Meet Natalie, your expert in Belgium!
🌍 Lives in: Leuven, Belgium
Regions of Expertise: Specialized in countrywide travel in Belgium, but Natalie also advises on the Netherlands (countrywide) and northeastern France
Experience: 7 years leading tours all over Belgium
Languages: English, Nederlands
Natalie’s Specialties:
Belgium Travel Consultations
Plan a better trip with some help from Natalie
Sit down with Natalie for a one-hour planning session to get her expert advice and the best local tips and recommendations.
Our travel consultations are the perfect solution for do-it-yourself travelers who want to plan on their own, but could use some expert local advice. Each consultation is personalized, and Natalie is available to help in whatever way you need.
From working on your itinerary and advising on routes and transportation, to ideas for off the beaten path destinations and truly authentic experiences, she's got you covered.
For the best local advice, go ask a local!
Get to know Natalie!
A note from Natalie
"Hi everyone, my name is Natalie and I’m a Go Ask A Local Belgium expert and a licensed tour guide here! I work all over the country and I help folks plan trips everywhere in Belgium, but I’m particularly specialized in the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders, as that’s where I’m from and am most often out and about.
Of course, I can advise on your travel in all of our major cities and towns though, and I also guide throughout each of them, so I have a pretty unique vantage point on my country, regularly seeing it through both the eyes of a local and a tourist.
Whether you're looking to visit Brussels, Antwerp, Leuven, Ghent, Bruges, or other less well-known destinations (we have much more to explore!!), I would love to help! I’m especially interested in battlefield tourism, including both World Wars, as well as the Battle of Waterloo.
I was born and raised near Ghent, but I’ve since lived in different countries around the world, including Australia, the U.S. and Peru.
My first experience in (alternative) tourism was when I started my own small company with my Peruvian husband while living in Peru. If I had to describe myself in two words, it would be: traveler and lifelong-learner. I’ve studied a lot (too much according to my parents and husband), including 3 masters and a PhD.
Last but not least, I received my degree of Flanders Tour Guide and Leader in the middle of the Covid 19 crisis. My main hobby is and always has been traveling. That has become a bit more challenging since my son was born in 2017, but he’s very happy to join my husband and me on our own trips. If you’re traveling with kids, I’m now also an expert on family-friendly traveling.
I really do believe Belgium is still underrated as a destination. Most visitors pass through the country in just a few days, quickly visiting only a few key destinations. But Belgium has so much more to offer! Believe me when I tell you that you can easily spend a week (or more!) here.
As an avid traveler myself and an expert guide for Belgium, it would be my pleasure to help you plan your visit and discover my country!"
Why plan with Natalie
Spend 60 minutes tapping into Natalie’s hyperlocal expertise to plan a better trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Consultations cost $150 USD.
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Consultations are held over Google Meet. Once you’ve scheduled your call, you’ll receive a confirmation email containing the link for your video call. On the scheduled day and time, just click that link to join.
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Each consultation is different, but here are some common things that our experts typically help with:
Itinerary planning
Transportation, driving routes, and tips for how to get around
Practical travel information; culture, safety, weather, language, money/tipping, etc.
Suggested hotels/accommodations and advice on where to base yourself
Local recommendations for restaurants, activities, and unique experiences
Advice on reputable tour guides, tour operators, and excursions
Pro tips on how to best visit popular sights and attractions
Ways to avoid overcrowded destinations and tourist traps
Insider ideas on off the beaten path places, authentic experiences, and ways to connect with locals
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What you can get done in an hour depends on your goals for the consultation and how organized you are coming into it.
In most cases, an hour is ample time to create a solid itinerary, answer your major travel questions, get practical advice on how to travel in your destination, and discuss lots of great local tips and recommendations.
To ensure that the hour is used efficiently, when you schedule your call, our pre-consultation questionnaire will ask you what your primary goals for the consultation are. Prior to the call, your Local Expert will review your questionnaire and prepare detailed information addressing those goals.
They’ll come into the call ready to share specific advice, recommendations, itinerary ideas/revisions, and useful links and resources for you to review together.
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Yes! Each consultation is guided by a comprehensive pre-consultation questionnaire that you fill out immediately upon booking.
We’ll ask you a series of 30+ detailed questions that really dig into you, your trip, your interests and travel style, and what you want to discuss with your Local Expert.
The questionnaire will cover things like: the dynamics of your group, the things you enjoy while traveling, your budget, how early you want to start your day and how late you want to end it, whether you want to hit the highlights or roam the back streets, and even what types of restaurants you want to eat at.
Your Local Expert will focus only on your interests and travel style.
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Our Local Experts are seasoned travel professionals who have spent decades working in their countries/regions. While their personal interests may be different from yours, they’ve worked with thousands of travelers and have recommendations and advice for every type of individual.
They know their destinations in-depth and can help plan a trip for every traveler and taste.
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No, this is not a part of our service. Your Local Expert will share lots of links, notes, and other written resources via the Chat Box during the call, but they cannot provide post-call notes, documents, or ongoing planning assistance via email.
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No. Our service is geared toward independent, do-it-yourself travelers who intend to make bookings on their own.
Our goal is not to plan your trip for you, but rather to help you plan a better trip independently. To that end, our Local Experts will give you all of the information that you need to confidently put your trip together yourself.
When Local Experts recommend things like restaurants, hotels, excursions/activities, tours, drivers, etc., they’ll provide you with contact details and links so that you can make the final arrangements on your own.
Ready to plan with Natalie?
Here’s how to schedule your consultation:
