Historian / Tour Guide / Avid Traveler with Kids
Expertise:
- Washington DC Tourism & History
- Traveling with Kids
- Solo Travels
Education:
- BA in History from Elon University
- MA in History from University College London
- Full Time Licensed Tour Guide Washington DC (since 2011)
Highlights:
- Full-Time Licensed Tour Guide in Washington DC
- Author of four books about Washington DC History
- Has lived in Washington, DC, London, UK and Seoul, South Korea
- Traveled to over 28 different countries (starting with Japan at age 12) and every American State (except Hawaii!)
- Taken her kids (ages 4 and 6) to 10 American States and 5 countries
Publications:
BOOKS:
ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS:
- HuffPost Travel - "Holiday Lights: Past and Present" & "During a Government Shutdown, DC is Still Open"
- Contingent History Magazine - "How Canden Arciniega Does History"
- Washington Post Express - "Meet Some Notorious Washingtonians"
- Washington Post - "How Tour Guide Canden Arciniega Would Spend a Day in DC"
- Thrillist - "8 of the Weirdest Things to Ever Happen in DC"
VIDEOS:
- WETA "If You Lived Here - Georgetown" - Georgetown Historian
- Travel Channel - Mysteries at the Museum - "Michelangelo the Forger, Finders Keepers and Brownie Wise and the Wonderbowl" Season 13 - Episode 10 - Brownie Wise Historian
- Travel Channel - Destination Showdown - "Boston vs Washington DC" - Washington DC Expert
- Discovery Family - Secrets of America's Favorite Places - "Lincoln's Washington" - Abraham Lincoln Expert
MORE ABOUT ...
I began my love of travel with multiple summer camping and RV trips around America as a kid, collecting states as I grew up. I had visited every State (except Hawaii - but that is coming soon!) by the time I went to college.
Once I graduated with a BA in History and a too late discovery that I don't actually like teaching in a school setting, I moved back to London to prepare for graduate school. I spent a few years living in London and Seoul, South Korea (making enough money to pay for graduate school) where I continued to study history and travel as much as I can.
While as of late with two kids, I focus on family travel, I love solo travel. Of the more than 28 countries I have been too, half of them have been on solo trips.
I have been a full time tour guide in Washington DC since 2011 where I specialize in student travel and neighborhood tours. I also bring student groups to Philadelphia, Boston, and New York City as a tour director.
As a homeschooling mom, I take advantage of all the museums and activities in DC ( you can watch our YouTube channel to see some our adventures!).
I believe in the benefits of travel from an early age and love planning new trips for my family. We have road trips around Normandy, taken trains throughout Germany, learned ceilidh dancing in Edinburgh, taken a southern food road trip around Tennessee, attended too many "bubble shows" in New York City, discovered our heritage in Basque Country (the small town of Arciniega!) and Madrid and are planning a solo yoga retreat in Thailand and a hike up to Machu Picchu.
Articles I've written for Free Tours by Foot