Connecting

Exploring Jamaica by bike with a couple of friends in the eighties, Geert discovered the fun and importance of meeting local people to really understand a country. In every next trip, he tried to do so. Enjoying company of many people along the way, eat where they eat and sleep where they sleep. But in today’s world where travelling is getting much easier with low-cost tickets, increasing commercial tours and large travel companies, it seems harder and harder to meet the real local people. Seeing the urgency of better travel options, he took the opportunity to work on a change.

Geerts’ job is to connect non-profit- and social organizations and build bridges between people and cultures. By his enthusiasm and because of the benefits of the ResiRest concept, ResiRest quickly expanded to a global network. Local non-profits all over the world & ResiRest have to build a reliable network of local families, that keeps expanding every day. And so Geert and his team keep working on improving sustainable, fair tourism by home dining.
Of course Geert still travels a lot. Mostly together with his family now. Recently visited countries: Thailand, Cuba, France and Morocco. All a great inspiration for developing ResiRest.

Contact Geert on LinkedIn

Peterhans is our Asia Region Coordinator. Since 2015 Peterhans lives in Siem Reap Cambodia after many years in the Netherland.
Peterhans is initiator of the Bloom Garden Bed & Breakfast in Siem Reap and active in Cambodia since 2006. He develops and organizes journeys and initiated projects to improve the well-being of the local population in various ways. He wants to do more to make a difference for the Cambodians.

“Living on the basis of confidence might be the most important thing the Cambodians taught me. The country conquered a central place in my heart. It touches me.

Cambodians can teach you how to deal with insecurity, freedom, and responsibility. It is country with a turbulent history, but incredibly viable.
For me, perhaps the most memorable incident is the commitment of my Cambodian friends when I unfolded my plans.
The confidence you receive, the connectedness I felt: for me, this is the essence of life. Cambodia helps me to locate the connection with myself, with what I regard as important and with who I love, in the centre of my life. To live and do business on the basis of connectedness and trust.”

Peterhans started to cooperate with Resirest in 2019. Since 2022 he is our Asia Region Coordinator.

Say hello to Marcel, our go-to guy in Vietnam for ResiRest. About seven years ago, Marcel said goodbye to his regular office job in the Netherlands. He wanted something different. So, he packed his bags and started a big adventure without a clear plan. This adventure brought him to Ninh Binh in Vietnam, a place he now loves and calls home.

Marcel didn’t just move to Vietnam; he became a part of it. He learned all about how people live in Vietnam and their traditions. This makes him great at his job with us at ResiRest. He helps Vietnamese families meet travelers from all over the world. Marcel makes sure these travelers find the families and enjoy real Vietnamese meals and culture.

Formerly being a chef at a restaurant, this man really knows about food! He selected the best home cooks for us in his home country Kenya. Philip makes sure you can trust on tasty local food, kitchen hygiene and true hospitality. Philip is also involved in the activities of our local non-profit partner Pamoja Kenya. In our partnership, we make sure that local families can directly benefit from tourism. This is how the love for food and the care for people comes together.

Philip himself also offers a jungle food tour as one of our extended home dining experiences. He takes you for a walk in the jungle, selecting food to prepare later on as a lunch or dinner. So if you’re interested in learning more about jungle food: make sure you visit him when you’re in Kenya.

Meet Armelina and Crysmela in Cape Verde! They prepare authentic meals like Cachupa, Feijoada or Salade the legumes.
Crysmela lives in a small apartment in Sal. Together with her mother Arme­lina, four siblings, and her baby girl. Ar­melina and Crysmela worked in restaurants.

Now they are at ho­me to take care of the young children of this family. With Res­iRest they integrate family care with hospitality, keep up with their passion for food and meet up with people in an easy way.
They are looking forward to meeting you and bring you the real Cape Verde culture and food!

Her complete life is about travelling! When Jade is not at Bali, she’s mostly making movies somewhere else in the world! She enjoys slow travel, adventures, culture and meeting all different kind of people. Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam are among her favourite countries.

Jade always travels together with her cameras and drone. Being on the road she captures beautiful images. So she inspires people to travel and have fun, and encourages them to explore true local culture and people.

Website moonwake.nl | Instagram