The Disgruntled Tour Director

Whenever I feel overwhelmed by the pandemic and my involuntary “vacation” from work, I like to cast my mind back to simpler times. An era when Cats! was in the movie theaters and “All I Want for Christmas Is You” was the number #1 song on the radio. Some of you may not remember this simpler age, but it was actually just December 2019. The decades we feel like we’ve endured sense have just been a matter of months.

Let’s face it: 2020 has been cruel to all of us. Tour Directors are hurting from the lack of work and our ongoing isolation. We built our lives around getting out of the house and seeing things and many of us are entering our fifth month without traveling. I understand the frustration the industry is feeling and we’re all asking when will things go back to normal–and if that “normal” is even something we want to return to. Job security is a big question that many of us are facing and after years of dedication to the industry many feel like we’re owed more and that changes must be made to help Tour Directors. But before I get to that, let me take a step back and explain the part of the industry I’m talking about…

Wait a sec, what exactly is a Tour Director?

Please skip ahead if you already know what a tour director does for a job!

Tour Directors are staff that accompany a tour group on multi-day, over-the-road group tours, both domestically and internationally. A Tour Director is not just there to facilitate, organize, and entertain the guests from morning to night, they often must guide their groups and are responsible for delivering the experience that the guests dreamed of when they were sold their tour package. They are the face of the company they represent. And all of this is done with very little training. The job of a Tour Director usually begins before a single guest arrives with re-confirming appointments, juggling itineraries that weren’t arranged properly, and outreach to guests. Once the tour begins, a Tour Director needs to keep the commentary flowing from stop to stop, bringing the sights to life with history and storytelling. It’s no wonder that many of us spend years perfecting our craft.

We have an even longer article if you want to read more!

So, back to social media where people are grabbing virtual pitchforks and virtual torches!

Opinions are like…well, you know the saying! Just know that everyone on social media has one. We’re cooped up at home and tired of the challenges 2020 has thrust upon us. And we’re craving connection! But Covid and the political climate in the U.S. have created deep divisions that provoke arguments online where innocuous or even positive posts can generate heated exchanges. Even professional forums meant for networking and sharing ideas have become a place to vent our hurt or argue. Typically, these are seen as professional venues where we would be careful about how you came across as there are plenty of hiring managers and colleagues that read and share what you do. But this seems to have diminished and there are more posts where grievances are aired. Frankly, it’s resembling the “Festivus Tree” and the Airing of Grievances is particularly impressive this holiday season. We all have the time to be in our pjs at 2 o’clock in the afternoon posting away, and we’ve seen more than a few hot-button posts written about the tour operators whom we all work for and depend on to put food on the table and keep our lights on. It’s sometimes begins with a call for job security–most of us are independent contractors with little more security than our talents provide. Then calls for compensation for canceled tours emerges followed by demands for better pay. Soon, I’m doomscrolling through the feed as once friendly colleagues urge each other to quit and find a new path.

I can’t help but think what the tour operators themselves, many of whom can also see this frenzy, are thinking. Are they taking notes and keeping track of who said what? Would they penalize us? Or does some of this make sense to them?

The truth about the industry

I understand the pain, the loss of income, the need for change. Why can’t we have more job security? Could our contracts with operators include a more reasonable cancellation clause so we’re not left in the lurch after being committed to months of work that suddenly vanish? The vendor companies on the tours have them. And I’m all for paying us what we’re worth, and for an acknowledgment of the extraordinary efforts we do to make the products of these companies possible and for these dream vacations to be, well, dreams.

But the truth is that this is the lifestyle I chose, knowing what I was getting myself into. Being a Tour Director to me meant freedom. I don’t want to be an employee where I could be ordered where to go on tour, when to work and when to have time off. This job is about the freedom to create my own destiny. For over twenty years I have chosen where I wanted to go and how often I wanted to go there. I am my own business and can work for several companies at once, living a different experience and journey whenever I choose. I have worked hard at my craft–just as you have–and gained the trust of several companies who know they can count on me to give their guests an incredible experience. I take pride in that. (And pride in having a couple of months off in the summer.) None of my friends with regular jobs can do this. Of course, there are sacrifices but the money I make as a tour director is more than many of my professional friends. Don’t get me wrong, it takes time to get established in this industry, to earn your badge, so to speak. But once you establish yourself, you become your own brand and work comes in. I’ve always been thankful to this industry for affording me a life that I otherwise wouldn’t have had. I’ve grown as a person, met thousands of people that I’ve had the honor to tour, and seen some truly stunning thing.

I know you’re hurting. I’m hurting, too. The pandemic has been absolutely brutal for my ability to make a living and do what I love, but it doesn’t mean that the best aspects of it should be swept out with the worst just because I’m hurting right now.

I saw the dollar signs drifting off into the air in March, I scrambled to find things to do. For TripSchool this meant finding new ways to connect even if we couldn’t be together in physical space. Online webinars, virtual meetings and classes filled our time and helped us to continue to learn and grow and not turn into mush. I’m more fortunate than most as TripSchool has given me a platform to reach out to colleagues and to promote unity. We’ve seen you on Zoom, sharing a range of the passions from people in our community from France and wine tasting to the Brothers Grimm. We didn’t charge, instead relying on the community to donate their time and knowledge to keep us with a feeling of togetherness. I know that for me, it’s been nurturing to be a part of this group, and to be less alone when solitude has become such a part of our lives. I have been so inspired and proud of everyone who gave their time, for helping us all have something to look forward to while we sheltered in place.

Community has helped to ease some of the pain. And while there are no easy answers that may point the way to a solution for what we’re feeling. How do we go on, now that we’ve seen some of the upset and hurt that many of us are feeling? Travel will return. Our industry will survive. The question is how can we find compassion for each other?