For 15 years, Can You Handle It? Tours (CYHIT) has been redefining the walking tour experience across Europe. Founded by Brooklyn-born Kai Angelet, the company combines history, humor, and interactive storytelling to create tours that are engaging, informative, and distinctly unorthodox, giving tourists a unique approach to their globetrotting adventures.
From Belgium to Berlin, the Netherlands, France, and beyond, CYHIT has carved a niche in cultural tourism by offering experiences that allow tourists to feel like they're exploring the city through the lens of a knowledgeable companion rather than attending a conventional guided tour.
"I share information the way I'd want it shared with me," says Angelet. "Our tours are laid back, fun, but still meaningful. We aim to educate without it feeling like a lecture." This philosophy guides every aspect of CYHIT, from its donation-based public tours to modestly priced private options.
The donation-based model emerged as a deliberate alternative to traditional tip-based systems, ensuring accessibility while allowing the company to sustain itself and grow.
CYHIT's tours span a variety of styles and themes, all designed to blend education and entertainment. The Rude Bastards Tour, which operates in cities including Berlin, Paris, Cologne, and Amsterdam, has become the company's most recognized offering, combining historical insight with comedic storytelling.
For those seeking a more ruminative experience, CYHIT offers tours such as Never Again, which explores the history of concentration camps, while other themed tours, like Medieval Berlin, highlight the city's important and formative eras.
Despite their varied tours, from traditional World War II landmarks to Silent Discos, all tours take place on foot, allowing tourists to engage directly with the streets, culture, and stories that are interwoven within every location. CYHIT's private tours provide additional flexibility, offering groups the opportunity to request customized routes or wander in particular historical areas.
CYHIT's expansion across Europe relies on a franchise-like model, with local franchisees managing tours in their respective cities. These franchisees recruit and oversee tour guides, handle local operations, and maintain CYHIT's standards, ensuring that each experience reflects Angelet's vision. "I can't be everywhere at once," he says. "The goal is to find the right people who believe in the same product and can deliver the experience the way we intend."
The company's collaborations with local businesses, such as rentals, hotels, and cultural platforms, can provide a mutual benefit, strengthening CYHIT's reach and weaving the company into every city's tourism ecosystem.
Angelet's personal journey is integral to CYHIT's reputation today. A Brooklyn native with Puerto Rican roots, he left the United States to travel across Europe, developing a passion for urban exploration and cultural storytelling along the way.
"I wasn't fond of school, so I wanted to create something that didn't feel like a lecture," he says. His early experiences oscillating between high-stress jobs in New York taught him patience and adaptability, qualities he brought into his tours.
Looking ahead, Angelet hopes to expand CYHIT into additional European cities, offering the company's distinctive blend of education, humor, and accessibility to new audiences. After 15 years, CYHIT has survived the challenges of the pandemic and established itself as a unique voice in European tourism, one that continues to engage, entertain, and enlighten travelers willing to take the journey.
"I think we've crafted a really special concept that can really elevate someone's travelling experience," Angelet shares. "It's about sharing knowledge and stories in a way that's fun, approachable, and memorable. Ultimately, that's what Can You Handle It? is all about."
