Can you image that this man spent 16 years of his life in a suit and tie? No? Neither can I  anymore.

I am Jens, a Swabian by birth and conviction. From early on, my parents and I were drawn to Greece – more precisely, to Katerini, a town about 100 km southwest of Thessaloniki and only a stonethrow away from the sea. I think that my love for the Mediterranean began here, just as my enthusiasm for hiking, because we lived only 30 km away from  Mt. Olympos, the highest mountain in Greece.

Various professional stations took my family at first back to Germany, the Swabian Alps, then to Switzerland at the southern shore of Lake Constance. In Constance, I absolved an apprenticeship in commerce and for altogether 16 years, dressed in a suit and tie, worked as a professional men’s outfitter. Most of the time I worked in Switzerland, so that I often find myself translating from Switzerdütsch to High German for our international customers. While on the job, I continued my education and received a specialized Confederate Swiss diploma (formerly, Eigd. Dipl.)which  is more or less the equivalent of a master craftsman’s diploma in Germany on the commercial level.

In 2006, when I hung up my tailored suits and began to travel on foot through southern Europe, I often asked myself: How can I turn my hobbies into a job, where I can be with people, enjoy culture, good food and be active outdoors?

Being a tour guide with Island Hopping turned out to be „it“: a well-organised set-up, but also spontaneity and enthusiastic people ready for a good time, having fun together with our crews and guests as well as getting plenty of outdoor exercise. I’d love to be your tour guide, too, one of these days and help you get in touch with the Mediterranean, its people and its culture. Rock and Roll!