as TOUR LEADER all over Europe for important tour operators. This experience gave me the opportunity to understand people lifestyles and cultures. Since 2004, i have been travel Planning, Building and Leading Private Tours in these Areas is my full time job.

Travel Experience: It’s worldwide known that Italians are “saints, poets and navigators”. My first own trip abroad was to London. I left home exactly one hour after my high school final exam finished and I returned three months later. This vehemence in travelling, exploring unknown sites and learning about diverses cultures still dominates my personality. North and South America, Central Africa and Eastern Asia have been my favourite destinations. Fortunately, my past job (tour leader) helped me to satisfy my traveller talent making me exploring all Europe and now, as Local Guide I am definitively visiting my Country, Italy, learning about its immese artistic heritage.

Why do I love doing this job: My job gives me the opportunity to meet people coming from all over the world who are messengers of different customs and values. Every tour I run is like a continuous osmosis of cultures, opinions and peaceful gestures which enrich all the participants and at the end the mankind. I am very proud of my role. I am the face, the voice and the body of my Country. This is the reason why I try to show my guests, not just the crust of things, but the real beauty of the sites. It’s very challenging but I love my job tremendously.

Fernanda | Tour Guide

Based in:     Italy, Tuscany
Joined Weka in: 2008
Areas of expertise: Italy & Europe

Interests: Travel , Food, Wine, History

Industry Experience: Tour Guide Florence, Tuscany, Tour Leader Europe

Travel Experience: After many years travelling all over the world, I came back to Tuscany were my roots are and studying to be a guide i get to share my amazing world of Tuscany with others.
I am specialise in art tour, food and wine tour and I mainly work in the area of Tuscany although I also work throughout Italy and Europe.
I love taking care of people and showing the Real Tuscany and its the  care that is the most important things for me. I would like to make you feel home while you are here in my country!
Welcome to Tuscany!!!!”

Greta | Tour Guide

Based in:     Italy, Florence
Joined Weka in: 2016
Areas of expertise: Italy – Florence, Tuscany

Interests: Travel , Food, Horses, Books, Music.

Industry Experience: I attended University in Florence in order to work as a job counselor but eventually I realised that it was not the job for me. I used to perform as an actress in theatre, mostly Shakespeare.

Travel Experience: Travelling is one of the things I enjoy the most, both alone or with friends/partner. I spent some time in the UK, Massachussets, New York, France, Spain, Greece… I think the best is yet to come. I love hiking and I spent most of my summers camping in the Alps.

Why do I love doing this job: I love being around new people and my goal is to make them have the best time of their life. I like to provide unique experiences and to make people enjoy art and history in a funny and entertaining way. I love italian food and I think it should be part of a tour in this country

Michel | Tour Guide & Driver

Based in:     France, Nice
Joined Weka in: 2010

Areas of expertise: French Riviera, France

Interests: Travel, Food, Wine, swimming, bike riding and running.

Industry Experience: Events and Conventions Planning and Air Canada, professional Guide and Driver

Why do I love doing this job: I love and I’m passionate about what I’m doing, helping my clients to be happy and show them around my country… and it’s my pleasure to make your trip a wonderful experience. We will be sure not to leave out facts, stories and the rich history that accompanies the points of interest that we will be visiting together.

Inigo | Travel Planner & Tour Guide

Based in:     San Sebastian, Spain
Joined Weka in: 2015
Areas of expertise: Spain, Basque Country, Portugal, UK

Interests: Travel , Food, Wine, Photography , Culture and Surf

Industry Experience: I am not only a tour guide & driver but also a travel Planner for Spain and Portugal. Not only is the planning fun as together with the clients we see it develop but then to meet the clients here in Spain is the icing on the cake

Travel Experience: Ive been traveling since I was 18 years old , Europe , North Africa and South America. My passion is to know the different cultures and learn the way of living in different countries and cultures. Not only have i have visited places, but lived in many of the destinations i work with which allows me to share this insight with clients through our travel planning. As a tour guide I also get to see so many other hidden places you dont find in a travel book.
Why do I love doing this job: I consider myself to be a person with a gift for people, a lover of surfing, gastronomy, wine and culture in general, but above all, of the  Basque culture. As a result of this, upon returning from my experiences around the world, I decided to work with Weka travel to be a part of the passion they hold in travel so i can share to everyone who decides to come to this beautiful corner of the world, our culture, gastronomy, wines and waves from a different angle, from the inside out, making our guest feel special, that they are one of us, like they belong here

 

Francesco |  Tour Guide

Based in:     Rome, Italy
Joined Weka in: 2013
Areas of expertise: Rome, Vatican, Beyond Rome.

Interests: Art History, Travel, Food, Wine… and Cinema !

Industry Experience: I started giving tours to friends and family during my college years… almost 15 years ago !
After a few years spent living abroad and finalizing my language skills (especially in London and NY , following my passion for contemporary art galleries), based in Rome again since 2006, tour guiding has become my full time job.
First came the license for the Vatican properties (inside and outside the Vatican boundaries) , then came the one for the City and Province of Rome.
I am also an officially licenced Tours Leader … and always an art history student, now and always !

Travel Experience: Traveling it’s more than an interest to me, it is the Passion of my life, the pulsing basic emotion that keeps me alive !
When i was younger I’ve traveled in Asia, Europe and North America, especially Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Cuba (in 1998 !!), Greece, Spain, France, Great Britain, New York and California .
Only as a grown man I started appreciating the joy of knowing deeper my country, traveling intensely all Italy – after Rome – from Venice to Tuscany , Naples and to the islands, often to complete and integrate my studies on Art with the powerful insights added by the getting in touch with the local cultures that produced it , and so the local beliefs and celebrations, the local kinds of colors, grounds and stones, food and wine, music, and life styles.

Why do I love doing this job: In may years of work in town I could often observe like a good Tour Guide can make the difference on the quality of a trip, saying the right words on the right spot to make things come to life, focusing the attention or relaxing the spirits…
This is what I love of this noble yet fun profession: being responsible of other’s memories.
This is the most delicate – and beautiful – part, and it means to keep people keen and interested, excited and relaxed, placing them at the centre of an experience which only lasts only a few days… but stays with them for the rest of their lives.

Fabrizio | Travel Planner & Guide

Based in:     Italy
Joined Weka in: 2010
Areas of expertise: Italy, and Bay of Naples

Interests: Travel, Food, Wine, Ecology and Music.

Industry Experience:I started guiding aged 17 yrs old in Pompeii! Since then I have always kept being a local guide. During the University I was a tour manager across Europe for extra-european travelers. I also boarded a Cruise Ship for a season on the Caribbean as a Tour Guide.

Travel Experience: I explored all over Europe first with my  parents ,later on my own with the Inter-Rail card. Lately I have been traveling to Asia and America and Australia and NZ with my own wife and kids

Why do I love doing this job: Nowadays aged 40 I still love discovering the world around me and offer all my passion to people visiting the area where I live which is the Bay of Naples. My costumers are threated as if they were Old Friends visitng me here in the Beauty of the Bay of Naples
  My Motto? “Traveling adds life to life”

Dawn | Partner & Planner

Based in:    New Zealand
Joined Weka in: 2017
Areas of expertise: Travel, Inspiration & leadership

Interests: Travel , Leadership Coach

 

Tiffany | Tour Guide

Based in:     Rome, Italy
Joined Weka in: 2013
Areas of expertise: Rome, Beyond Rome.

 

Rachel | Tour Guide

Based in:     Italy
Joined Weka in: 2010
Areas of expertise: Italy, Rome

I

Paul | Celebrity Chef, Teacher, Leader

Based in:     Canada
Joined Weka in: 2013
Areas of expertise: Food… food… & people

All round just a good guy and fun to be around!

Maggy | Tour Guide

Based in:     Rome, Italy
Joined Weka in: 2013
Areas of expertise: Rome, Beyond Rome, Vatican

 

Luca | Art Director, Leader, Tour Guide

Based in:     Venice, Italy
Joined Weka in: 2014
Areas of expertise: Venice.

 

Francesca | Art Director , Tour Guide

Based in:     Venice
Joined Weka in: 2014
Areas of expertise: Art, Venice, History, Culture

 

John | Professor & Experiences Tour Guide

Based in:     Italy, Rome & USA
Joined Weka in: 2014
Areas of expertise: Italy & USA

Interests: Art, History, Culture, Anthropology, Theology

Industry Experience: As a Professor of Sacred Art and Theology and with graduate degrees in various fields like Theology, Philosophy, Engineering and Ethics it seems like a great combination to be able to share a city like Rome by integrating the history with art, culture, architecture, engineering and theology.

Travel Experience:  Not only do ‘All Roads Lead To Rome’ , but being so central and convenient it seems like it is so much easier to make short trips and experience the charming and rustic regions of Italy, while being able to make it to other places in Europe and the USA

Why do I love doing this job: I love it so much and can’t just keep all this wealth of knowledge and esperience to myself without sharing it with the world.

Marc | Tour Guide

Based in:     Rome
Joined Weka in: 2014
Areas of expertise: Vatican, Art, History

 

Rebecca | Travel Planner & Guide

Based in:     France, Paris
Joined Weka in: 2010

Areas of expertise:France; French culture; the history of Montmartre; a special interest in religion and spirituality in France; the early Church; the coffee and cafes of Paris; ancient Paris…

Industry Experience: I spent over 15 years working for mostly international companies in account management and sales in the USA and Europe. However, my passion had always been travel and the humanities. So, I  moved to Paris in 2003 and began the adventure of a lifetime. With a Masters degree in hand, I eventually transitioned into education and tourism… I began by creating and hosting walks in Paris for expat locals, like myself, in 2006. That grew and in a few years I began providing independently researched walking tours in Paris on themes like Hemingway and the Lost Generation, Montmartre, The Left Bank, Roman Paris and others, for tourists and travel companies. I am a full time instructor during the academic year in higher education institutions in Paris.

 

Travel Experience: Most of Western Europe and a few forays into the Middle East. I am a devotee of Mediterranean culture. My most memorable trips to date, truly life changing, have been France (of course!), Italy and Israel. Magnificent each and every one of them!

 

Why do I love doing this job: Because life is for laughing, loving and living!  As I am first and foremost an educator and explorer and as travel is the greatest education there is, I have been able to combine all of those fabulous subjects from the world of the “humanities” that I have been enamoured by all of my life into a career and lifestyle. You can call it my “job”, but I call it one of the great loves of my life and a source of enormous happiness and endless fascination! I simply can not imagine doing anything else.

Sally | Tour Guide

Based in:     Italy, Tuscany, Florence
Joined Weka in: 2013
Areas of expertise: Medieval and Renaissance Italy, especially in Florence and other Tuscany cities.

Interests: All things Italian, Mediterranean culture, foods, and languages!

Industry Experience: I hold a Master’s degree in Italian Renaissance Art History and have lived and worked in Florence for the past three years. I have also spent the last two years as a teaching assistant at Syracuse University in Florence, where I lecture on art and architectural history and take students on class field trips to sites in Florence and in other Italian cities. I’m also a natural-born foodie, scouring every new city for the best places to enjoy the local cuisine!

Travel Experience:  As an American, I didn’t make it to Europe until I went for a semester abroad in Rome in 2010. It was love at first sight (and taste/smell!), and I have been passionate about Italian culture ever since! I continued my studies at the master’s level in Florence, which I now call home. When I’m not guiding, I am off exploring new cities, or looking to learn new things about the places I already know and love.

Why do I love doing this job: I love sharing my passion about the history and culture of Italy with new people! To me, nothing is more enjoyable than sharing a cool fact or showing people a beautiful view because it’s so much more fun to enjoy things in company. I know that if everyone even gets a small glimpse of the Italy I know, they will fall in love too!

Molly | Travel Planner & Guide

Based in:     Italy and USA
Joined Weka in: 2012

Areas of expertise: Italy, Europe,

Interests: Traveling, playing and watching sports, food, reading.

Industry Experience: Art History degree in Siena,

Travel Experience: i got the travel bug at the age of 11yrs old on my first trip to Italy and haven’t been able to stay away since! After returning to Italy on vacation in high school and studying abroad in Siena at university, I decided after I got my degree in Art History to give living in Rome a chance…and I’m still here! In the meantime I worked at an archaeological dig in Cyprus and got a Masters degree in Renaissance Art in Florence, but there’s no place like Rome! The layer upon layer of history in the Eternal City make it a place where any visitor can constantly learn and grow. As a guide, I love using the knowledge I have accrued while living here to help tour members delve deeper into Italy’s history and culture – past and present – through its beautiful art and architecture, mouth-watering cuisine, and friendly and welcoming people

Why do I love doing this job: Because life is for laughing, loving and living!

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