Who am I?

Hey, I am Janneke, 27 years old, born and raised by the North Sea and raised bilingual in both Dutch and German. I love pioneering and adventure: both in the mountains and beyond. So at sixteen I left home and pursued my bachelor at the newly founded Erasmus University College in Rotterdam. Later I started working for a small -then unknown- nonprofit B Corp to help make business more sustainable. I will complete the International Mountain Leader course in 2026 and my passion as a guide lies in wild camping treks: from Scotland to Morocco to the dunes around the corner. My peers often describe me as positive, calm and eager to learn.

If you had to draw a caricatured cartoon of yourself, what would it look like?

Think a mix between Heidi and Pippi Longstocking. A thick, tousled, redheaded braid. A thousand freckles spread across two wide grinning cheeks. Dressed in a South German dirndl with mountain boots on.

What drives you in guiding?

What drives me in guide work is the opportunity to travel with a group to the most beautiful destinations and thereby distance myself from the familiar and immerse myself in a new environment. This creates the space to reevaluate or reconsider things from home and rediscover and grow ourselves as human beings. It is also a privilege for me to introduce others to the ancient wisdom of traditional mountain peoples, who still live so in harmony with the opulence of nature and the mutual caring of community. I enjoy creating an experience that strikes a balance between a healthy dose of rest (the Italian “con calma”) and good planning (the German “Pünktlichkeit”). This challenge inspires me and makes guide work especially valuable to me.

Do you have a great anecdote or special wilderness experience worth sharing?

“BZZKKARHGGHHH!!!” We will never forget that moment. During our two-week trek through the Hajar Mountains in Oman, on the last day we were caught in a heavy downpour. Where our path had been 100 meters earlier, a giant waterfall poured down out of nowhere. We took shelter in a cave a stone’s throw away and realized our good fortune as the avalanche of water raced through the gully. We laughed nervously at the unexpected turn nature had given us. This experience stays with me as a reminder of the unpredictability and power of the wilderness and as a lesson to always be careful when traversing mountains in dry climates!

Which wilderness destination is still on your bucket list and why?

Tajikistan is high on my bucket list: it is an unknown and unspoiled country with endless mountains.

Do you have a message for the people reading this?

Come along, out and about!
Naturalizing is so incredibly healthy and enriching for our souls. Wild nature is our primal environment and we find our way there together. So many magical moments await us out there!