Erik is a multidisciplinary and independent professional who connects disciplines and bridges boundaries.
Trained as a filmmaker and stage performer, passionate world traveler and driven autodidact, he inspires to see the world from a new perspective.
He combines people skills, technical expertise, humor and practical directness with artistic flair and constantly explores new possibilities and skills.
From tourleading to training and from theatre performance to lighting design and photography: Erik brings it all together.
Tour Director
Erik is an experienced travel expert specialized in Southeast Asia and Oceania. He is tour director for family trips and individual travelers to a.o. Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
To travel is more than just visiting a place to check off a bucket list. Erik likes to show you can truly be somehwere by immersing yourself in a culture and experience the warm smiles of the local people that will go straight into your heart.
A trip with Erik is not just a holiday; it opens your eyes and lets you see the world from a new perspective.
Training & Education
As a passionate and experienced trainer, Erik wants to inspire and connect. He develops and provides communication training at home and abroad for various professional groups.
His versatile background as a performing artist enriches his unique and direct training approach. He knows how to convey complex subjects in an accessible way and he creates a safe environment in which participants can learn and grow.
An open attitude, humor and infectious enthusiasm make the training sessions especially fun and encourage participants to push their boundaries together
“We look back on the theme evening with satisfaction. The scenes that the actors played were impressive and educational”
“Erik Ploeg was able to summarise the reactions from the audience in a very professional way and to link them back to the actors”
Stage Performance
As a trained and graduated
stage artist, Erik is a versatile actor and singer.
He combines his love for text treatment, storytelling and chansons with roles in kids theatre, musicals and film and TV.
He directs, writes, translated texts and composed music for theatre. In addition, as a presenter he knows how to involve and inspire his audience with his humorous, energetic and direct presentation style.
Lighting Design
Lighting Design
Erik is fascinated by light, both in film and theater and in the world around us.
Educated at the Netherlands Film Academy, he started his career as a lighting technician in film but later switched to lighting design for theater productions. He has created lighting designs for both intimate and large-scale productions.
Light is everywhere: intangible and elusive, but it can dance, inspire, and move. Light tells a story.
Travel Photoghraphy
Erik’s travel photography is fueled by his love for Southeast Asia and storytelling.
Random encounters, local life, and playfulness are key elements in his documentary style of photography.
Informed by his understanding of light, framing, and narrative from a career in film and theater, and infused with the empathy cultivated as an educator and trainer, he looks to reveal the character and stories of the people he encounters.
Voluntary
As a versatile and committed volunteer, Erik uses his knowledge and experience to support others.
Amongst others, he worked for the GGD Amsterdam where he set up a chemsex consultation hour and counseling. In addition, he provided information at Man tot Man for ten years and was active at Unity, where he provided alcohol and drug information.
With his psychological insight, practical approach and personal commitment, Erik knows how to make complex subjects discussable and help people move forward.
Miscellaneous
- Erik designs adventurous websites for small businesses and individuals
- Erik has successfully completed the cognitive and skills evaluations in accordance with the curriculum of the American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED Program
- Erik is a licenced Padi Diver and Apnea Total Freediver
- Erik is the founder and proud sole member of ‘The Buro Of Unsolicited Advice’
Travel with Erik
Erik has been a full-time tour director since 2017, taking travelers on adventures to some of the most beautiful places in the world. He leads trips to destinations such as Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand.
As a specialist in Southeast Asia and with a special focus on family travel, he knows how to bring travel to life. Erik’s background is as versatile as his travels. His years of experience in education help him work effortlessly with children and families. In addition, his experience in providing communication training helps him to always keep an eye on the dynamics within a group. He creates an atmosphere in which everyone feels welcome and can enjoy the trip to the fullest.
Before Erik became a tour director, he traveled the world for years, with a special love for Southeast Asia. He lost himself in the local cultures, tasted the flavors of street markets, learned the language of smiles, and discovered hidden gems that you won’t find in travel guides. He loves to share these discoveries with his travelers, making every trip not just a holiday, but also an opportunity to truly connect with another world.
Erik likes to show not only the well-known highlights, but also the stories behind the temples, markets, and landscapes. You will get to know vibrant cities, relax on tropical beaches, and discover dense jungle; Erik ensures that every trip offers a balance between adventure and tranquility. His passion for travel, love for the locals, and his personal approach make every trip an experience.
Reviews from travelers
“The best guide ever (after 14 group trips)”
“It quickly became clear that Erik has a lot of travel experience and had little trouble keeping everything on track. The trip therefore went very smoothly and ensured a pleasant, carefree time.”
“The guide was professional, clear in his communication and involved at the right moments.”
“Enthusiastic guide. He knew when he had to be there for us and when he could let us do our thing.”
“Very good and involved. Matched the needs of the group”
“I have rarely had such a well-organized tour guide as Erik. Clear and concise explanation that was briefly repeated on the app, the extra tips that we received via the app per location, the clear overview regarding the tip jar and the willingness to arrange things for the group in addition to the fixed program. The beautiful photos that he took of the group members along the way are also a big plus.”
“Erik is an experienced tour guide, good organization, clear information, always wants to help with arranging/finding something out. Good that 2 WhatsApp groups were created. Exceptionally extensive accountability regarding the foolenpot. Occasionally some rolling of the eyes, that is not for me.”
“Erik was a really great tour guide! He was clear, had everything well organised and gave us tips for the days off to do. He is positive, has a sense of humour, I felt really relaxed because of him and was able to enjoy myself to the fullest.”
“Nothing but praise. Clearly cheerful and pleasant to be around.”
“The tour guide Erik was really very good. He was fun to be around and always gave clear information. He was to the point and looked things up without you asking. You could see that he loved his job. He was good at countering and came up with alternatives even before we had asked. Very happy with him on this trip.”
Train with Erik
Erik has over a decade of experience in developing and delivering training and workshops for children, young adults and education professionals. He focuses on topics that are often experienced as difficult in education, such as bullying, sexuality, alcohol and drugs, and setting boundaries. With his direct approach, practical working method and empathy, he knows how to make these sensitive topics discussable and offer participants concrete tools.
He has also provided coaching and training for young adults to prepare them for their adult life after school or study. For example, he provided internship preparation training at various vocational schools and universities, where he supported students in developing communication skills, self-confidence and professional manners.
Erik’s expertise goes beyond education. He develops and provides communication training for various professional groups at home and abroad. At the GGD Amsterdam he provided training on effective communication, while in Asia he trained guides in dealing with Dutch travellers and intercultural differences. For education professionals he designed workshops on dealing with challenging behaviour or aggressive situations in the classroom.
His ability to make complex subjects understandable by combining practical exercises with clear explanations, a personal approach and his direct style, ensure that participants quickly get to the core and become actively involved in the training. Whether it concerns students, guides or professionals, Erik always creates a safe learning environment in which there is room for growth.
With his dedication, Erik makes a valuable contribution to the personal and professional development of his participants. His training courses are not only educational but also inspiring, so that participants go home with new insights and practical skills.
Erik Performing Artist
Erik is a versatile performing artist who combines his broad experience and talents as a singer, actor, writer, and translator in various projects. A graduate of STEM Theater School, he has built a theater career in which he effortlessly switches between different disciplines. He writes music, lyrics, and theater texts, and also translates, using his love of language and music to bring stories to life. As a singer, he feels at home in the musical and chanson repertoire, with great admiration for artists such as Jacques Brel, Robert Long, and Ramses Shaffy.
He has performed in kids’ theater, including De Bende van de Korenwolf and De Griezelbus, where he could fully utilize his playful energy. In addition, he has written texts for various shows and directed performances for both professionals and amateurs. In musicals such as Pierre Cuypers de Musical, he brought his singing and acting talent together on stage.
For many years, he was part of the choir of Musicals in Concert, where he performed in large-scale productions with well-known musical hits. In dinner shows, Erik combined acting, singing, and presenting, including his role as the Amsterdammer Johnny in Cursus Amsterdams. At the Efteling, he brought iconic characters to life, such as Tita Tovenaar and the Fakir.
His goal on stage is always to enchant and let his audience see and experience the world with different eyes.
Erik has also proven his versatility outside the theater. He has played smaller roles in TV and film productions, appeared in commercials, and translated pieces such as the musical The Last 5 Years. Collaborations with renowned directors, including Dirk Tanghe at the theater company De Paardenkathedraal, have further broadened his artistic horizon.
Erik has also worked as a training actor for various companies, where he combined his acting talent with communication and interaction skills to create realistic training situations.
Erik wrote, directed, performed in, and managed Bureau Horizon. There, he created interactive educational theater for children and young adults, in which social themes were dealt with in an accessible way.
His strength is his transformative power and the ability to bring all his skills and experiences together into a versatile whole. Whether it involves singing a chanson, performing for children, acting in musicals, or presenting during a dinner show, Erik always manages to surprise with creativity, craftsmanship, and passion.
Erik’s Light
Light is more than just a technical tool; it is a powerful way to tell stories and convey emotions.
Graduated from the Dutch Film Academy as a cameraman and lighting technician, Erik began his career in film and television. He worked as a lighting technician on well-known productions such as “Baantjer” and “Pleidooi”, as well as on music videos and commercials. These experiences gave him a keen eye for how light can add atmosphere and meaning to images.
After his work in film, Erik made the switch to theatre, where the magic of light comes into its own. In theatre, light becomes an independent element that can tell stories and create worlds. Erik designed lighting plans and worked as a theatre technician for various productions. He provided the lighting and stage design for Sanne Wallis de Vries’ show “Sop” and accompanied it during the tour.
His background in film gives him a keen sense of composition and visual impact, while his experience in theatre shows him how light can enhance dynamics and emotion in live performances. For Erik, light is not a supporting element, but a protagonist that brings scenes to life, enriches stories and enchants the audience. Light can creating magic on stage.
Travel Photography
Erik is a visual storyteller whose work is a vibrant fusion of his diverse creative and professional pursuits. With a foundation forged in the worlds of cinematography and theater, his documentary-style photography is not just a record of places visited, but an exploration of beauty in the ordinary and playful daily life.
The development of his sharp eye and the evolution of his work began with formal training as a cinematographer, lighting designer, and stage performer. This background cultivated a fascination with the power of subject, light, and framing to shape a narrative and sculpt emotion.
Beyond the technical, Erik’s work is defined by his empathy and ability to connect with his subjects. As an experienced educator and trainer with a special talent for working with children and families, he possesses the skill of dissolving the barrier between the camera and the individual. This allows him to capture authentic human moments, revealing the true character and unguarded stories of the people he encounters.
Fueled by his enduring love for Southeast Asia, Erik’s portfolio is a cultural narrative. His photographs are the result of immersion in a culture and a journey into the “language of smiles.” He documents the quiet beauty of everyday life, transforming the ordinary into something compelling. His work is a collection of candid moments that bridge cultures and highlight our shared humanity.
Erik brings together the cinematic eye of a filmmaker, the emotional depth of a stage performer, and the compassionate heart of an educator. Through his eyes, every image is an invitation to see the world from a new perspective and a journey into the heart of authentic connection.
Travel Gallery
Travel Gallery