Martin was born in southern Germany in 1978 and studied Communication Design at the University of Applied Arts and Sciences in Dortmund. Early in his career he worked with several film production companies, creating documentaries focused on adventure travel and expeditions, filming in some of the world’s most remote polar regions, including the Arctic and Antarctica.

In 2007, drawn north by the call of the wild, Martin moved to Iceland where he worked as a sailing expedition crew member and whale-watching guide. Over the years he joined multiple expeditions to Greenland and spent much of his life immersed in raw landscapes, shaped by weather, water and silence. In 2013, he bought an abandoned fish factory on Iceland’s northeast coast and began restoring it with care and vision. The guesthouse and restaurant opened in 2015 and became a place of warmth, nourishment and refuge. It was here that Martin and Jools met while hosting Iceland retreats in 2022.

After almost 15 years in Iceland, Martin and his family returned to Germany. He now lives with his partner Elena, a typeface designer, and their two sons, Luis and Niklas. Martin is deeply at home in remote places and has a natural ability to lead people into meaningful experiences in nature. Calm, organised and quietly passionate, he brings a deep respect for the land and a steady presence to every journey he is part of.