Having a great local guide can be the final component that turns a very good vacation into an amazing experience. In Belgium, we double that recipe ingredient by using the brothers Yannick and Jérémie de Cocquéau as our local guides.
Yannick de Cocquéau
Yannick is adept at what he describes as a “Burgundian Lifestyle” which he defines as enjoying life as much as possible! What does this mean in practice? Yannick prefers not to have a full-time desk job but instead freelances in the tourism, wine, and beer industries. He worked for Visit Flanders promoting the region, he helps with local festivals in the beer industry, has brewed beer himself, and is a wine sommelier. He speaks French, Dutch, English, and Spanish. Yannick is tireless and always enthusiastic with a depth of knowledge about his country that is amazing to most of the travelers on our Belgium tours. He has worked for Zephyr Adventures since 2014 and now guides all our tours in Belgium plus frequently in other countries both inside and outside Europe.
Jérémie de Cocquéau
Jérémie started out on a different path from his brother, working in the international business world for 11 years as an engineer helping to construct offshore wind farms. However, he gave that up to pursue his passion by starting a company to build climbing walls for both businesses and private homes. In addition to climbing, Jérémie loves to travel, hike, and kayak. He can talk to you about anything and you will come away feeling he is your new best friend in Belgium. Although he speaks the same four languages as his brother, Yannick admits Jérémie is actually more fluent in languages.
The de Cocquéau Brothers as a Team
We recently ran a Belgium biking tour for a private group with Jeremie and Yannick as the guides. Here are a few of the comments we received:
- “Yannick and Jérémie made this trip very special for us. Their knowledge about the local sites, food, beer and their way of sharing it all made the trip so much more than a bike tour.”
- “Both of these guys were exceptional. So much knowledge and they were so pleasant and helpful.”
- “They were fantastic. From their wealth of knowledge about the historical sites, food, beer, wine and chocolate to their willingness and ability to adapt to whatever a particular day brought, we couldn’t have asked for better guides.”
- “Simply outstanding. Pleasant. Patient. Knowledgeable. Fun. Enjoyable. THE BEST”
- “Jérémie and Yannick worked together flawlessly and seamlessly, like they have known each other all of their lives.”
Belgium Tours
In 2026 we are offering two different Belgium tours, a Belgium Biking Adventure from July 26 – August 1 and a Belgium Walking & Cultural Adventure from August 3 – 9, offered via our sister company Taste Vacations. Come join us on either or both and meet Yannick and Jérémie!