Lately I have been responding to the question “Why did you become a tour director (or guide)” with the following:  I find that I like the colleagues I have in this business. The variety of people doing this job is amazing, with many different past occupations. I find that we all share a common belief: if everyone had an opportunity to travel and meet people in other parts of the world, the world would be a better place.

Joe Steinbock

Hi Ted and Randy,

I thought I would share a story or rather the note from a card a guest gave me on the tour down to San Francisco two years ago. I’ve always kept it because I felt she caught the essence of what we do and why we love doing it.

Willo:

Not only do you do your job extremely well, you carry it far beyond the requirements. All along the way you made extra stops when you recognized we needed them. You adjusted times in an attemt to make everyone’s tour special. And then in San Francisco, the amount of your own time you gave up for us was unbelievable. Thank you! Between your consideration and Scott’s (our driver) willingness to go along, I know we had a far fuller experience than we might have.

You were amazingly prepared for everything along the way. I can only imagine how much pre-tour planning that must have involved. You just knew the right times for CD’s and DVD’s and just a touch of quiet time.

There was not one thing on the tour that I did not enjoy. I learned a great deal, saw a great deal, did things I’ve never done before, some I will probably do again asome I probably won’t.

The “Avenue of the Giants” with accompaniment by Anne Murray remains the number one highlight for me. It was not just the view on the slow drive through, the music actually transformed it into a feeling of warmth and peace.

Thank you so much for making my first (not last) bus tour such a wonderful experience.

Hoping our paths will cross again,

Marlene

I will keep this card always as it reminds me of the value we bring to peoples lives.

This sort of reminder makes all the preparation worthwhile and continues to inspire us to bring joy to people through touring.

Now if you want a funny answer as to why I’m a tour director, I tell people ‘because I always get to sit in the front seat’!

Willo Jones

Last September I spent a week with a group from Tuscany, Italy. I often reprimanded the group for excessive talking and not listening to directions (like school kids). Nevertheless,we hit it off well and they appreciated my narrations, especially of what we saw Italians living in the U.S. . Two weeks after they returned home, I received a card thanking me for my work with them, my friendship, etc. signed by everyone in the group. This September I will be taking a group of Americans to Tuscany and my former clients are planning a for me.

Italians in a group can be a mob, but still big hearted. I’ve been retired from teaching for 12 years, so why am I still doing tours, playing music and substitute teaching?

Cheers

Romano

Here it is:

It is now as I am on the road with the sweetest group ever – really – can’t really put my mind around it…

There is a physician couple on the bus who got on my nerves the first couple of days as he grabbed the microphone and constructed his own rotation system. Somehow he could remain feeling important even so “his” course was altered a little.

We remained with mutual respect bouncing off ideas and stories.

So many guests opened up and kept swinging and contributing with contageous charme and honesty.

There are still two days to go and the steak dinner in Los Angeles promises to be a celebration and rain in the forecast is no bother.

All the Best to you….

Martina Koeckritz

I was traveling in New England with a senior group from the UK. We were in Rhode Island on the Cliff Walk and most of the walk is easy on a paved sidewalk. However when we got to the portion where the path turns into large flat rocks it became mildly challenging for most people but for one 80-something lady it was mildly terrifying, especially in her ”Judy Garland” pumps.

I offered her the option of detouring off the walk so I could take her to the waiting bus a couple of blocks away. She declined, my offer, “No thank you, I think I can do it,” and so we walked at her pace across these randomly placed and spaced rocks. I held onto her the whole time and so did another guest.

She expressed nervousness and sometimes fear of slipping and falling but was insistent that she could make it and wanted to continue. I was so impressed and moved by her determination that I continued with her, thinking to myself…”This lady wants to do this so badly that I will carry her on my back if I have to!”

Finally we got to the paved portion and everyone was relieved and cheered for her and she was glowing with pride and excitement. I breathed a sigh of relief.

At the end of the tour, in her evaluation of the whole trip she told me that the day that we walked on the rocks in Newport was the highlight of her trip!

It gave me great joy to have been there for/with her on a day when she conquered a challenge that she obviously would never have attempted in another circumstance, and that was so important to her self-esteem. It is these kinds of events that make my job so rewarding and worthwhile.

Hats off to Barbara!

Thanks,

Alice Bowman

I am not sure that I can name only one person. I am always excited to know that people are excited about traveling. There have been so many people that have crossed my path on tour, that I would travel the world with them. I toured Copper Canyon for four years and the staff and the locals have always made me feel like I am at home. Its people like this that keep me going in this crazy business

Consuelo Perez