Matthew Moran

spent his university years participating in archeological digs in the Andes and in Europe as part of his anthropology research. He also pursued his other interest, German literature, by visiting great literary sites behind the Iron Curtain at a time when it was severely restricted to Westerners. In his spare time, he obtained his pilot’s license and became an Outward Bound mountaineering instructor in the Berchtesgaden Alps, forging relationships that continue to this day. While working on his doctorate in maritime law in Washington, D.C., Matt took every opportunity to crew on a German tall ship in the Baltic Sea, working his way up from deck hand to boatswain’s mate to executive officer. Even when the ship was in dry-dock, Matt took his navigation skills and restless spirit across the Sahara Desert with an off-road convoy of European researchers. When it became apparent that travel was his real passion in life, he joined Goodspeed and Bach, Inc. and is now planning and implementing tours and events around the world. Matt and his wife, Amy live in New York State and have two children, Harry and Rebecca.

Deborah Flanders

Deb credits her interest in travel to her grandfather Ernest Flanders and her passion for music to her parents.  Her grandfather handed her a round trip ticket to Europe on the condition she plan her own itinerary.  Her father Ralph played piano and her mother Anne loved to sing and the two passions blended together.  After her first European trip, she spent a year abroad in Vienna studying German, sang with the Wiener Jeunesse Chor and worked as hotel receptionist.  Now settled in her native Vermont, Deb spends her time planning group tours, performing and volunteering for the arts community in Burlington.  She sings with of Bella Voce Women’s Chorus of Vermont, performs songs the ballad collection of her great-aunt Helen Hartness Flanders and produces an annual folk concert at the Old West Church in Calais, Vermont. She is currently the President of the Board of the Champlain Valley Folk Festival.  Her favorite place to relax is her family camp on Nelson Pond in Calais.

William Fulton

CONSULTANT ON MUSICOLOGY

William Fulton is a raconteur par excellence. His expertise is opera history, which is why he is a regular panelist on the Saturday matinee Opera Quiz at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Raised in the South, William has lived in Europe and traveled the world, sharing champagne with the King of Spain and breaking bread with Russian farmhands. As the director of Mississippi Public Broadcasting, he introduced audiences to great music. As a lecturer at the Hot Springs Music Festival and at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, William is on the cutting edge of the cultural scene. He speaks eight languages and currently hangs his hat in Manhattan.

The Family Beer

TRANSPORTATION

The Family Beer (pronounced “Bear”) runs our ground operations in Eastern, Central and Western Europe. With a bus fleet of over 60 modern motorcoaches and the friendliest, safest drivers, the Beers provide our guests with the most enjoyable experience abroad. Nothing compares with having fresh coffee and cookies waiting when the group returns to the bus after a morning tour or an afternoon excursion. The drivers consider it a privilege to show our guests their part of the world. Want to take a side road to visit an obscure site or a once-in-a-lifetime attraction? The blinker is on and adventure is just over the next hill. The Beer motto: “exceptionally personal.”

Georg Reichlmeyr

EUROPEAN HISTORY
Georg Reichlmeyr is the best guide in Europe. There were no votes tallied, no opinion polls surveyed. It’s just so. Meet Georg for a moment and you’d never know. Spend the day or week with him, though and you will be riveted by his knowledge and understanding of European history, society, politics, architecture, gastronomy, agriculture, horticulture, viniculture, music, and geography. The author of several books, Georg is the most respected over-land trip director working in Europe today. Young and old guests feel they are leaving a friend behind when they return home from one of Georg’s programs.

Ulrich Graf

CONSULTANT ON MEDICINE
Ulrich Graf is the “Goodspeed medical officer.” If your group is involved in medicine, dentistry, pharmaceuticals, or science, we call upon Dr. Graf to create an expert program suited to these specific areas. With an exclusive private practice in Frankfurt, Ulrich is one of Europe’s top oral surgeons and implantologists. Following the example of Dr. Schweitzer, he helped found a free dental clinic in the Amazon River basin and provides dental care for indigents in his hometown. He is a recipient of Germany’s Medal for Social Welfare. His passion is collecting fire engines and enormous military trucks.

Manuel Ribes

CONSULTANT ON GASTRONOMY
Like the meals he prepares, Manu is full of exotic ingredients. Born in colonial Africa to Spanish parents and raised in the south of France, Manu came to America with pocket change to realize his dream of becoming a cutting edge chef under the direction of the great Jacques Pepin. Notoriously intolerant of culinary shortcuts, Manu makes even the most simple fare a gastronomic delight. When food is an important component of your itinerary, Goodspeed can look to a discerning palate to ensure the very best outcome.