Getting to know the Follow the Camino Team better

You trust us to organise your holiday and ensure your journey along the Camino de Santiago lives up to your expectations.

We would like you to be able to put a face on the team members you speak to.

So here we are in our Dublin head office in June 2012. 

One Foot Abroad Founders

Follow the Camino is a One Foot Abroad brand and was founded by Fabien Rolland and Umberto Di Venosa in Dublin, Ireland in 2006.

Umberto Di Venosa

Co-Owner of One Foot Abroad and Managing Director of Follow The Camino

Unlike his fellow Follow The Camino members, Umberto is not only about the adventure and the passion. He’s also about crafting the trips. For this reason, he likes when a trip is well designed, ideally located and when it specifically caters to travellers.

“I like what Follow The Camino does, in terms of products and objectives. The package is well thought through. Selling a trip sounds like a job. Selling a Follow The Camino adventure feels like an adventure.”

Umberto worked for two years as an event manager organising major sporting events around the world. He has also worked in the travel business, in a major airline. He’s a keen sports man and an enthusiastic rugby player himself. His walking experience, though smaller than his fellow team members, is growing at an increasing pace. He’s walked in Ireland extensively and in Asia (Thailand, Japan) and Spain. Umberto is the grounding force in Follow The Camino, paying attention to all the details, and making sure that each trip is a success from beginning to end.

Fabien Rolland

Co-Owner of One Foot Abroad and Founder of One Foot in France

Fabien is French. He was born in Briançon (1,326m) in the Alps, the highest town in Europe. While he was living there, he acquired first-class ski and mountaineering skills. Well, let’s just say that he knows the Alps inside out! And, of course, he thinks that his native town is the most beautiful one. Let’s hear what he has to say…

 “Apart from the fact that I love Briançon, I’ve been amazed by Ireland’s walks. I’m having a good time walking in Ireland, and now I want to take Irish people abroad, and share this passion with them. The “Follow The Camino” range of walks and destinations are a testimony to the natural beauty of the world. Enough said, start packing!”

Fabien was a ski instructor for two years before walking across Europe, taking in the Alps, of course; Mont Blanc, Ecrins, Mercantour, Queyras, Ubaye and Vanoise. Fabien completed some long term treks in the Alps and continued his travels in Corsica, Provence, Italy (Mont Viso, Mont Rose, Argentera), Spain and the Tatras in Poland. Walking, skiing and kayaking are his three outdoor hobbies.

In Ireland, he has climbed many summits in Kerry (Carrantuohill, Brandon, etc), in the Mourne Mountains and in the Wicklow Mountains, where he likes to wander in his free time. It was on one of these hills that he first thought of taking people to his own mountains and to elsewhere in Europe, with the help of the team's specific knowledge and experience. Outside Europe, Fabien has crossed the High Atlas in Morocco, climbed Kilimanjaro (5,985m), Chachani (6,088m) and Ausangate in Peru. Fabien is passionate — once he begins speaking about a trip in his French accent, it's like you're already there.

Susan - Operations Assistant Manager

Nationality: Irish

Speaks: English, Spanish, German

After studying languages (Spanish and German) and intercultural studies, Susan started working in travel and tourism in 2006.

She took a year out for travel in South America, New Zealand and Australia, which included walking the Inca Trail and some trekking in Brazil.

Susan also lived in Barcelona for a year during her studies so working with so many Spanish people is a real plus. She is dedicated to providing the highest standards in customer relations but will always take any opportunity to travel, whether it’s for work or leisure! 

She now manages a team of ten people to ensure we give you the best services.

Nellie - Sales & Marketing Executive

Nationality: French

Speaks: French, English, Spanish

Nellie considers herself as a serial expat she has lived so far in 7 countries including one year in Spain and visited over 26 different countries.

She loves nothing more than travelling, discovering new cultures & meeting new people whether it is during frequent city breaks around Europe or long backpacking trips.

She is in charge of Sales and Marketing for Follow The Camino and is probably the one who wrote the last Follow The Camino newsletter or Facebook post.

Feel free to get in touch with her if you wish to discuss a partnership with us or would like to become a reseller.

Maria– Customer Service Agent

Nationality: Irish

Speaks: English, Gaelic, French, Italian

Gnó trí ghaeilge ar fáil liom. Go n-éirí an bóthar libh idir an dá linn!

A firm believer in active learning through active living she travels and gets out and about as much as she can.

She sees walking holidays as the perfect tonic for body & soul; bringing people together in a spirit of fun, with ample time for rest & reflection.

She has been to every hotel on the last section of the French Way & the Portuguese Way, the Finisterre Way and the English Way.

Silvia – Customer Service & Reservation Agent

Nationality: Spanish

Speaks: Spanish, French, English

Jose – Reservation Executive

Nationality: Spanish

Speaks: Spanish, English, Portuguese

Jacky – Customer Service Specialist

Nationality: Irish/ Caribbean

Speaks: English, French, Spanish

Elaine Jones

Elaine left her native Britain twenty years ago to travel the world and is still going!  She has lived in a number of very different countries, including Japan, Indonesia, Cuba and Portugal, but eventually decided to make her home in the mountains of Spain.  As well as walking the Camino many times, she has worked in forty different countries as a tour leader for a leading adventure travel company during the last ten years.  Walking is still her passion, combined with a love of history, the outdoors and Spanish culture: an unbeatable combination on the Camino!

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Jenny Hicks

She has been working as a Tour Leader/ Guide for 11 years and has been fortunate enough to visit many fascinating and beautiful places.  Over the years, her work has taken her throughout Asia, Eastern Africa and various countries within Europe.

She now bases her work in Spain and enjoy the opportunity to spend much of her time leading walks in the sierras of Andalucia and the routes to Santiago de Compostela.  She considers herself extremely privileged to be able to spend her working life in such beautiful surroundings!

Laura Mezey

She is of Hungarian heritage. She gave up a career in neuroscience to live an outdoor life! She has worked as a guide/tour leader for 7 years.  She has worked primarily in Latin America and Asia. From the glaciers and mountains of Patagonia to the jungles of Costa Rica; from the rice paddies of Bangladesh to the Himalayan peaks of Bhutan! She is passionate about food and finding great local restaurants. Food is an integral part of enjoying and understanding the local culture. A poor meal is a squandered opportunity!

She’s  walked the Cycladic islands of Greece, done via ferrata in the Dolomites, walked in Retezat NP in Romania, climbed many a munro during 4 years in Scotland, done the Inca trail many times, trekked on the Island of the Sun in Lake Titicaca Bolivia, climbed Mount Kenya (4985m), been to Annapurna Basecamp in Nepal, up Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, trekked in Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of Patagonia, in Torres del Paine NP in Chile, in Los Glaciares NP in Argentina......as well as of course enjoying places closer to home - the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, the South Downs and the Cotswolds.

Mireille Finnegan

She was born in the center of France, in La Creuse,in La Souterraine, which is on the French way to Santiago de Compostella. A lot of people say la Creuse is a bit like Ireland, green, a lot of hedges, a lot of cows and few people. She needs to escape in the countryside. She met her husband 30 years ago and loves his Country, Ireland.

She have been visiting Ireland for the last 30 years and 5 years ago we brought the whole family to Ireland. She has been touring for the last 3 years all around Ireland showing what has become her country to French tourists. Prior to Ireland, I spent 12 years in Provence, she designed and guided tours around Provence and the Mont Ventoux, even doing canyoning and speleology which implied long walks to reach the entrance of the caves.
She always enjoys what she is doing and she is there to make you share our passion and enjoy it fully.

Noel Curtin

He started working as a tour guide in 1994. He does walking tours in the Clare/Limerick/Tipperary/North Cork area in Ireland. He has walked all of the Camino Frances from St Jean a Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela and then on to Finisterre.

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