We tour guides, tour leaders and tour business owners are a weird group of people. Yes—weird: strange, unusual, out of the ordinary. Except for those of us who may have become guides after university, maybe as a part time job, usually we discover this profession after many years of not exactly finding ourselves fitting in in other environments.
That was definitely true for me. I wanted to become a university professor until I tried it for a semester. Not for me, suffice it to say. Many other TripSchoolers in our certification classes are often disgruntled ex-employes of Corporate America or teachers in school systems that drained them of their energy. A lot of us found our way into these travel professions by not quite fitting into the world’s boxes, or becoming disenchanted with what standard ‘career paths’ offered us.
In fact this is so commonplace that when talking on the phone to new tour guides and leaders or entrepreneurs, I usually end up asking them: What life crisis brought you here?
I love that our classes and events often happen at these crucial moments for our students. But then you get working: you’ve started your tour business, or you’ve been hired as a guide or tour director. Then a whole new set of problems show up. Here are a few that I’ve noticed, and my advice:
- Many of you will end up with Imposter Syndrome as you get started. You’re filled with empathy for others, you’re genuine and authentic, and therefore you’re acutely aware that perhaps you’re somehow not “worthy” or “adequate” to speak in front of a group as an expert or a leader. Listen to me: you are worthy, and we all have to grow as we practice this craft. Step into your most confident self, and don’t give the time of day to that critical voice inside you. Squelching it and getting on with the job is just part of the growth process.
- Stop listening to others telling you the “proper” way to do things. There can be a tendency to want to “fit in”, but let me tell you, don’t let any other guide or operator tell you how to behave at the expense of being who you are. One tour director I know and love was told she needed to dye her pink hair more “natural” to get hired. She didn’t…and, she’s thriving nonetheless. It may take more time, but you’ll be happier if you’re doing this job as yourself. One time an older Washington, D.C. guide told me I shouldn’t wear the blue jeans I was wearing in front of students, it makes me look unprofessional. Guess what? I couldn’t imagine trying to be myself and connect with 14 year olds wearing khaki pants. That’s not who I am. I didn’t listen. And I’m doing ok.
- Don’t compare yourself to others. Your path in the industry will be unique to you. At our GuideTOGETHER event in Vienna, my friend Miriam Bourin is sharing her story of how she figured out her path in this industry. One of the earliest lessons she learned was to stop looking at other colleagues, and get angry or jealous of the work offers they were receiving. Everyone finds their own unique path in the industry, and it should be a personal process. Comparing yourself to others is apples and oranges.
- Embrace your unique perspective. Don’t try to be neutral or pretend to be someone else. Neutral is boring. I’m a gay man in New York City, I have loud attitudes about things, I’m snarky and prone to sassy jokes. It’s just who I am, and I’ve been able to find a way to be my authentic self even when leading stuffy luxury tours. You know what? Those groups loved me, because I was authentic, and they’re still just humans looking for human connection. The more this industry evolves, the more it prizes individuality and personality. Gone are the days where you’re supposed to be the perfect host; now travelers want personality, authenticity, a point of view. As my friend Leigh Jameson says, there is no neutral. Everyone’s speaking from a certain vantage point in the world, so embrace and share yours.
When you stop listening too much to others, and start believing in yourself, a whole world of possibility opens, and a world of happiness. It’s your path, nobody else’s. And guess what… it’s going to change along the way probably many times.
Stephen Fry was paraphrasing Oscar Wilde when he said this:
“Oscar Wilde said that if you know what you want to be, then you inevitably become it – that is your punishment, but if you never know, then you can be anything. There is a truth to that. We are not nouns, we are verbs. I am not a thing — an actor, a writer — I am a person who does things — I write, I act — and I never know what I am going to do next. I think you can be imprisoned if you think of yourself as a noun.”
In other words, just keep being someone who does things, don’t worry about being anything in particular. As George Bernard Shaw said, “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
-Mitch
