Our team
Steven Bosmans
OWNER AND FOUNDER
At Hike-A-Way since: 1998
Contact person for : Plenty
Hidden talent(s): Recognising herbs in Arabic dishes.
Favourite record (album):
Rocket to Russia - Ramones
Funniest travel story: Performed with Chip and Dale in Euro Disney for at least :-) 3000 people. Full story available on request...
Annelies Kiebooms
MARKETING MANAGER - FIXER
At Hike-A-Way since: 2006
Contact person for: Marketing & PR
Hidden talent(s): The Fixer
Favourite record (album):
Speak & Spell - Depeche Mode
Funniest travel story: I was asked to show ID in the USA when I tried to purchase alcohol while my 14 year old daughter was with me. My holiday couldn't have gotten any better from that point! :)
Nikolai Mels
SALES REPRESENTATIVE
At Hike-A-Way since: 2004
Contact person for: Vaude
Hidden talent(s): Shoe shiner .
Favourite record (album): Rain Dogs - Tom Waits
Biggest travel blunder: Portland ME is not just another airport in Portland OR.....
Philippe De Boe
SALES REPRESENTATIVE
At Hike-A-Way since: 2008
Contact person for: Vaude Bike - Edelrid - Red Chili
Hidden talent(s): Reached the expert level building garden and treehouses during the corona lockdown.
Favourite record (album): Boulevard - St Germain
Funniest travel story: Had a fantastic car lift received from ex-convict who had served 20 years in NZ (Coromandel Peninsula region)
Frederic Lardinois
SALES REPRESENTATIVE
At Hike-A-Way since: 2017
Contact person for: Hydro Flask -Chimpanzee - Firepot - Light My Fire - Sjö&Hav - Silva - Grangers
Hidden talent(s): If there's a piano, I just have to play it :)
Favourite record (album): Revolver - The Beatles
Biggest travel blunder: Our luggage was searched at a border check between the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Everything seemed ok. They handed us back our passports, so we thought we could continue driving. Nope, wrong. With screaming sirens, screeching tires and various weapons aimed at us, we where brought to a stop a bit further ahead, where a thorough second check followed.
Jeroen Hoveling
SALES REPRESENTATIVE
At Hike-A-Way since: 2020
Contact person for: Nederland: Sprayway - Trekmates - Woolpower - Sunski -Chimpanzee - Firepot - Sjö&Hav - Häago
Hidden talent(s): Knowledge about the Scandinavian countries, language, culture, sports and nature.
Favourite record (album): Se ilden lyse over jord - Sissel Kyrkebo. Opening song Olympic Games Lillehammer 1994.
Biggest travel blunder: We are always so well prepared. It was funny because we had once booked a mountain cabin in a small Norwegian village, but we couldn't find the village (we didn't have car navigation back then). We even asked the locals but they had no idea. Until someone asked to write it down, when they saw what I had written, they immediately said, "but that's here." I guess my pronunciation wasn't great back then.
Sarah Van de Put
SALES REPRESENTATIVE - LOGISTICS
Bij Hike-A-Way sinds: 2011
Aanspreekpunt voor: Häago
Right hand of Steven - Logistics
Hidden talent(s): ADD en all ball sports
Favourite record (album): I have the most eclectic Spotify: from Techno over Rock to POP, Classical, Jazz and back to Meditation music....Depending on the mood :-)
In my record cabinet, Amy Winehouse's album Back To Black is currently front and centre.
Biggest travel blunder: Breaking down with a rented mobile home between the 2 barriers of a Péage in France, during the summer holidays....grrrrrrr.....
Ben De Clerck
SALES REPRESENTATIVE
At Hike-A-Way since: 2024
Contact person for:Woolpower - CMP - Sunski
Hidden talent(s):
Quickly eating apples, snacking. Sleep before my head hits the pillow...
Favoriete plaat (album): My Spotify list is very diverse so very dependent on mood or setting. Favourite genre tecno & deep house. I won't 'zap' easily if there is a song playing by Stavros, Kölsch, but definitely The War On Drugs, Pregnant Guy and Nessum Dorma by Pavarotti...
Grootste reisblunder: Driving into the pay car park in Toulouse with a roof box - that will do! - afterwards getting stuck - unloading and taking off the roof box and irritated French people who reacted very understandingly 😊
Niels Van Rossem
SALES REPRESENTATIVE
At Hike-A-Way since: 2022
Contact person for: Nederland: Edelrid - Red Chili - Woolpower - Häago - Silva - Grangers
Hidden talent(s) I remember the most trivial facts and I am a beekeeper.
Favourite record (album):
Wish You Were Here; Pink Floyd
Biggest travel blunder: That you could just rent a motorbike in Nepal without needing a motorbike licence....No sir..The Police won't check you..because you are a tourist and you have a drivers licence for a car.
Ruth Awouters
SALES REPRESENTATIVE
At Hike-A-Way since: 2024
Contact person for: Sprayway - Trekmates - Kavu
Hidden talent(s):
No hidden talent, no secrets. What you see, is what you get 😉
Favoriete plaat (album):
A
Deeper Understanding (van ‘The War on Drugs’)
Grappigste
reisverhaal: During a mountain hike in the Austrian Alps, I found out that it is smarter to look for the toilet beforehand after all. Because at the summit, of course, there was not a single tree to be found, and the only place to hide were the overgrown buttocks of a pair of native cattle who were staring at me quite hostilely... Not going to do it! So I opted for an ultra-fast sprint down the hill, firmly aware of the gazes of walkers who no doubt chuckled at my brisk trot ! Hit this Usain Bolt!
Sien Reekmans
BACKOFFICE - SALES SUPPORT
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
At Hike-A-Way since: 2022
Contact person for: Right hand of Philippe and Frederic - Vaude Bike, Edelrid, Red Chili, Hydro Flask, Silva, Grangers....
Left hand of Annelies for support in marketing and visual marketing.
Hidden talent(s): I have a master degree of my own imagination, and am always on the look out for creative solutions, arts & crafts.
Favourite record (album): Vicky Cryer - The Synthetic Love Of Emotional Engineering
Biggest travel story: Crawling out of my tent at night on the Mulhacén and being totally impressed by the views under the moonshine. Standing all alone, just the two of us, on the Nordkapp in Norway overlooking the Barents Sea.
Michèle Vermeulen
BACKOFFICE - SALES SUPPORT
ODOO WIZARD
At Hike-A-Way since: 2023
Contact person for: Right hand of Ruth and Jeroen - Sprayway, Trekmates, Sunski, Woolpower
Hidden talent(s): Seeking order in chaos
Favourite record (album): as long as it sounds nice and if possible... Italian
Biggest travel story: Giuseppe Verdi once said 'You may have the Universe, if I may have Italy' - the same quote applies to me and for this reason: An average Italian is very hospitable. For instance, during a beach holiday in Abruzzo (Italy), we were able to enjoy all the goodies from 'La Mamma's' frigobox, even the wine was provided.
Britt Van Mechelen
BACKOFFICE - SALES SUPPORT
LOGISTICS
At Hike-A-Way since: 2019
Contact person for: Stocks, orders, deliveries. All logistics.
Hidden talent(s): administrative jack-of-all-trades, good at makinglists. I can also make tasty desserts.
Favourite record (album):
No. 6 Collaborations Project - Ed Sheeran
Biggest travel blunder: On the first hike, not realising how much everything weighs. 'Come on, what does it matter...?' Which led me to take a full tube of toothpaste, new sun cream, full can of shampoo, 2x cutlery (from my kitchen cupboard), ... and the backpack, without water, weighed 20kg. So little bits do make a difference.
Philip Hottelet
ACCOUNTANT
At Hike-A-Way since: 2015
Contact person for: Acccounts
Hidden talent(s): Loyalty
Favourite record (album):
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
Funniest travel story: Taking a seat at the wheel of the car of the Sheriff of Auckland, California
Basil Verschaeren
WAREHOUSE WIZARD
At Hike-A-Way since: 2021
Contact person for: Warehouse
Hidden talent(s): High jump, my personal record is 1m80
Favourite record (album): The Blueprint, Jay Z
Funniest travel story: In Amsterdam, as a small vaccinated Belgian, I suddenly found myself among a crowd protesting against the corona measures, mainly the Covid safe pass. Which I had, very prepared, with me in my backpack. But they had good techno music so I stayed there for a while.