From World Strolling to Tourist Guide: Oliver Grieb’s American Dream

With his colorful jacket, camouflage pants and big yellow camera, Oliver Grieb attracts attention even in the metropolis of New York. The 48-year-old from Kürnacher is a tourist guide and has thus realized his lifelong dream in America. For nine years he has been leading mainly Germans through the street canyons of the big city. He promises his guests “a day in paradise”. For a long time it was not foreseeable that Grieb would one day find his paradise.

From Kürnach to diving instructor on the Fijis

Grieb was born in Würzburg and grew up with his brother Christian in Kürnach. He graduated from high school as the best in his class and, after completing his community service, studied to become a teacher for special needs education in Würzburg. Before starting his legal clerkship, he went to Australia for six months. Half a year turned into ten years of world strolling, which finally brought him back to Germany. Determined to start his legal clerkship, he failed because of his spirit of freedom. Diving instructors in Fiji, ski instructors in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, mountain bike guides in Greece are just a few of the posts that followed for Grieb.

Today he is proud of the fact that he has always worked for his dreams himself and has never made himself financially dependent on anyone. Grieb emphasizes that “you have to make it worth living your dream and work hard for it”. He saved the money he earned to travel to satisfy his longing to discover the world. Grieb was driven by his curiosity, “I’ve always wanted to know what’s behind things,” he says.

His goals were not only to see the world in books or films, but to smell the scent of the countries and to understand the country and its people. He wanted to question the news and feel for himself which way the wind was blowing. “I booked a flight and I’m off,” Grieb replies when asked how he did it.

In 2008 he met his wife Kathryn Gillis in New York. But it still took a few years until the globetrotter became a husband and finally a happy father. In 2014, he was able to stay in the United States permanently thanks to a green card and married Gillis. Today the couple has two children and lives in the New Jersey borough of New York. Thanks to his wife, Grieb realized “that I no longer have to travel, that I’d rather be with Kathryn and create a place where I can come home”.

The road to self-employment in New York

As a German in New York, he became self-employed as a tourist guide with his company “OliDay Tours”. In just a few years, his tours of the city and the surrounding area were fully booked. “Then Corona came and turned my life upside down,” says Grieb. He shifted his focus to social media and tried to reach many people there. “If the guests can’t come to me, I’ll come to you,” thought Grieb. This is how various television stations became aware of him. “Abenteuer Leben”, “Hallo Deutschland” and “taff” have already shot with the Kürnacher. He has also been to New York and Miami with the Geissens.

Individual guided tours through New York

Grieb tailors his tours to the wishes and possibilities of his guests. He organizes his tours according to the needs of his customers. He does tours in wheelchairs for people with physical disabilities as well as special offers for young families with children. Everything is individual and always agreed. He gives free information to anyone interested in New York via WhatsApp. For people who cannot afford a flight to New York, Kürnacher photographs and films houses, viewing platforms or city beaches.

Grieb’s vision is to give everyone the opportunity to experience the big city in which they have found their new home. After hunger for the big wide world used to drive him, Grieb now says: “I’ve arrived in my life”. Globetrotter-turned-tourist guide, photographer and storyteller at home on the streets of New York and on social media. “I’m living my dream in America,” says Grieb, even if the dream isn’t over yet.