Going to Switzerland changed my life. I decided to follow my dream and become a mountain guide.
How to become a guide. The Switzerland epiphany
Going to Switzerland changed my life. I decided to follow my dream and become a mountain guide.
My name is Dan, full-time tour and mountain guide and owner of Outdoor Activities in Romania.
A long time ago I heard that if you really want something and you strongly believe in this, the whole Universe starts to conspire in your favour. My dream was to become a guide and have the privilege of showing other people the beautiful places that I’ve seen in Romania.
Now, I do what I like and I like what I do. For me, this is as good as it gets.
The plan for Outdoor Activities in Romania started in 2012, as an idea meant to bring memorable travel experiences to the people who want to discover the authentic Romania. The idea turned into a spark, and the spark turned into a flame.
I started my story with an old backpack, too small for the dreams and plans I wanted to fulfill, and with a pair of mountain boots too tired for the trips I had in mind.
Over the next three years, my backpack changed a few times and my mountain boots took different sizes. Some things though, remained the same, and those are my passion for hiking, climbing, photography, visiting and discovering the traditional Romanian villages, meeting new people and having a drink at the local pub.
In 2015, I founded Outdoor Activities in Romania, a company that offers guided tours in Romania….with an active twist! Before that, I guided groups around the country, advocating for the varied and stunning landscapes my country has to offer.
I met and served tourists from the UK, USA, Thailand, Japan, Australia, Israel, Belgium, Holland, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Jordan, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia.
I am Cristina and I own a degree in French and German Philology. I consider myself a good communicator, so I quickly realized that languages are a means of exchanging ideas and knowledge with people visiting Romania. I love my country so that’s why I invested time and energy in studying art, history and geography. Ever since I was little, I would interact with foreign visitors in my hometown or just friends who came from other places, and I took a lot of pleasure in showing them around and telling them stories and legends about the region.
Later on, I understood I had to put all these passions in practice and building something more valuable so I completed two courses – one four a tour guide and one for a mountain guide. I have always believed that travelling around the world helps you understand life and people better and become more empathetic. During my studies and previous work, I had a lot of contact with foreigners so whenever I accompany them to visit my country, it fills me up with joy to see how much they enjoy it and the fact that they discover us from a new perspective. Romania is beautiful in many ways, and I am not saying you should visit it just because it’s my country; I strongly believe that whatever your interests and curiosities are, – mountains, birds, waters, fish, wine, monasteries, villages off the beaten track, craft art – you will find it here.
I can’t wait to meet you and show all that!
I’m an adventurer at heart. It doesn’t matter if you drop me in a forest, jungle, mountain or at the beach. When I’m surrounded by nature I’m the best version of myself. Originally I’m from the Netherlands, but I feel more like a world citizen since I lived in a lot of other countries as well. I studied journalism and since 2014 I work as a content creator, mainly in the travel and leisure industry. I’m capturing stories with interviews, writing, photography and video – or a combination of that all!
Passionate about beautifulness, the internet and communities. I have been on-line for 20 years. We will do beautiful things together, and everything will run like clock-work!
With an experience of over 14 years in tourism field, Carmina worked in different travel agencies and in the last 7 years she has dedicated her time to work with various travel companies(travel agencies, accommodation units, equitation centres and tour companies) on developing business and marketing strategies as well as organizing different events for them.
Besides her work as a consultant for travel companies, Carmina is a travel writer, has a travel blog – TravelwithaSmile.net – and works on marketing campaigns for promoting different countries like Romania, Austria and Thailand. Also you may find some of her work in National Geographic Traveler (Romania) magazine.
When I’m not in the mountains with the tourists you can find me teaching yoga, running marathons, doing fitness and basically…living healthy. Till the age of 27, I have traveled over 50 countries and visited more than 250 cities/places all over the world. It is part of my professional culture to be very close to the tourist and pay attention to details. I am always looking forward to adapt the tours for an unforgettable experience.
Romania is a very beautiful country. By working in collaboration with Outdoor Activities, I have the chance to discover and promote the hidden treasures.
Looking forward to meeting you on our tours!
