Meet the Explore leaders - Kathryn and Ruth

Ruth Buehnemann and Kathryn Hardman

Ruth and Kathryn have been working together on our Above the Arctic Circle (AA) trip this summer. It is a great trip but requires a lot of hard work from the tour leaders as between them they lead the tour, set up camp in seven different places and cook every meal for a group of up to 24 people. They have worked outstandingly as a team and embraced every challenge that the tour has thrown at them and they have always been smiling, enthusiastic and helpful. Congratulations and thank you Ruth and Kathryn you did a great job! We asked them both a few quick questions about life as an Explore tour leader.

Ruth's answers

Where in the world would you most like to travel next?
South East Asia, Vietnam. When I was a kid my mum had posters of Vietnamese children on the wall. I still have these images in my head and everybody who has been says it is wonderful.

What is the best thing about working in a team for this tour?
You have somebody to share your ups and downs with, who knows what issues you encounter (in front and behind the curtain of admin etc) and gaining a new friend.

What’s the best thing about life on the road as a tour leader?
Sunsets in amazing locations and actually having the time to appreciate it as you go mostly with the group anyway.

What do you never leave home without?
My ‘travel French coffee press’, because I just love my coffee and it was a gift from a good friend.

On tour what has made you stop in your tracks and go “Wow!”?
Walking in Wadi Rum. I have been to a number of desert landscapes and love the peace and quiet, the dry heat, sand between my toes and camels. Here you add the history to it and have the best combination.

What’s your top tip for travelling responsibly?
Talk to local people. Don’t just be the tour leader or the traveller from far away boasting all the places I have been and flashing around my fancy technology. But talk to the driver, the waiter, the shop keeper, go into small restaurants, buy where the locals buy and listen to their stories.

If you had to eat just one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Cakes, I find any bakery or patisserie in a foreign place.

Tell us about the funniest moment you have whilst leading groups?
A lady stayed a bit behind on a walk in Finland to take pictures and found herself a little bid disorientated. Along the route she met a local and asked 'Where am I camping?' He replied 'I don't know, but I know where the graveyard is.' with his very Finnish, dry sense of humor.

Kathryn's answers

Where in the world would you most like to travel next?
I would love to head off to South America with my backpack and go off exploring!

Tell us about the funniest moment you have had whilst leading groups?
On a safari trip one client went to the loo in the middle of the night and didn't return for some time...eventually his wife decided to wake me up: appearing completely unconcerned she informed me that he had by now been missing for some two hours... heading off with one of the guards to find him we discovered him locked in the loo,  a quivering wreck on the floor insisting that a lion had trapped him in and that if he came out he was convinced he was going to be eaten alive. And he was right! There was a fully grown male lion standing guard - but not outside the door, some hundred yards away just gently growling and licking his lips. His wife appeared almost disappointed that we managed to rescue him!

What is the best thing about working in a team for this tour?
After spending so long together you end up like husband and wife, so I suppose it was the constant banter, especially as Ruth wore socks and sandals!

What’s the best thing about life on the road as a tour leader?
You get paid to travel the world, seeing some of the most amazing sights in the world and meeting such a variety of people.

What do you never leave home without?
My kindle, tangle teezer (to remove all knots from your hair!) and a photo of my family.

On tour what has made you stop in your tracks and go “Wow!”?
Reaching the top of Kilimanjaro after a long hard slog to the top and watching the sunrise...it was maybe the best feeling I've ever had.

What’s your top tip for travelling responsibly?
Always take a good water bottle and then you can reuse it for the entire trip. Also talk to the locals and find out about all those hidden gems.

If you had to eat just one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
It's a toss up between French bread and pate or Thai food, I'm completely addicted to both!!

If you had the chance to start a new country with your own rules, what would be your first rule?
You have to smile and say hello to at least 20 people a day.