About Martin
Historical investigator, storyteller and private guide
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"It has been a incredibly rewarding, satisfying and humbling experience meeting all these people on my tours and journeys."
A PERSONAL JOURNEY
Why I do this
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I love storytelling, and every good story begins with listening.
What motivates someone to book a journey? What do they already know? What are they hoping to discover?
"It's your day," I always say at the start.
When, at the end of the day, I see that my guests have learned something, experienced something meaningful and had a day to remember, I know I've done my job.
And I love doing that.
Historical Investigator
I usually have thirty books around me, a laptop and notepad. I learned that visiting places to carefully look up and down gives you the most insights. Call me a History Eye.
Storyteller
I write, talk and make music. Stories from the past, the countryside, the Dutch, and peoples lives. Everything can be a story, as long as you know how to listen.
Private Guide
Taking you to places is the most rewarding. People often travel far and have only one chance for a visit, and I love to make sure we make the most of that.
BOOKS AND
PUBLICATIONS
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When I am not traveling with guests I also write (online) stories. I have published three works and am working on more.
Dat Werkt
Anders
"An Alternative Way" is my book about my 20 years experience in corprate business.
De Alkmaarsche Scheurkalender
A calendar with every day a story of the year 1573 in Alkmaar, celebrating 450 years of peace since the "Siege of Alkmaar"
Om Alkmaar
A book about Alkmaar for everyone, with stories, photo's and drawings. In Dutch and English.
"Martin is the best kind of guide — incredibly knowledgeable but also compassionate and thoughtful."
Lucy Adlington - Author of "The dressmakers of Auschwitz"
STORIES FROM THE ROAD
Reflections and insights
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Books and films are often about people, events, numbers and facts. What lies beyond that fascinates me,
Long time ago
“Ah, Martin… this was all such a long time ago,” my father used to say when he told me his war stories.
War in the forest
If you want to try to experience how it was during the war, then the forest is the best place to go to.
The scariest picture
A man with an accordion and a group of laughing, flirty young ladies with two officers. They are in uniform, German.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Here are some of the questions my guests ask me before or during our time together.
How did you become interested in history?
History has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. My parents were teenagers in the war and told me there stories. What I find most interesting is to find the people behind the names and the stories behind the events.
What do you enjoy most about guiding?
The conversations.
Every guest brings their own interests, experiences and questions. Some of the insights and stories I share today came from conversations with guests over the years. And it's nice to spend a good day together.
Why do you call yourself a Historical Investigator?
It's a joke I came up with when I thought of myself as a bit of a detective. But when I look through my sources, go to places, talk to people and think about what happened this is really what I am.
What is your favourite part of history?
I am interested in everything. Every age, every place in time has their own unique footprint. I always liked the 16th century when we started to (re)discover what shapes our live today. Studying WW2 is becoming my life's work.
What do you hope guests take away from a journey?
I hope they leave with a deeper understanding of the places they visited, but also with a few stories they will still remember years later. If a journey makes history feel more personal, more human and more relevant, then I have achieved what I set out to do.
