Interview with Karoline Vass
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If you've assumed that all tour guides are former History majors, Karoline Vass breaks the mold. Born and raised in Germany, educated in the U.S. and now living in Paris, Karoline has worked as a professional musician, performing and teaching the viola. She's also earned a Masters in Business degree and a vagabond's passion for travel. She weaves this diverse background into an artful approach to tour guiding that generates rave reviews.
Where did you spend your childhood and what was it like?
I was born and raised in Munich. Because of the city's central location, we traveled — a lot — as a family (Italy was just a 6-hour drive!). I'm reminded of this whenever I lead the Family Europe tours. I get to re-live those trips with I took with my own parents, and I love to see families share the experience of travel and create memories together. The experiences these kids are having will inform the decisions they make in the future — and that is going to affect me, too.
What makes leading a Rick Steves tour different from others?
The way Rick's tours are structured allows each guide to play to his or her strengths, interests and passions. I've met many people who have even taken the same tour twice — but with different guides — and have had totally different experiences! When people leave my tours eager to sign up for another one, I know they'll be in good hands with one of my colleagues.
What do you especially enjoy about Rick's Germany-Austria-Switzerland tour?
I enjoy all of the itineraries I do, but I have to admit that "GAS" is the one closest to my heart. It's a great combination of accessible cities and tons of outdoor time in incredible scenery. These three countries, with their linked histories and shared language, often get lumped together culturally. But there are distinct differences even within each one, be it the cuisine or the nuances in the dialect spoken. Tour members are always surprised by Germany's cultural diversity — it's becoming the melting pot of Europe! I just read that, apart from Istanbul, Berlin has a bigger Turkish population than any city in Turkey.
How do you use music on a tour?
To me, music is a visceral experience and it really doesn't matter if you know a lot about it or understand it from an academic perspective. It's really a powerful souvenir of the trip. Music can evoke memories sometimes more intensely even than photographs. I love to use individual pieces to talk about historical events or trends. Talking about Mozart's works, for example, allows me to tie in what was going on at that time: I can talk about the Age of Enlightenment, socio-economic changes in the 18th century that were catalysts for his career, or even what travel was like in those days (uncomfortable!). Tour members frequently ask me for "playlists" from our tour so they can play the music at home or integrate it into their digital scrapbooks.
What are you reading?
I love to read, and I usually have about 4 or 5 books going at the same time. Most recently, I read Paris 1919 by Margaret Macmillan, about the Treaty of Versailles. There were some shocking revelations in it that helped me understand what precipitated one of the greatest disasters of the 20th century. All that serious reading needs to be tempered by some literary treats and I get a little obsessive when I discover an author I like. Right now, I am devouring everything I can get my hands on by the Japanese author Haruki Murakami. I admire his ability to raise common philosophical questions about life, love and personal responsibility through compelling and entertaining characters. I confess that I had to buy the new Harry Potter book after my last Family Europe tour. All the kids were reading it, and I felt out of the loop!