Although the responsibilities of the tour director go far beyond commentary, it is probably the most "up front" part of the job, the part that most people associate with the tour director. In the last week I have received a 75-page technical, the TD term for the detailed itinerary; a 203-page book of guidelines; an e-mail with templates for all of my handouts that I need to create for the tour; and a box full of supplies and equipment, including a small printer that gets hooked up to my laptop to print receipts for optional excursions, evaluation forms, and various other things needed to do the job. When I opened a simple white envelope and took out my engraved nametag with "TOUR DIRECTOR" on it, I couldn't believe my reaction: I literally started to cry. I remember looking at Colleen's nametag on my first over-the-road tour and wishing it were me, and here I am!
We have the opportunity to follow an experienced tour director on the Grand Vacation and to take notes, but with only 4 days in between the training and my first tour, I want to have a good outline of facts, stories, and history for the commentary. Then, I can add to it during the training tour. So after purchasing a tour book for each of the U.S. cities and one for Canada, I went on to Google Maps and started to map out the route. The technical includes driving directions, so it was easy to make any changes on Google Maps to match the suggested route the tour company has laid out. Before I went to ITMI I assumed it was the bus driver's responsibility to know the route; I learned and was reminded in reading the guideline that it is ultimately the tour director's responsibility to know the directions. I was, however, very happy to read in the guidelines that they do everything possible to match experienced drivers with novice tour directors.
After I mapped out our first drive (one of the shorter ones on the trip), I could see the sites we would pass in Manhattan and the towns and cities we would pass as we drove through Westchester, Connecticut, and through Massachusetts to Boston. Using the Blue Guide for New York, I outlined some details about the United Nations and the neighborhoods of Sutton Place, Upper East Side, and Harlem as we make our way to the Willis Bridge. I learned that in an attempt to replace the bridge, New York City offered the bridge for $1 to anyone who would pay to have it moved. There were no takers, so a new bridge is being built next to the current swing bridge that ties Manhattan to the Bronx.
From there I researched all the towns we pass through in Westchester. I have driven by these towns hundreds of times every holiday, with my family living on Long Island, and my then-husband's family living in New Rochelle. I think the participants will be interested in knowing (or being reminded) that New Rochelle was home to the fictional Petrie Family and the real-life Carl Reiner.
When I got to Connecticut I realized I didn't have any books on the state! Since we aren't stopping in the Nutmeg/Constitution state, I didn't want to invest in a tour book, so I headed out to Barnes and Noble with my laptop in hand and was able to find enough information to get a good start. I learned that the area just north of New York is referred to as the Gold Coast and that the median price of a home in Greenwich is 1 million dollars!
This evening I finally got to Massachusetts. Since my friend and colleague who is doing the same tour as I am and has lived in Boston his whole life, I decided to ask for help; he agreed to send me ideas. I did make lots of notes about Boston history, although we need to remember not to steal the thunder of the step-on guide, so I am waiting to see what is included in the city tour and what is not. But I can also see the challenge of discussing the Revolutionary War with mostly British passengers! I did find one quote that I love, one that ties together the two cities -- from New York to Boston. "In New York they ask what is a man worth. In Boston they ask what does a man think." Mark Twain
One day of travel down, eight more to go.
We have the opportunity to follow an experienced tour director on the Grand Vacation and to take notes, but with only 4 days in between the training and my first tour, I want to have a good outline of facts, stories, and history for the commentary. Then, I can add to it during the training tour. So after purchasing a tour book for each of the U.S. cities and one for Canada, I went on to Google Maps and started to map out the route. The technical includes driving directions, so it was easy to make any changes on Google Maps to match the suggested route the tour company has laid out. Before I went to ITMI I assumed it was the bus driver's responsibility to know the route; I learned and was reminded in reading the guideline that it is ultimately the tour director's responsibility to know the directions. I was, however, very happy to read in the guidelines that they do everything possible to match experienced drivers with novice tour directors.
After I mapped out our first drive (one of the shorter ones on the trip), I could see the sites we would pass in Manhattan and the towns and cities we would pass as we drove through Westchester, Connecticut, and through Massachusetts to Boston. Using the Blue Guide for New York, I outlined some details about the United Nations and the neighborhoods of Sutton Place, Upper East Side, and Harlem as we make our way to the Willis Bridge. I learned that in an attempt to replace the bridge, New York City offered the bridge for $1 to anyone who would pay to have it moved. There were no takers, so a new bridge is being built next to the current swing bridge that ties Manhattan to the Bronx.
From there I researched all the towns we pass through in Westchester. I have driven by these towns hundreds of times every holiday, with my family living on Long Island, and my then-husband's family living in New Rochelle. I think the participants will be interested in knowing (or being reminded) that New Rochelle was home to the fictional Petrie Family and the real-life Carl Reiner.
When I got to Connecticut I realized I didn't have any books on the state! Since we aren't stopping in the Nutmeg/Constitution state, I didn't want to invest in a tour book, so I headed out to Barnes and Noble with my laptop in hand and was able to find enough information to get a good start. I learned that the area just north of New York is referred to as the Gold Coast and that the median price of a home in Greenwich is 1 million dollars!
This evening I finally got to Massachusetts. Since my friend and colleague who is doing the same tour as I am and has lived in Boston his whole life, I decided to ask for help; he agreed to send me ideas. I did make lots of notes about Boston history, although we need to remember not to steal the thunder of the step-on guide, so I am waiting to see what is included in the city tour and what is not. But I can also see the challenge of discussing the Revolutionary War with mostly British passengers! I did find one quote that I love, one that ties together the two cities -- from New York to Boston. "In New York they ask what is a man worth. In Boston they ask what does a man think." Mark Twain
One day of travel down, eight more to go.
