Rudy Reitsma
With Grand Circle since 1999
91% of travelers rated their experience with Rudy excellent
"Rudy was very personable and friendly, always polite and courteous. He is a fine man and made the trip extra special."
–Joan & John Rink, 4-time travelers, Churchville, Pennsylvania
Born in: Durban, South Africa
Resides in: Wiener Neudorf, Austria
Languages: English, German, Spanish, Dutch, French, Italian, and Portuguese
Hobbies & Interests: Tennis, reading, swimming, spending time with my daughter, Anna-Elena
Get to know Rudy:
I grew up being a part of all different cultures. I was born in South Africa due to the nature of my parents’ work, and we lived there until I was nine. My family then moved to Europe—first to Spain, where we lived for a year, and then on to the Netherlands and France. Later, I moved to Guatemala, and lived there for six years before heading back to France and the Netherlands, and in 2004, to Austria, where I’ve spent the past seven years. I now live in a small town just outside of Vienna called Wiener Neudorf. My travels have allowed me to study all over the world, including South Africa, Spain, the Netherlands, and France, and I graduated with a degree in languages while living in Guatemala. I later went to university in Paris, where I studied ancient and modern history.
I’ve worked in tourism most of my life. When I was 16, I worked at a luxury hotel where my mother had a jewelry shop—so I met many travelers. After I completed my studies, I began managing shops and cruise directing on large ocean liners. I found these large ships quite impersonal, and preferred smaller ships, which were ideal for interacting with guests.
In the past, I’ve taken some of my travelers to a local German pub to watch a soccer match, where we’ve supported the opposing team. I try my best to provide moments of discovery like this for my groups.