About me




I’m so pleased you are here. I assume that if you’ve found my page, you too have a passion for travel, and for discovering the hidden gems that can’t be found in most travel guides. 



My Story

My passion





Marta-on-stairs.jpg







I have always loved to travel, to discover new cultures, dishes, and customs, and experience something new. It's always so interesting  to learn how the people live in the places I visited. It’s such an enriching experience that takes me far away from my day to day routine and stress. And this is what I wanted to recreate with Agate Experience. Fun travel experiences that allow you to discover the hidden gems of Switzerland - it’s people, culture and beauty in an easy, stress-free way.

Show More
Show Less





My love for planning trips









In planning my trips and itineraries, I came to realise that I love researching and designing my breaks and holidays as much as I love taking them. For me, creating the trip gives me the same excitement as the actual travel experience, making my head buzz, full of expectation about what my friends and I will discover.  On reflection, this shouldn’t have been such a surprise. I started planning trips from an early age, from class trips in my high school, to family vacations, and later weekend getaways, hikes and holidays with friends. 

Show More
Show Less







Martha-in-a-Swiss-Cafe.jpg





My stand-out experiences









Martha-am-Neuenburgersee-in-der-Schweiz.jpg





Since I moved to Switzerland in 2010, I’ve enjoyed exploring my new home. It may be a small country, but it has many hidden gems to discover. Some of my favourite travel experiences have included:  A long weekend with friends in Valais. I prepared a diverse itinerary that saw us hike along the bisses, the region’s unique water system, before visiting some wineries to taste the excellent local wine and taking time to relax in the Bain d`Ovronnaz in the evening.  Not all my adventures are fully planned. I remember a spontaneous road trip with my girl friends. We were all new to Switzerland, and decided to jump in the car, pick a random point on the map and see where it would take us. It was a bit of a crazy blur, but I remember visiting Romainmôtier, enjoying a delicious lunch in Morat and having the most ridiculous movie experience ever in Bern (I’ll tell you more about that over a coffee sometime). I also enjoy being challenged, like when I followed the Jura Crest Trail Trek. I did part of the trail, completing 130km over seven days with regular ascents and descents (adding up to 5,000m over the week). It really pushed me out of my comfort zone and was completely exhausting! But the euphoria and happiness I experienced once I’d completed the challenge, meant that I have gone on to do many more experiences of this kind.

Show More
Show Less





Travelling is my therapy





Martha-smiling-sitting-on-grass.jpg





Travelling is also a therapy for me. I learn a lot about myself through my experiences and from seeing life through a different lens. For example, on a recent picnic in the Swiss alps, surrounded by the mountains, nature and calmness, it reminded me just how small and vulnerable we are. At the same time, I was filled with joy to realise just how much beauty we are surrounded by when we take the time to look. By contrast, when visiting Tanzania to climb mount Kilamanjero, I was humbled when seeing how the locals lived. After my trek I was physically and mentally exhausted and took time out to visit a local village. When I saw their conditions, community, and how they embraced life, it gave me a fresh perspective on my own life and some of the smaller things that I had been overlooking. They were so grateful for every opportunity and cared for me and my fellow travellers with such open hearts, it taught me a lot about how we can work together and support others, and embrace every opportunity with a smile.  Today, I’m grateful that travel has become my entire world, spanning my personal life and my work. I love preparing a range of different trips for you, each one offering a new experience. Many of them have been born from the daydreams I had while working in my corporate job, and counting down the hours to the weekend when I could escape to the lakes, mountains or cities.

Show More
Show Less



Martha-smiling-sitting-on-grass.jpg




Martha-wears-hiking-shoes-in-Switzerland.jpg



Enjoying the Agate Experience

Visit our Latest Trips page to find your next hidden gem Experience.






Start creating your own travel-adventures with Agate Experience!




Discover 23 hidden Gems of Switzerland

 

With the free travel guide you will discover 23 incredibly beautiful travel destinations that cannot be found in every travel guide.

You can find out which ones are in the free e-book.

English-e-book-final.jpg





 
empty