Having never ventured outside of southeastern states, a college trip to Europe ignited David McGuffin‘s interest in travel. Desiring a return trip, about a decade later, McGuffin, now a band teacher, organized an educational tour of Europe to achieve that goal.

McGuffin’s mission became encouraging Americans to travel to Europe. A few years of studying Europe’s history, culture and languages led McGuffin to organize informal tours of Europe. In 2001 he founded David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe, Inc., offering European travel experiences designed to immerse travelers in the sites, history and culture of Europe.

Interviewing McGuffin was an opportunity to learn more about European travel from a self-made expert. McGuffin’s expertise isn’t limited to big cities. He makes a point of visiting tiny, “undiscovered” locations. He finds those spots more fitting to his style and philosophy.

McGuffin shared his advice for first-timers as well as veteran travelers. He talked about planned versus impromptu days, his must-haves for any trip, future desired destinations and more.

Despite his status in the industry, McGuffin doesn’t simply lend his name to his tours. He is hands-on, inspecting all aspects of the trip before he leads any group. For McGuffin it isn’t just a business; it is a passion. Through our conversation I got the feeling it is more passion than work.

Talking Travel is an interview series on Global Traveler. Subscribe to the GT YouTube channel to be notified of all future interviews and other travel-related videos.

— John Wroblewski, online writer