Our tour leaders 

Arie Arfman

I have been working with Boat Bike Tours for quite some seasons. I am a driven tour guide and am interested in history and nature, culture and travel.
I am lucky that our varied range of cycling holidays offer all these things and more! During the summer months I love cycling with you along the many rivers in the Netherlands and Belgium. The cycling and sailing concept is perfect for me: I love all the routes! But if I have to choose one, I would go for the Hanseatic Tour: this one really is close to my heart.

I would love to welcome you aboard soon!

Bert Houtenbos

I’m Bert, I was born in the Netherlands and I’m living partly in Holland and Italy. Ingredients in my life are my girlfriend Tamy, my family and friends, mountains (Dolomites!), sea and dunes. I love sport – outdoor activities such as hiking, running, biking and swimming. I really like to listen and make music – I play drums, guitar and I sing. Furthermore I’m a fan of nice drinks, great (Italian) food and coffee. All together, I enjoy life! My goal is to inspire people – fortunately this goes both ways.

Felix Tan

Travel with me and experience the country, the people and the culture through the eyes of an Amsterdam historian. The bicycle is the perfect means of transport to be able to see more during a tour. Because of the small groups, there is enough choice for all. Would you like to taste the best drinks or bites? Have a chat with the locals in a café? It’s all possible! I myself enjoy the most of a combination between rural and urban: cycling along the vast meadows and through small villages during the day and exploring the area on foot afterwards. According to me, each tour is a new adventure!

Francien van der Lee

As long as I can remember I have been an enthusiastic biker. I have three bikes and I like them all: my road bike, my mountain bike and my Dutch city bike. A holiday without a bike is not a real holiday for me and so far I have been biking in almost every continent (Australia is still on the bucket list).

With a degree in both Public Relations and Tourism I have been working in the Cycling Holiday business for more than 20 years now. As travel agent I organize road bike trips in Europe and besides that, I work as a tour guide for Eurosail and other bike and barge companies. It is the perfect type of job for me. It gives me the opportunity to travel to pretty places, to meet other cultures and wonderful people, to speak different languages and to be outdoor and active.

Even though I have guided many bike & barge tours I never get bored to show you around my country, to let you smell the tulips, see the sand dunes, ride through old quaint villages, ride on dikes and explain how we can live below sea level. Travelling by bike and barge is the perfect way to experience it all. Hope to see you aboard soon!

Fred van Leeuwen

I’m guiding bike tours for several years now, previous ive been working as a sales representative.  In the 2014 season i have done the guided tours on the Northern Tour. As a North Hollander I feel naturally at home in this beautiful province, cycling from the city through the polder landscape, along the coast through the dunes to the island of Texel. I regularly post photographs on my facebook page of the fantastic scenery, so you can immediately see how beatifull it is: no day is the same as a bicycle cruise. I enjoy the contact with the guests and love the atmosphere on board. I really do my best to create a relaxed atmosphere along with the team.

Hope to see you on board.

Gijsbert Valstar

Cycling holidays with my parents (a long time ago as a kid) inspired me to travel the world myself by bike too. Starting with the Netherlands and Denmark, but crossing the USA by bicycle changed my life. In close contact with nature, chats with people along the road, taking a coffee or a beer on a terrace and enjoying history and culture in small towns. All at my own pace. I started my own business, offering bicycle tours all over the world in 1981 and sold this company in 2001. After working several years as product manager in the Safari branche in Eastern and Southern Africa, I returned to my roots on two wheels. Cycling is my life and I am proud to show you around through the Lowlands of Holland and Belgium and other parts of Western Europe.

Guus Venderbosch

Since a few years I have been guiding the tours between Amsterdam and Bruges. The history, landscape, cities and villages seem to become more fun, more beautiful and more interesting each year. Moreover, by bike and ship you can reach all places where you would never have come on foot or by car… I’m far from bored!

Hans Spithoven

Enthusiastic, adventurous, athletic and loyal are words that describe me well. I have strong social skills so I’m good at connecting with people and helping them feel comfortable. I like variety, I enjoy learning new skills, and I’m not afraid to make choices. More than anything, though, I love to travel: discovering new places and meeting new people. Traveling gives me so much energy and helps me to look at the world differently. I love to share my enthusiasm with other people and make sure they have a wonderful time.

Hester van Vliet

Taking a cycling trip is the best thing in the world! You see everyday life passing by, if you are tired, you get off and if you are hungry, you grab a bite to eat at a terrace along the way. All the beauty announces itself en route: a cheese farm, a windmill that is just being turned in the wind, a pleasant market, a quiet little beguinage… At the end of the bike ride it’s always a great moment when you see the boat in the distance. A final effort to pedal through the last kilometers, with a cool drink on the horizon. Tired but satisfied, and already motivated for tomorrows trip. That is why I do this!

Hilde Beijer

“I picture broad rivers, meandering through unending lowland, rows of incredibly lanky poplars, huge plums that linger at the edge of the world”. These are the first two lines from a poem about Holland by H. Marsman. When you cycle or sail through our landscape it’s like traveling through this poem. You will experience the dynamics of the water, farms, church towers, villages, beautiful cities, the infinite vistas. An intense experience that I will try to make even more special with stories and information.

Ilse Janneman

Riding a bike makes me feel good. There is no better way to see, feel and get to know a country then by bike. What I like even more is to share these experiences with other people. For already 15 years I work as a tour guide for several companies and for Eurosail I have guided many bike & barge trips in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France. I would love to show you the special places our trips have to offer and give you the chance to meet local people and learn about their culture.

I hope to welcome you soon!

Japke Doodeman

My name is Japke, pronounced ‘Yupka’. From 2004-2016, I lived and worked in Asia and Oceania, then I decided to go back to my roots in the Netherlands and settle down – well, a little. Since 2016 I’ve been guiding boat bike trips and I love it! I spend my days outdoors, being active, navigating, problem-solving, making friends, looking after others and exploring my own continent with like-minded people. Seeing Europe through the eyes of visitors makes me appreciate my own region, and my decision to move back, even more.

No week is same due to the guests, the weather, the barge or the number of flat tires I have to fix. This gives me energy – which I’m sure I radiate to guests and colleagues. I don’t feel like I’ve settled down at all. There’s still so much to explore and I hope I can keep doing this for many years to come with new and returning guests and friends.

Lia van Zaal

Sporty, energetic and creative are three key words I would use to describe myself; qualities that are very useful as a tour guide. Every day is different which is what makes this work such fun. Cycling and sailing along the many bridges, locks and dams is very appealing to me given my huge interest in Dutch hydraulic engineering. Naturally I enjoy sharing this with guests. We live below sea level, cycle across drained seas and hand built dykes making us unique in the world. I often guide tours between Amsterdam and Bruges and hereby invite you to come and cycle with me.

Marcel Schoehuijs

Boat Bike Tours offers me the ideal combination of purely pleasurable activities: biking, boating and hiking and the opportunity to be outside. Dealing with people from all parts of the world is an exciting challenge and keeps the work that I do since 1998, very interesting. My interest in people is great and I am still learning to communicate and present myself and the surroundings better and better. I would like to share my love for traveling, art and culture with you.

Margriet Andela

During the day I’ll show my guests the highlights of the tour: where to eat the best herring or apple pie. I enjoy to do the city tours: it is a privilege to show all those beautiful places, especially the ones who are not so easy to find. One of my absolute favorites is Texel: to discover this fantastic island by bike, to do a seal watching tour or visit the brewery. I hope to welcome you on board soon!

Marianne Barth

In my opinion, cycling is the most fantastic way to explore your surroundings, and to get a healthy exercise as a gift. One moment you cycle through the meadows, with cows or sheep grazing on either side, the next you enjoy the panoramic view from an old dike, with the silhouette of a village in the distance. Or cycle through the dunes, with the rustling sea in the background. I really enjoy the beautiful old cities with their terraces for a bite to eat or a drink. I’m proud to show my groups around and to see them enjoy.

Margreet Klijn

Hello, nice to meet you! I’m Margreet: mother of two adult children who are studying law and psychology. After my thorough training in tourism, I have worked in several areas of the tourist branch. The reason I chose to be a tourguide for Boat Bike Tours is, that I love cycling through our green, flowery, well maintained Dutch landscape. I like the ambiance on board the ships and I find it exciting to work with people from different parts of the world. Also, I appreciate the fact that our guests are interested in our Dutch cultural heritage. During our visits to cute villages and old cities, I will tell you the stories an legends from earlier times.

Welcome to the Netherlands! I wish you a nice vacation with many beautiful memories to take home.

Marja van Leeuwen

What is so beautiful about cycling through the Netherlands, are the different impressions that you get. You learn about the country in a special way while cycling. The Southern tour offers so much: the landscape, water, the Green Heart, old cities with history and art, transport with the waterbus, city walks, dunes, sea, actually too much to mention. The ship as home port to relax after the bike ride is a beautiful concept for a vacation. For me it is a pleasure to accompany my guests in their tour.

Michiel van der Ark

What started as a year of backpacking through North America, turned into a lifelong passion for travel and tour guiding. For many years I was fortunate enough to show my fellow countrymen the most beautiful places all over our world. In my spare time I still visit the most remote and unknown places. Now the time has come to show others what beautiful places my country has to offer. Traveling with foreigners forces me to see things with new eyes. Things I’ve never questioned, is my work now! It never ends, which keeps this jobs so interesting.

Mijntje Janssen Steenberg

“The Dutch are born on a bike!” I often hear guests say.

Hello everyone, I am Mijntje, I really love cycling, yoga and I am a National Travel Guide by profession. For 5 years I have been guiding cycling and boating holidays in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. “The Dutch are born on a bike!” I often hear guests say. Indeed I have been cycling all my life, to primary school, secondary school, to University, work and to a nightspot at the weekends. My dream is to cycle diagonally across the whole of Europe, from Ireland to Greece and from Spain to the Baltic States. I hope to see you at one of the wonderful cycling and boating holidays of Boat Bike Tours!

Nel den Boer

Traveling, sailing and cycling are my passions! That is why the unique concept of Boat Bike Tours fits me so well. In the past 30 years I lived in many different countries working as a public health advisor. I find it fascinating and enriching to work with an international team. It is always inspiring to be able to guide a new group. For me, the journey is only successful when my guests say good-bye completely satisfied and inspired.

Nico van Es

It’s a FAQ as a guide; which route is best? I reply – in all honesty: both the north and south route are fantastic! During the southern route we go right through the cultural center of Holland; a wonderful network of cycle paths lead you through green meadows and wetland landscapes with abundant bird life to Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Haarlem and Delft. Fascinating cities with a rich history. The northern route leads through small authentic villages by beautiful nature. We visit the North Sea coast with wide sandy beaches, making the crossing to island of Texel, greet the seals and sail along the coast of the IJsselmeer with historic port towns back to Amsterdam.

Are you going to take a solo trip with the comforts of a group, and be surprised!

Peter Verstraten

Before being a tour leader for Boat Bike Tours I was a city guide in Dordrecht for many years. Traveling to me, means being on the road. I feel at home everywhere. There is nothing more pleasurable, than to show my country to guests from all over the world: the beauty of the water and the Dutch cities. Explaining how we do things, seeing the fun in everything along the way, going to the nicest spots, and trying the most delicious specialties is what I will try to offer on each tour. Welcome aboard!

Rikko Bulten

When I turned 40, I decided to change my working life in the public housing and urban planning sector dramatically, to follow my great passion for travelling. Since then I have been guiding active and adventurous tours to many countries. For Boat Bike Tours I do this in Belgium and the Netherlands. The regions and cities here differ so much; I would love to tell you about them! It is fantastic to hit the road together on bike, because this way you truly get to experience a country at its best! After a shower, a drink and a deliciously nutritious dinner, I arrange a nice walk through the city that we arrived in that afternoon, almost every evening. There is always so much to tell. I truly enjoy taking guests on vacation through my own country and enjoy sharing experiences with them.

Hope to see you on board!

Sandra de Jonker

After a career as executive secretary and management assistant I switched to the hospitality branch, because I love to make other people happy and make that extra effort to give them a great holiday. Travelling abroad was amazing for me, but each time the Netherlands shows to have unexpectedly beautiful places to discover on a bicycle. This is what I love to share with my guests.

Tamara Veenendaal

I’m Tamara, also known as Tamy, and I’m half Dutch and half Italian. I’ve been working as a bike guide since 2006. First as a mountain bike instructor and later also as a guide for bike & boat holidays. I think the concept of a boat bike tour is fantastic! What I love about this job, is being outdoors and exercising every day, seeing beautiful places and cities, enjoying the wonderful nature and scenery, meeting new friends every week.

Thomas Wuts

I started as a tour guide in 1998, fascinated by what I consider the ideal travel concept for “learning and enjoyment.” From all corners of the world travelers with the most diverse backgrounds come together at our barge/boats and share their interests together to explore with cycling, cities and the country Holland. It is a beautiful, honorable task to be the tour guide and also give this adventure to the people who are interested in Holland and cycling.

I hope I will meet you at one of my trips.

Tom Stout

It is fun to see a new group of travelers of all ages and nationalities arrive on board on the first day and after a week see them leave as friends. For me the biking and sailing is the perfect mix: being active on the bike and relaxing onboard, in towns and villages. Apart from the landscape and beautiful bike paths, there are of course also great coffee breaks, lunch breaks, afternoon breaks… And then there are the ships, dinners, guided walks and many more surprises on the way. I’m always happy to hear that together with the ships’ crew we make your trip exceed expectations.