Tour guiding has always felt natural to me. Today, through Mondumo, I provide Rick Steves-inspired tours of New Zealand and Australia that focus on authentic travel experiences and connecting with the real country.
For as long as I can remember, I loved sharing stories, making history come alive, and helping people see the hidden sides of a place. But my instincts as a guide were sharpened in a way I could never have imagined when I began working with Rick Steves. What I learned from Rick has shaped my entire career — and today, those lessons are woven into the fabric of Mondumo Tours, whether I’m the one leading a tour or not.
Rick Steves and I in Glasgow, 2013
I first met Rick in 2013. A fellow Glaswegian guide, Joan Dobbie, had been asked to show him around Glasgow to help him update the Glasgow chapter of his Snapbook Scotland guidebook (Snapshot was the slim OG version of the Scotland guidebook).
Joan wasn’t available on the day Rick was due to be in town so she recommended me instead. At that point I’d been guiding for just over three years. I cut my teeth on driver-guiding minibus trips, mostly Glasgow to Loch Ness and back in a day, and three-day tours to Skye—still one of my favourite places in the world.
When I qualified from The Scottish Tourist Guides Association Blue Badge Guide course and became a professional tour guide I then mainly focussed on using my language skills, guiding muiti-day tours throughout Scotland in French, Portuguese and Spanish.
When I met Rick, I hadn’t had a whole lot of experience with American groups, mainly groups from cruise ships. I also didn’t know who Rick was, although I did google him, and I later realised that I had actually made notes from one of his videos on YouTube when I was about to guide a French group on the Isles of Mull and Iona for the first time!
Rick and I spent a full twelve hours together pounding the streets of Glasgow. I’d prepared by buying a copy of the guidebook and I had highlighted everything in the Glasgow chapter that I thought could use a refresh, a re-write or a fact check. Rick was impressed—and perhaps amused—that I seemed to know the chapter almost better than he did. More importantly, we connected immediately. We shared the same philosophy: that guiding isn’t about clichés or tourist traps, but about revealing the authentic, everyday heart of a place.
By the end of that day, rattling along on the noisy Glasgow subway, Rick asked if I’d like to guide his Scotland tours. That offer became the start of a long professional relationship. For several seasons, I guided Rick Steves’ groups across Scotland, and the experience taught me lessons I’ve carried ever since: focus on what truly matters, balance fun with depth, and never stop being curious.
In 2015, I moved to New Zealand. My brother was already living here, and whilst visiting him at Christmas time a couple years earlier, I met my wife, Claudia. I like to say my brother brought me here and my wife kept me here. I knew I wanted to keep working in tourism in New Zealand and I leaned into my language skills. I worked freelance for a number of companies leading tours firstly close to home (Auckland) and then little-by-little further afield until I was guiding throughout the whole country.
Rick Steves in Glencoe with camerman Karel and New Zealand producer Simon, 2018
Mondumo Tours and Filming in Scotland
In 2017, I decided the time was right to launch Mondumo Tours. The very same Rick asked me to join him in updating the full Scotland guidebook, to take the slim Snapshot Scotland guidebook to a proper chunky book.
Our two weeks driving together around Scotland doubled as a scouting mission for Rick’s TV shows, and the following year we filmed three episodes for Rick’s public television series: Glasgow and Scottish Passions, Scotland’s Highlands, and Scotland’s Islands.
I appeared on camera as Rick’s friend and fellow guide, and there was also a lot to do behind the scenes—booking transport, securing filming permissions, and sorting out last-minute crises like discovering our original accommodation I had booked on Skye had one shared bathroom for six rooms! Thankfully we managed to find somewhere else.
Note: book accommodation on Skye as early as possible! Those experiences reinforced what Rick has always modelled: preparation, adaptability, and a relentless focus on delivering quality.
Rick Steves Dinner on Skye 2018
New Zealand Tours
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Looking for a Rick Steves-style Tour of NZ and/or Australia?
Mondumo offers small group trips crafted with the same philosophy: authentic experiences, meaningful connections, and expert guides who love what they do.
Check out our itineraries and upcoming tour dates below.
I am curious on what is the maximum number of people on your tours. Also, I would be traveling solo and am not interested in in sharing a room with another person. Is there an extra charge for solo travelers and if so, how much? Does your company take care of getting the appropriate Visas or would the traveler have to do that?
Note: Would you be able to respond back to me via email. I am accessing this from an email that you sent and not a website.