Since attending ITMI in July 2006 I’ve ventured down a path so different and new, which could literally take me anywhere in the world.
I did my 1st tour n August 2006, which was just amazing; it was around San Francisco, with a mostly elderly group from Minnesota. I was real nervous because I wasn’t sure if I’d remember everything, but I did and we had a wonderful tour. I was really in the moment, as the scenic route passed on by us peacefully on a pleasant day in the city by the bay. And I only got us lost once, but it was more like off track and we quickly found our way.
I was half an hour early so I stood out front of the Holiday Inn Fisherman’s Warf wondering what the tour would bring. It was a sunny day not a cloud in the sky, unusually warm for SF in this time of year. Mark Twain was once quoted saying “The coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”
As I waited I noticed a couple wearing Minnesota Vikings apparel, so I approached them. They were a very friendly and easygoing bunch, and that would be just the 1st taste of how my 1st tour would go. It was a truly amazing experience, and I look forward to many more tours, for I am much more confident that they will be excellent.
I now live in Washington DC, I moved here in January 2007. I’ve been living as peacefully and as happily as can be.
I’m proud that I can say I’m a certified professional traveler and that I attended the International Tour Management Institute (ITMI) designed specifically to train professional tour directors and tour guides. I’ve already done a few tours and I am now attempting to line up jobs within the travel industry inside and outside of the Washington DC Metro area.
Stay tuned for more to come on happenings in Washington DC and around the world…
Tony Bowles, ITMI Class 232