Stellar Guides: B&R Tour Guides in France

Dave Bowden

For generations, much ink has been devoted to the page, to try and get at the heart of the French and their passions. For B&R, we’ve chosen to explore matters by road and by foot, leading our guests through the countless picture perfect places that greet visitors at every turn here. And what better way to delve into the many distinct regions that define this remarkable country than through some of our guides, each of whom has their own special connection to this beloved land?

Our team of B&R guides in France are, like the country itself, a diverse lot of fascinating personalities, each with their own unique style, perspective and professional expertise, but all connected through their talent for showing off the best of what this country has to offer. Permit us a moment to introduce you to some of the people who’ll be showing you the way, whichever road you may choose.

Amina Abdeljawad

Care to have that phrase translated into six languages? Meet Amina, our inveterate adventure seeker from Sweden whose irrepressible enthusiasm has found her diving to the depths of Lake Malawi, high atop the hills of Burgundy on her bike, and shaking it down in the dance clubs of Andalucia. Now, how would you translate ‘dynamo’?

Denis Luccantoni

You’ll be excused if you can’t keep up with Denis, given he is a former Olympian and short-track speed skater who won the European Championships not so long ago. A natural athlete who loves biking, hiking, surfing, and of course skating, Denis joins us for summer trips and then spends his winters teaching skiing in the French Alps. Seriously. Oh, he’s also is fluent in French and Spanish.

Erik Rutherford

In this business, we’re well familiar with those acute cases of wanderlust, and while Erik may show some gentler symptoms of it—given he has lived in Vancouver, Berlin, Stockholm and now Toronto after living in Paris for eight years—he always has an eye on exploring new parts of the world. When not guiding in France he pursues a freelance career on the culture beat.

Daniel Bower

Though a relative newcomer to the B&R fold, Daniel has already been inducted into the Brotherhood of Entonneurs Rabelaisiens in Chinon while biking in the Loire Valley, and sipped antique wines from dusty bottles in the very caves in which they’ve aged. We think that adds some veteran appeal to his profile.

Abby van Oers

Even though Abby may have farmed cattle in Alberta and sheared sheep in New Zealand, you’ll never feel like one of the herd in her company. She also reveals some gentler skills, as her time in a Parisian bookshop and freelancing for Disney Comics would attest, though this native of Holland is always geared to go. Hence, her love of yoga, speed skating and, believe it, renaissance dancing.

Erin Reed

For Erin, traversing countries under her own speed is a quiet obsession that she embraces with characteristic enthusiasm. If not walking or running the route, pedalling the roads or climbing the hills and mountains, she can be found at her seaside home anticipating her next excursion and living her mantra of, “Life is short but sweet for certain, let’s celebrate.”

Lewis Evans

A man whose backyard for guiding includes France, Italy and Spain, Lewis is a battle-hardened traveller who has many entertaining chapters of his travel escapades to share with others. Hitchhiking races to Amsterdam, intrepid bike tours, theatre productions in Switzerland and one notorious story that involves a flamenco dancer—this is just the tip of the iceberg. Best inquire further in an up close and personal sort of way.

Sebastian Romero

Professionally, Sebastian sees the world through a lens as a filmmaker and photographer, but occasionally this native of Germany takes time away to help others see the world from a two-wheeled perspective. He has a particular affection for winter bike rides, albeit in southern climates, and loves capturing the world wherever snow can be found.

Thilo Erhardt

From the depths of the sea as a professional diver to working at the European Space Agency, Thilo has certainly expanded his world of possible destinations in an enviable fashion. His expertise when it comes to guiding is just as eclectic, as he is as comfortable guiding in Provence, Jordan, and—as someone who’s earned his Italian language certificate in Florence—Puglia, Sicily, Sardinia and more. Way more.

Tom McCarthy

A veteran of nearly 20 B&R trips, Tom makes his escapes whenever time allows him to get away from his base in Ottawa where he is wrapping up his Master’s thesis in Physics. That is, if he’s not spending time in his other locale of Geneva. Yes, don’t you recall the tortured student life?