Our Expert Team

Born in Hungary, Andrea graduated with a first class degree in travel and tourism from the University of West London, and has travelled extensively throughout Europe. 

As well as being an expert on her home city of Budapest, she is especially keen to share her enthusiasm for the South of France, Italy and Croatia, as well as Andalucia.

Andrew joined Kirker in 1992 as a reservations consultant and accepts that it was a much more straight forward role than it is now.

There were just five destinations to learn about and sell with confidence, whereas the company now features over 70 cities and 250 countryside properties throughout Europe and further afield. Andrew oversees the relationships that the company has with hotels, airlines and transfer suppliers and does his best to ensure Kirker clients are especially well looked after. He also works closely with the company’s excellent operations and finance teams.

I have now worked for Kirker for over 25 years. I started in reservations when we were still only a small company and offered relatively few destinations – Paris, Amsterdam and several Spanish and Italian cities. 

Having visited a number of cities over the years Italy has steadfastly remained my favourite destination. As the company grew, I transferred to the Operations department and am still proud to be part of this growing and successful business.

After studying engineering and completing an MSc degree, Barbara was drawn to travel and spent time as a tour guide in various parts of Europe. She has travelled extensively throughout the continent, as well as further afield – including Japan and Hawaii. 

In her spare time she also studied music, and has played the piano since the age of five. Her first trip with Kirker was to Paris, a city she has always loved and is drawn to time and again for its romance, art and French cuisine.

Barry Cheeseman has been the Manager of the Kirker Cultural Tours & Music Holidays programme for over 10 years. 

Barry has been an opera lover for more than 40 years and has seen and heard every major singer during this period. He loves the challenges of organising complex arts events and working closely with the musicians. Out of the office, Barry manages to fit in time to organise his own Chamber Music Festival in North Norfolk where he lives

Before joining Kirker, Ben had already travelled extensively visiting Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, as well as living in the French city of Rouen and Bergamo in northern Italy.

He has travelled extensively in Europe, including much of France and Italy, and would be delighted to share his knowledge of some of the lesser-visited parts of both countries. In particular he has explored much of the fascinating island of Sicily, travelling the length of the island.

More recently he has gained first-hand experience of both India and South Africa, and is now a specialist in these destinations, and he has a passion for the Middle-East as Kirker's leading expert on holidays to Israel. 

Charlotte is a keen traveller and graduated from Royal Holloway University of London with a first class degree in Human Geography in 2015.

She has a passion for learning about the culture and history of other countries, particularly enjoying archaeological sites like the Palace of Knossos in Crete or Ostia Antica just outside Rome. Although she loves to explore Italy, in particular Puglia, she recently visited St Petersburg for the first time and cannot wait to go back to Russia.  

Dan spent a number of years living and working abroad before joining the Kirker team, and has a particular passion for Central and Eastern Europe.

Working as an English teacher took him to Prague for over two years, from where he travelled extensively around Germany and the Czech Republic. As well as frequently exploring the neighbouring countries of Austria, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, he has spent time in the Balkan countries of Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia and often returns to Stockholm. He then lived for two years in Moscow, visiting St Petersburg for the first time – a city which has become a firm favourite. Since joining Kirker, Dan has been delighted to discover more of Western Europe, including a long-dreamt of visit to Rome, and next on his list are Seville, Granada and Lisbon.

David has lived in Argentina, Mexico, Spain, Greece and Portugal and has also travelled through South America, Central and North America, India, Mauritius and much of Europe.

He has also found time to complete a degree in Corporate Communications and gain valauble travel industry experience. David also insisted we mention his Cornish roots.

Today David retains a passion for Spain above all, and he enjoys creating tailor-made holidays combining the great cities of Madrid, Barcelona and Seville, with some smaller destinations off the beaten track. 

Ever the adventurer, David has spent most of his adult life living abroad in places as far flung as Japan, Vietnam, Paris and the South of France. 

His love of geography and experiencing different cultures has led to extensive travel around both Asia and Europe, including a mammoth three month journey taking in 21 countries from Japan to the UK, including a week on the Trans-Siberian Express. Now happily settled back in the UK, David is sharing his passions for travel, music and food in his role as Kirker Concierge.

Dominic has worked for Kirker Holidays for many years and during this time has travelled extensively throughout our programme in Europe and North Africa. 

Dominic boasts excellent knowledge of a wide range of Kirker destinations and is delighted not only to recommend his favorite hotels but also his favourite restaurants. Prior to working for Kirker Dominic spent several years in Germany and studied History at university in London. He remains an expert on Germany and is a great advocate of rail travel throughout Europe.

Ellie studied French and Italian at Exeter University, during which time she spent a year studying at Ferrara University and working in the historic town of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy – a region famed for its culinary delights.

She also took this opportunity to travel around Italy as much as possible, and some of her personal favourite destinations include Venice and the UNESCO World Heritage towns and villages of the Cinque Terre.

Ricky has been with Kirker since 1989 and there are not many destinations in our brochures that he has not visited. With family in Valencia as well as Holland, he is an expert on Spain and Portugal in particular, and has also travelled to South Africa, Morocco and many regions of France.

As Product Manager for Spain, France, Portugal and Morocco he has in-depth knowledge of all our hotels in these countries, and spends much time each year reaseraching and visiting new properties.

Prior to joining Kirker in 2011 Giles had already experienced travel in South America, North Africa, Asia and much of Western Europe.

He has also spent a year working in Madrid and studying at the University of Alcala de Henares as part of his Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish. Giles has enjoyed visits to classical cities such as Paris, Venice, Rome and Florence during his tenure at Kirker and particularly enjoyed a walking tour of Berlin, following the historical contours of the East – West divide. He would thoroughly recommend a trip to Lisbon for those looking for a city rich in colonial and maritime history, or the Amalfi Coast, which is in Giles own words 'a jewel of the Mediterranean'.

Harry started travelling at an early age, moving to Canada at the age of 1, and has since lived in Naples, Paris and the USA, and travelled widely to destinations including Tunisia, Mexico, and Australia. 

He spent many holidays travelling by road around the American continent, but it was during his time at Royal Holloway University, studying Classics and Italian, that he discovered his favourite destination, Sicily. Spending a year abroad here, as part of his course, began a passion for the fascinating history and culture of the island, and he also managed to explore more of southern Italy from there.

Ignacio joined Kirker in 2005 and has great knowledge of Spain - his parents live in Andalucia. In addition, he has specialist knowledge of many Kirker destinations including cities such as Paris, Berlin and Venice, and more far-flung regions including Oman and Southern Africa.

Ignacio - or 'Nacho' to his colleagues - is passionate about his native Spain, and enjoys sharing his local knowledge of Andalucia in particular. He is also a Southern Africa specialist, with extensive experience creating carefully-planned itineraries to this region.

Izzy joined Kirker in 2014 after graduating from Newcastle University with a degree in History of Art and Ancient History, both topics which have fuelled her love of travel.

She has travelled widely including Kenya, Nepal and South East Asia, as well as some of the most fascinating art cities of Europe – highlights include Venice, Florence, Rome and Paris. However, the vibrant city of Berlin, with its exceptional museums and exhilarating nightlife will always remain a personal favourite to which she often returns.

A Fine Art graduate, Kathryn has previously worked as a tour leader in Latin America for 3 years, and lived and worked in Northern Portugal and the Amalfi Coast. 

Kathryn has gained first-hand experience of many Kirker destinations, including Italy, Spain and Switzerland and is a specialist in our Cultural Tours and Music Holidays programme. She is also a Kirker Cuba expert and can share her tips for creating the perfect holiday to this fascinating country. 

Katie’s enthusiasm for travel is fuelled by her passion for ancient history – she achieved a Master of Arts from the University of Nottingham and spent time studying in Rome. 

Since completing her academic studies, she has organised the excursion programme on a boutique cruise ship, with a particular focus on antiquity in the Mediterranean region, and has become one of Kirker’s Cultural Tours experts. Katie has travelled extensively, visiting many Kirker destinations, but her favourite destinations are those associated with ancient civilisations, in particular Greece and Italy (especially Rome), as well as Turkey, and she has also explored much of North Africa including Morocco and Egypt.

Whilst studying Social Anthropology Lucy spent a year in Bilbao as a language assistant, and during her year in Spain she took the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the country.

After graduating Lucy travelled for 5 months in South America. On her return she worked at the European Commission in Brussels before joining the team here at Kirker.

Lucy currently looks after Kirker's programme of Cultural Tours & Music Holidays, ensuring that every itinerary is meticulously organised and carefully-planned to offer a balance of expert-led visits and time for independent exploration or relaxation. 

As product manager for regions including central and eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Turkey, Greece and the low countries, Marcus has over ten years of experience visiting Kirker destinations in Europe to negotiate contracts, inspect new hotels and carefully select the properties which we work with.

Since joining Kirker, after gaining a degree in Tourism Studies from Bournemouth University, Marcus has travelled extensively - Vienna, St Petersburg, Istanbul, Egypt, Switzerland and the Lofoten Islands off the coast of Norway are just a few highlights from his travels with Kirker. Each year he looks forward to discovering new properties and destinations, revisiting old friends in some of our favourite cities, and ensuring that Kirker clients continue to receive excellent service wherever they stay. 

Murray developed a keen wanderlust after university, which led him to explore exotic corners of the world in the following years.

After living in Australia and travelling through South East Asia and South America, he spent several years serving on board luxury cruise ships and calling at ports all around the world. In 2013 he returned to the UK to work for Kirker, and has since enjoyed visiting Kirker’s favourite Italian cities (including Venice, Florence and Rome) as well as Paris, Lille and Mallorca’s capital Palma and its beautiful countryside.

A native Venetian, Pat has been Kirker's resident expert of the hidden gems of Venice for many years and can offer a useful insight into the non-tourist side of Italy.

Being a mother of three children means she has an understanding of the needs of family holidays and can put together itineraries and suggest hotels, which will make a holiday with the whole family both enjoyable and relaxing.

In addition to Venice she has also lived in Lake Como, Venice, Milan and Rome, and has travelled the length and breadth of her home country, visiting Kirker hotels in from the Cinque Terre and the Italian Lakes to Sicily and the Amalfi Coast.

An enthusiastic traveller with a keen interest in European history and culture, Patrick has explored a large part of the continent, including some fascinating parts of Northern Europe.

He can personally recommend Iceland - a unique and unforgettable experience - and has a passion for Russia having spent his first two years in Soviet Moscow.

Patrick studied History at Warwick University and has a special interest in some of Kirker’s most historically rich destinations from Istanbul to St Petersburg and Florence to Madrid. Since joining the company he has become Kirker’s marketing specialist and is committed to finding the best offers, most inspiring events and exciting new destinations to whet the appetites of discerning clients.

Reuben is an English Language graduate from King’s College London, and has travelled extensively within Europe.

Prior to joining Kirker, Reuben lived in Seville for a year - a city chosen for its beauty and relaxing Andalucian atmosphere. Whilst Reuben has a particular love for Spain, he has also spent time driving through Italy, France, Germany, Austria and Croatia (a destination he recommends very highly).

Sarah graduated from City University London with a degree in journalism. She particularly enjoys learning about new cultures, and while studying took the opportunity to live in Helsinki and Northern Norway in a Sami (the indigenous people of Norway) town.

After university she travelled through much of Europe, living in France and Greece and exploring countries including Germany, Italy, Estonia and Slovenia.

Ted Wake joined Kirker Holidays in 1987 and has been instrumental in helping to establish Kirker as the leading Short Break specialist offering tailor-made holidays.

Although Kirker has never had ambitions to become a large business, it is now one of the most respected companies providing independent holidays and cultural tours for discerning travellers. Ted has helped the company to focus on clients who understand that life is too short to risk making their own booking arrangements… Kirker customers prefer to plan ahead using the Kirker Concierge to include tickets or private guides to ensure that they are able to relax and enjoy cultural activities such as opera, concerts, museum exhibitions, and private excursions.

Ted has played a critical role in developing Kirker’s unique marketing style and ensuring that the company has an outstanding reputation for providing all clients with excellent service. Ted is a well-known figure at travel industry events and regularly appears on judging panels for industry awards and consumer journalism awards; he also sits on a panel for AiTO (Association of Independent Tour Operators) and is often invited to speak at industry conferences including ABTA, AiTO and the SPAA. He has created a range of DVD conference presentations focussing on marketing and sales ideas using interviews and case studies from other industries including Nigella Lawson’s favourite bespoke baker – Konditor & Cook; Broughton’s Bentley, Boden and Berry Brothers & Rudd wine merchants.

In a former life, Ted worked in the US for a stockbroker in Boston, a boutique oil company in New Mexico and on a remote Seychelles’ island, Aldabra, studying blue green algae. Ted has a degree in Botany & Garden Design and continues to pursue his interest in these subjects whenever the opportunity arises. Apart from his passion for tailor-made short breaks for couples, Ted is a great advocate of family short breaks where he is able to encourage his 3 children to develop an interest in museums, music and food – naturally, all with the help of the Kirker Concierge and Kirker’s expert local guides. Recent holidays with the Wakelets include Venice, Florence, Paris, Istanbul and Rome.