Meet Your Drivers: Matt & Dan

- How many years have you been coach driving? 20 years.
- How many years have you been driving with our company? Eight years, roughly.
- How many years have you been driving together as a team? We teamed up prior to Leger, working together occasionally, but started at Leger together near the end of 2019!
- Does your coach have a name? Our coach is called Phoenix.
- What inspired you to become a coach driver? I started driving buses at 20 years old, and after a short while, was asked to drive coaches. From there I was hooked! I soon moved onto coaches and have progressed to touring – which I love!
- When you're not on the road, how do you like to spend your time? Believe it or not, the first thing I do when I get home is to fire up my car and head out for a drive! Part of the reason I love my job is that I get to do the same thing I enjoy doing at home and it gives me ideas of places to take a scenic drive in my car. I also enjoy home improvements, so whenever our season ends, I plan a project to fill my time before heading back out to Europe.
- What is your favourite country, destination, or tour you've driven to? My favourite location overall is Ireland, particularly the Republic of Ireland. The people are welcoming and friendly, the scenery is beautiful and varied and the food is always tasty and flavourful. Every corner of Ireland, including the north, has something to enjoy and I’m so excited every time I get to go back. My favourite tour, though, is actually not in Ireland. ‘Spectacular Austria’ has everything! Beautiful towns and cities, including Salzburg and Innsbruck, stunning scenery such as the Krimml Waterfall, and mountains and clear lakes. The family run hotel Gasthof Ascherwirt is traditionally Austrian. This includes the outfits worn by staff, the food, and the accommodation itself.
- What makes it your top choice? Authenticity, simplicity, and personally, I think most of Ireland and ‘Spectacular Austria’ exceeds many customers’ expectations. Plus, part of the fun of my job, as well as making customers happy, is enjoying the driving. I love to be challenged and am constantly in awe of the scenery that I am lucky enough to drive through.
- What's your favourite memory from a past tour? During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, Ireland was the first country that really opened up again. Leger quickly teamed up with Tourism Ireland to create an Ireland-only set of departures, which covered a period of 3-month, back-to-back Ireland tours! When we arrived in Ireland, and every location on our itineraries during those late 2021 months, we were welcomed like heroes! People waved in the streets and came to say hello as we were the first tourists to return. One poignant moment was when I arranged for an additional guided tour of Cork. The guide commented she felt rusty as she hadn’t worked since 2019, but I described the safety precautions we would ensure for her, and she hesitantly agreed. At the completion of the tour, as our passengers gave her cheers and a round of applause, she broke down into tears, exclaiming that it was amazing that she was lucky enough to work again. We felt so privileged to be able to help her receive some income and boost her confidence in returning to work.
- Do you have any personal touches that make your coach feel welcoming? Many! We provide a nice fragrance to greet passengers as they board, and we even make them seasonal when we can, such as gingerbread and spices at Christmas. We decorate our coach too. This year for Easter, we had bunches of daffodils with eggs intertwined, and our very own Easter bunny! At Christmas, we set up the festive lights to emulate the Northern Lights, and when we can, we even have snow!
- If you could provide a top travel tip for our passengers, what would that be? Check your maps before you travel. By examining the distances we will cover, it will allow you to prepare for the length of the journeys. Also, perhaps consider buying a local map or guidebooks such as those by ‘Lonely Planet’. These usually include maps of tourist hotspots and offer interesting comments on locations you may wish to visit. Or you could find maps online to print off for each location you can see on the itinerary. By having a map, you can mark all the drop-off and pick-up points when you arrive at a location. This also works for Google Maps! So, perhaps consider downloading it on your smartphone before you travel.
- Is there anything else you would like to share with us about the tours you do? Expect the unexpected! You never know what will be thrown at you as we traverse several countries, each with their unique quirks and cultural differences. And remember, times given should always come with an ‘ish’ at the end. “We should arrive at our hotel by 7pm… ish.”

- How many years have you been coach driving? Since 2019.
- How many years have you been driving with our company? Technically, I’ve been working for Leger since 2019, but with a little break in between.
- How many years have you been driving together as a team? We teamed up prior to Leger, working together occasionally, but started at Leger together near the end of 2019!
- Does your coach have a name? Our coach is called Phoenix.
- What inspired you to become a coach driver? I wanted a job where I could work with the public in a lovely setting. This job covers working with the public in many settings all over Europe!
- When you're not on the road, how do you like to spend your time? When I’m not enjoying a good sleep, I like working with computers, programming and being creative with technology. I also enjoy walks and try to take advantage of my home comforts whenever I'm not working.
- What is your favourite country, destination, or tour you've driven to? I love Ireland – no matter where, as long as it’s just the island of Ireland. It's diverse scenery and lovely people make it a very pleasant place to visit. I also love ‘Spectacular Austria.’
- What makes it your top choice? Ireland is just fantastic. Great food, amazing scenery and lovely hotels, but it's mostly the people that make it so special. They’re all so friendly and welcoming.
- What's your favourite memory from a past tour? I loved walking around a village in Germany, carrying a torch at night and then building a huge campfire back at the hotel with all the torches. We then stood in the snow and drank mulled wine under the stars. We also got to meet some lovely snow dogs and build igloos! All those memories from that ‘Bavarian Forest Winter Wonderland’ tour always stand out.
- Do you have any personal touches that make your coach feel welcoming? We always decorate the coach for special events.
- If you could provide a top travel tip for our passengers, what would that be? Once you've booked your holiday, familiarise yourself with where it is, how far it is from the UK and check out the distances involved for your journey. This will make your coach travel feel proportionate and won't come as a surprise when you find out the journey is two hours, for example.
- Is there anything else you would like to share with us about the tours you do? Always prepare to be surprised – no matter how much prepping you do!