Friday, March 07, 2008
Birthed from Procrastination
The new blog header and color scheme is a result of my illness ... procrastination. I was looking for a photo, needing to work on my tour that's coming up next week, and voila, I have a new design. The photo was taken on my birthday in Denali National Park, Alaska. Enjoy!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
The Verdict is in ...
This past week I was on an interview tour with Collette Vacations, which was a wonderful experience in and of itself. (I'll post more about the trip and photos later.) There were 41 people interviewing, and I was fortunate enough to be asked to join the company. After much thought and mental torture, I made a decision. I declined the Collette offer in favor of GrandLuxe Rail Journeys.
Collette is a fantastic company, but I was not ready to exclude any other adult touring in order to work for them. I like the idea of working for the companies I want to work with, and I can still try to be an independent contractor for Collette. Also, there isn't any guarantee of how many tours you'll have in a year, and your calendar doesn't really fill up until year three.
That being said, I did accept the opportunity offered by GrandLuxe Rail Journeys. During the months of May and June I'll be traveling the parks of the West. In the months of August and September, the parks of the Northwest. I'm excited about seeing and experiencing all these different places.
My request from you: Years from now if I'm kicking myself because I didn't accept the job, remind me that I thoroughly weighed my options, and this was the best decision for me at this point in my life. (In case you haven't noticed, this is my attempt at self-therapy!)
Collette is a fantastic company, but I was not ready to exclude any other adult touring in order to work for them. I like the idea of working for the companies I want to work with, and I can still try to be an independent contractor for Collette. Also, there isn't any guarantee of how many tours you'll have in a year, and your calendar doesn't really fill up until year three.
That being said, I did accept the opportunity offered by GrandLuxe Rail Journeys. During the months of May and June I'll be traveling the parks of the West. In the months of August and September, the parks of the Northwest. I'm excited about seeing and experiencing all these different places.My request from you: Years from now if I'm kicking myself because I didn't accept the job, remind me that I thoroughly weighed my options, and this was the best decision for me at this point in my life. (In case you haven't noticed, this is my attempt at self-therapy!)
Friday, February 22, 2008
My bright idea ...
Okay, so I think I've come up with a topic for my seven to eight minute presentation on my interview tour of the Northwest. After much soul-searching, I've decided to talk about the Oregon Trail. You may think, "Wow, how deep." I assure you it can be.
First, I'm not talking about myself. Second, I can prove that I can be articulate on a subject that's relevant to the tour. Third, it ties into my hometown. (For those of you that don't know, the Oregon trail started in Independence, Mo.) The angle I plan to take I'm unsure of at the moment, but I thought I would try to dig up a fun story to include.
I'm also planning on heading to the Three Trails Museum in Independence this weekend for a bit of research. Another tidbit of information is that the Santa Fe and California trails also began in the Kansas City area. What else would you expect from a tour guide?!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Needing Help
Next week I'm off for a familiariztion/second interview tour with a national tour company in the Pacific Northwest. I recently received the itenerary. We fly into Portland, travel up to Vancouver and end in Seattle. It's four days of touring and two days of traveling to and from Kansas City.I need your help ... On the second day I'm to present on a topic of my choice. This leaves a lot of wiggle room, so I would love to hear any suggestions. Help me get my creative juices flowing!
Thank you!
Friday, February 15, 2008
FAO Schwarz
Here I am in New York City. I stood by this guy to get a photo, then he popped this pose at the last minute. Very fun!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Back from Broadway
I have to say this was a very interesting few days in NYC. I'm very grateful that I had the opportunity to shadow a student tour before doing it on my own because I would have otherwise been a nervous wreck. The tour also helped me gain my since of direction in the city once more. I'll do a quick overview for you.
Day one
1:15 p.m. arrive at airport
1:40 found the tour director I was shadowing
2:00 Begin to panic because the coach wasn't at the airport to pick up the kids
2:30 Wait at International Departures for the coach (just like the driver said)
3:00 Tour director starts to panic because there's still no bus to be found and the driver says he's there
3:05 Annie (my other shadow partner) runs to the top of the enormous hill to find the bus)
3:10 Kids arrive from Wales and are ready to tour - still no bus
3:15 Annie calls and says the bus is waiting at DOMESTIC arrivals - we begin trek up the hill
Phew!
After we get everyone loaded, we head into the city to hit the Empire State Building. Annie and I were in charge of going up to the top and gathering up the kids. It took forever to get them out of the photo stop. Then we treked to the Manhattan Mall for a bite at the food court. When writing this, it all seems very easy, but at the time it was high stress walking around with 36 kids and three group leaders in rush hour traffic.
9 p.m. Arrive at Rochelle Park, NJ, Ramada
Day Two
9:30 a.m. Arrive in NYC for a business tour of Macy's at Harold Square
11:35 Begin drive up to Rockefeller Center area for lunch at 30 Rock's concourse
12:40 meeting time to start walking tour/Rockefeller Ctr tour
12:50 arrival time of group for start of walking tour/Rockefeller Ctr tour
1:00 Annie and I lead half the group on a 5th Ave walking tour while the other half goes on the Rockefeller Ctr tour. We stop at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Trump Tower, FAO Shwarz, Gap and at a street performance. (One of the street performers wanted to take me home, but I always get hit on by the weirdo street performers, so it's nothing new ... Maybe I look like a hardy gal who would do well living on the streets? Who knows!)
2:40 Arrive back at Rockefeller Ctr to begin the Rock tour
3:00 Send our group off on the Rock tour
3-4:00 Walk around the area. Spend a lot of time watching ice skaters and in the Metropolitan Museum of Art store.
4:15 Kids arrive back from tour and we lead them to Broadway and 51st for dinner
4:30 Run into other group at souvenir stand. Tour Director gets us an earlier dinner reservation and we head to Mars 2112
4:45 Enter Mars for dinner. It's like we stepped back into 1984 and I'm on the set of alien fraggle rock. Weird, but the kids don't mind.
6:30 Kids want to change before the theater so the bus stops in front of the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The boys change on the bus in the middle of Times Square and Annie and I lead the girls in and out of the hotel restrooms trying not to draw attention to ourselves.
7-7:30 Have the kids run around Virgin Records and Foot Locker
7:30 Trek to Phantom of the Opera
8:00 The tour director gave me his ticket since he said he's practically an understudy for the show. The show was okay. (Quit gasping!) The staging was fantastic, but the show consists of the same tune over and over with different words inserted to fit that moment.
11:00 Arrive back at the Ramada
Day Three
9:30 arrive in the city for a four-hour guided tour
10:15 Guide arrives with no apology. We begin the tour, and I could've given more information than she did. That helped boost my confidence about guiding people through the city. She's been doing it for seven years, and I know more, or at least I can articulate more of it to the kids.
12:00 Annie and I leave the tour in search of a subway so she can make her way to visit family in Connecticut and I to JFK to fly home.
I'm proud of myself since I was told to take a certain subway line, and asked a few questions, finding out that the line had signal problems. I took another line, figured out how to get there and made it to JFK without a hitch.
My flight did take off about 45 minutes late for it's flight to Atlanta. When in Atlanta I had to book it to another terminal and I barely made it there in time, but I got a seat and made it home safely.
With all the fun of these few days, I think I can successfully lead a tour of New York. Now the trick is to get an experienced bus driver during my tour so he/she can get me around the city without me giving directions. I'm also going to have to do a lot of research on D.C. and at least get the map of its main attractions down in my head. I have faith that I'll do just fine.
P.S. I thought my camera broke during tour, so I don't have any photos. The other shadower took a picture of me and one of the soldiers at FAO, so I'll post that once I receive it. I got my camera to work once I was home.
Day one
1:15 p.m. arrive at airport
1:40 found the tour director I was shadowing
2:00 Begin to panic because the coach wasn't at the airport to pick up the kids
2:30 Wait at International Departures for the coach (just like the driver said)
3:00 Tour director starts to panic because there's still no bus to be found and the driver says he's there
3:05 Annie (my other shadow partner) runs to the top of the enormous hill to find the bus)
3:10 Kids arrive from Wales and are ready to tour - still no bus
3:15 Annie calls and says the bus is waiting at DOMESTIC arrivals - we begin trek up the hill
Phew!
After we get everyone loaded, we head into the city to hit the Empire State Building. Annie and I were in charge of going up to the top and gathering up the kids. It took forever to get them out of the photo stop. Then we treked to the Manhattan Mall for a bite at the food court. When writing this, it all seems very easy, but at the time it was high stress walking around with 36 kids and three group leaders in rush hour traffic.
9 p.m. Arrive at Rochelle Park, NJ, Ramada
Day Two
9:30 a.m. Arrive in NYC for a business tour of Macy's at Harold Square
11:35 Begin drive up to Rockefeller Center area for lunch at 30 Rock's concourse
12:40 meeting time to start walking tour/Rockefeller Ctr tour
12:50 arrival time of group for start of walking tour/Rockefeller Ctr tour
1:00 Annie and I lead half the group on a 5th Ave walking tour while the other half goes on the Rockefeller Ctr tour. We stop at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Trump Tower, FAO Shwarz, Gap and at a street performance. (One of the street performers wanted to take me home, but I always get hit on by the weirdo street performers, so it's nothing new ... Maybe I look like a hardy gal who would do well living on the streets? Who knows!)
2:40 Arrive back at Rockefeller Ctr to begin the Rock tour
3:00 Send our group off on the Rock tour
3-4:00 Walk around the area. Spend a lot of time watching ice skaters and in the Metropolitan Museum of Art store.
4:15 Kids arrive back from tour and we lead them to Broadway and 51st for dinner
4:30 Run into other group at souvenir stand. Tour Director gets us an earlier dinner reservation and we head to Mars 2112
4:45 Enter Mars for dinner. It's like we stepped back into 1984 and I'm on the set of alien fraggle rock. Weird, but the kids don't mind.
6:30 Kids want to change before the theater so the bus stops in front of the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The boys change on the bus in the middle of Times Square and Annie and I lead the girls in and out of the hotel restrooms trying not to draw attention to ourselves.
7-7:30 Have the kids run around Virgin Records and Foot Locker
7:30 Trek to Phantom of the Opera
8:00 The tour director gave me his ticket since he said he's practically an understudy for the show. The show was okay. (Quit gasping!) The staging was fantastic, but the show consists of the same tune over and over with different words inserted to fit that moment.
11:00 Arrive back at the Ramada
Day Three
9:30 arrive in the city for a four-hour guided tour
10:15 Guide arrives with no apology. We begin the tour, and I could've given more information than she did. That helped boost my confidence about guiding people through the city. She's been doing it for seven years, and I know more, or at least I can articulate more of it to the kids.
12:00 Annie and I leave the tour in search of a subway so she can make her way to visit family in Connecticut and I to JFK to fly home.
I'm proud of myself since I was told to take a certain subway line, and asked a few questions, finding out that the line had signal problems. I took another line, figured out how to get there and made it to JFK without a hitch.
My flight did take off about 45 minutes late for it's flight to Atlanta. When in Atlanta I had to book it to another terminal and I barely made it there in time, but I got a seat and made it home safely.
With all the fun of these few days, I think I can successfully lead a tour of New York. Now the trick is to get an experienced bus driver during my tour so he/she can get me around the city without me giving directions. I'm also going to have to do a lot of research on D.C. and at least get the map of its main attractions down in my head. I have faith that I'll do just fine.
P.S. I thought my camera broke during tour, so I don't have any photos. The other shadower took a picture of me and one of the soldiers at FAO, so I'll post that once I receive it. I got my camera to work once I was home.
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