The second time around is easier.
One of the themes of this tour is RAIN! We started on day two with a city tour of New York; it rained throughout most of the morning. Although it stopped enough for some pictures of the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, by the time we got to the World Trade Center Site, the rain was so steady we went into the building where we could observe the progress of the work and headed to Grand Central Terminal for lunch. The drive to Boston was in torrential downpours. With an unwanted bird's-eye view from the front seat, I was glad to know that Chris was comfortable driving in the rain. The city tour in Quebec with the afternoon cruise were both in the rain; this theme continued here in Toronto with a steady downpour all day (we still did the harbor tour) and the forecast for today in Niagara Falls is the same. I am amazed at the good humor of the pax!
That doesn't mean that it isn't difficult. It also doesn't mean that fewer things go wrong. It does mean that I have more confidence in handling situations and especially have a better understanding of the procedures and more destination knowledge.
The second time around for me is also different because of the make-up of the passengers. I have mostly Americans, and, of those, 25 are a part of a group of Asian-Americans from Hawaii. It brings a different perspective to the tour, and, for a reason I still have not been able to determine, less pressure
I started with 49 passengers and am currently down to 45. Two cancelled due to health reasons before the tour started, and a passenger became ill in Montreal and had to be hospitalized. That was two days ago, and, unfortunately, they are still in Montreal although they should be heading home to Hawaii soon. I hate to be mercenary, but it is difficult not to think of the lost tips when I should be thinking of their health!
My first tour was greatly impacted by a non-communicative driver who got lost on a regular basis; our circling became a running joke of the tour. Although I have the same driver this time around, like me, he has a better sense of where he is going. What I really like about Chris is once he gets somewhere, he knows how to do it again! It is also obvious that someone had a good talking with him based on my numerous complaints, and he is really trying. We are on a two-bus run with another Cosmos coach in tandem. One of Chris's trainees is the first-time driver on that coach, and I think that gives him a sense of comraderie as well as a need to be a leader! The other bus driver is friendly, but her lack of experience as well as some weak driving skills, is giving my tour directing colleague some fits. At one point, she almost missed a turn. We were following her but yielded to the left exit when she realized she was heading in the wrong direction and cut in front of us. I saw the two coaches colliding in my mind! That was a close call.
One of the themes of this tour is RAIN! We started on day two with a city tour of New York; it rained throughout most of the morning. Although it stopped enough for some pictures of the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, by the time we got to the World Trade Center Site, the rain was so steady we went into the building where we could observe the progress of the work and headed to Grand Central Terminal for lunch. The drive to Boston was in torrential downpours. With an unwanted bird's-eye view from the front seat, I was glad to know that Chris was comfortable driving in the rain. The city tour in Quebec with the afternoon cruise were both in the rain; this theme continued here in Toronto with a steady downpour all day (we still did the harbor tour) and the forecast for today in Niagara Falls is the same. I am amazed at the good humor of the pax!
Yesterday's city tour of Toronto initially caused me great anxiety. Although we had a city guide for my training tour (my training tour director hired him), and Globus provided us a guide for our first tour, this city tour was on my own! I spent hours researching, took lots of notes the last two times, mapped out the route and discussed it with Chris, who actually turned out to be a great help, and off we went! It was almost great. I hit all of the high spots, gave appropriate commentary and even had a laugh or two or three, and I believe I gave my pax a good overview of Toronto in the rain. But I was too fast. I could have fit in at least a few more sites, and we arrived at the harbor a good 15 - 20 minutes early. But my passengers were happy to have some time to walk around the quay mall, and all of them enjoyed the harbor cruise despite the weather.
It all lies in the details and the dealing with crisises. And this tour is not without mistakes, conflict, and problems.
Problem number one: male shares. Shares usually don't work out, but people take the chance there won't be anyone else, and they won't have to pay for a single room. One of my shares is insisting that he had an agreement he wouldn't have anyone over 60 (although I think he is 62) and no one with a medical condition. He is fighting this the whole way. The other passenger paid for a single one night, and one night I inadvertently did the same (details not important). I misunderstood an e-mail from the office, so now I have two happy males with single rooms and a very unhappy boss. Still working out the details, but it might mean the end of the start of a career! At least the people are happy.
Therein lies my problem with this job. I want everyone to be happy, and that is impossible. I want to please everyone, and that is impossible.
Problem number two: lost passport. Again! This time I have a group leader, and she helped the woman, with limited English skills, and, in the end, it was solved with a letter from the consulate allowing her to cross back into the states where she can apply for a new passport.
Problem number three: ill passenger. One of the men from Hawaii had some bleeding in the middle of the night. He was taken to a hospital by an ambulance, and a note was put under my door. Ironically, it worked out best for timing. When I woke for my usual 4:00 am bathroom break, I saw the note. I was dressed by 4:30, called the hospital and spoke to his wife, downloaded all of the paperwork (lots) and was at the hospital by 5:30. Whoever travels without travel insurance, no matter what the age, is foolish. Travel insurance company was called, and they take care of everything -- including making the arrangements for travel home. The pax and his wife were in good spirits, and I left them in the Montreal hospital. As yesterday he was expected to get out of the hospital and return home today. I wish them the best. Logistically, this meant cancellations of excursions, and reconfirmations of all the hotels.
So, two tours, and probably enough obstacles to last me a few years.
I love the people; I love when they are happy. When a passenger tells you that you are the best tour director he has ever had, it makes it worth it -- almost. In addition, I still get excited when I see the beauty of different places. And the foliage! Now I can see why fall foliage tours in the north are so popular. The colors simpy burst, and despite the consistent rain, it is still gorgeous.
So the question is where do I go from here? Right now all I want to do is nothing. Perhaps I need some perspective before making any decisions. After a few glitches, I also need to see if they even want me again! So for now, the baggage pull awaits, and I have to count luggage!
