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 travel guidance to training and from theatre performance to lighting design and photography: Erik brings it all together.
“Erik is positive, has a sense of humor, I felt really relaxed because of him and was able to enjoy myself to the fullest.”
“The best guide I’ve ever had (after 14 group trips)”
I also think the beautiful photos he took of the group members are a big plus.”
Tour Leading
Erik is an experienced travel expert specialized in Southeast Asia and Oceania. He guides group trips for families and individual travelers to a.o. Thailand, Indonesia, Laos and Cambodia.
Discover a world full of new scents and colors that stimulate your senses. Relax in breathtaking nature, tropical islands and white beaches. Let yourself be carried away by the energy of vibrant cities and experience the warm smiles of the local people and cultures that go straight into your heart.
A trip with Erik is more than an adventure; it opens your eyes and lets you see the world from a new perspective.
Travel with Erik
Since 2017, Erik has been a full-time tour director, taking travelers on unforgettable adventures to some of the most beautiful places in the world. For organizations like Sawadee, he guides trips to destinations such as Thailand, 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 better than anyone 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
Erik’s story begins long before he became a tour director. For years he travelled the world, with a special love for Southeast Asia. He lost himself in the local cultures, tasted the flavours of street markets, learned the language of smiles and discovered hidden gems that you won’t find in travel guides. He now shares these personal discoveries with his travellers, making every trip not just a holiday, but also an opportunity to truly connect with another world.
With Erik as your guide, you will not only discover the well-known highlights, but also the stories behind temples, markets and landscapes. Explore vibrant cities, relax on tropical beaches or 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 unique – an experience you will remember a liftime
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.”
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”
Train with Erik
Erik has over ten years 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.
In addition to his work in education, Erik 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. In addition, Erik trains tour guides for Sawadee, combining his experience as a tour guide with knowledge of group dynamics and clear communication.
Erik’s 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.
Stage Performance
Graduated from the STEM Theatre school, 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.
For the one with the closed book
For the one with the forgotten names
For the one who searches in vain
Must know now we are all together
Ramses Shaffy
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. Graduated from STEM theatreschool, he has built a theatre career in which he effortlessly switches between different disciplines. He writes music, lyrics, theatre texts and 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, Ramses Shaffy and Dutch lyricists as Rob Chrispijn, Harry Jekkers and Jurrian van Dongen.
Erik performed in kids theatre, including “De Bende van de Korenwolf” and “De Griezelbus”, where he could fully utilise his playful energy. In addition, he wrote texts for varieous 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 theatre. He 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 theatre company De Paardenkathedraal have further broadened his artistic horizon. Erik 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, played and managed Bureau Horizon. Here he created interactive educational theatre for children and young adults, in which social themes were dealt with in an accessible way.
What sets Erik apart is his transformative power and the ability to bring all his skills and experiences together into a versatile whole. Whether it concerns singing a chanson, playing for children, performing in musicals or presenting during a dinner show: Erik always manages to surprise with creativity, craftsmanship and passion. His performances are not only an experience, but also an invitation to see the world in a new way.
Lighting Design
Erik is fascinated by light, both in film and theatre as in the world around us.
Educated at the Dutch Film Academy, he started his career as a lighting technician in film, but later switched to lighting design for theatre productions. He creates 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.
Photography
During his work as a tour director, Erik combines his love for travel and photography. He takes photos because he enjoys it and captures people, cultures and landscapes. With an eye for detail or off the cuff.
Because travelers often forget to photograph themselves and come home with piles of photos of temples, monkeys, elephants and empty landscapes, Erik makes sure that they also become part of their memories. In this way, they not only have memories of the places they visited, but also of their own experiences along the way – they were there.
Erik’s Light
For Erik, light is more than 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, he 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. This experience 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 tells stories and creates worlds. Erik designed lighting plans and worked as a theatre technician for various productions. For example, 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. His designs show the power of light in creating magic on stage.
Webdesign
Erik is a creative web designer who designs functional, visually appealing and adventurous websites.
He combines technical expertise with an eye for aesthetics to create unique online experiences that are effective and fun to use.
He has designed websites for artists, individuals, small businesses and foundations.
With his creative approach and personal touch, he ensures that every website is not only functional, but becomes a journey of discovery and tells a story.
Erik ensures that every design is user-friendly and meets the needs. With attention to detail and a practical approach, he translates ideas into digital designs that inspire and surprise.
Webdesign by Erik
Voluntary
As a versatile and committed volunteer, Erik uses his knowledge and experience to support others.
He worked for the GGD Amsterdam, among other things, 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.