When I first got the call to lead a 3 week tour of America’s National parks, I seized the opportunity. Though I hadn’t been to most of the parks we would visit in years, I had two months to prep for it. What I hadn’t realized is that I would be prepping for three tours in one.
My boss connected me with the group leader, Jim, who told me I’d been referred to him because I was considered the expert for the areas we’d be visiting. Jim mentioned that he’d been a tour director for over 50 years but that he didn’t feel qualified to manage the depth of detail that would be required for the tour.
Jim shared with me that in addition to giving narrative, I would be expected to manage any last minute requests from the group. He told me that historically, they’d been known to change course when they saw something interesting on the side of the road or that they may inquire about the closest place to get ice cream in a given town. Jim went on to tell me that the clients were well traveled and well read on the areas they visited so I was expected to fill in any holes in their already accrued knowledge.
I became concerned that, while I could learn the basics of our destinations for the nine state Western National parks tour, I would be required to furnish a lot more information than that. It was with these concerns that I called my boss a couple weeks later and confessed I might not be the expert they were looking for. She reassured me, letting me know I just needed to have a general knowledge of the parks we’d be visiting.
While I appreciated the encouragement, I knew more would be expected of me so I emptied the next month of activities from my calendar and set myself to studying for the tour as if I was studying for the Bar. For a period of eight successive days, I spent eight hours a day researching all the destinations. Much of the material was available on Wikipedia, but I dug deeper on topics I expected the group would find fascinating because of their obscure relevance.
To prep for my destination knowledge, I called visitors centers and hotels in the areas we’d be passing through and asked them about the best bars and hikes, as well as unusual things our group might do. I looked at Google earth so that I would know the best approach for the bus and where to direct people to find the bathrooms. By the time the tour started, I felt I had already visited these places and had an intimate knowledge of each. When we arrived at a place I might never had been, I gave directions as if it was a place I’d frequented.
I got extremely lucky as we approached Yellowstone, a national park that rarely answered the phone so I could get very little advance information; I managed to connect with a local tour guide who lived in Cody, Wyoming and arranged to meet with her the day before we headed to Yellowstone. We sat for two hours, pouring over maps while she gave me timing and parking suggestions. As we entered the park the next day, I was able to suggest the best pull outs to see waterfalls and where to find the best toilets.
The tour was everything I feared it would be. They were inquisitive, and the group lead would visit me at the front of the bus daily, asking for recommendations on how we could fill an extra hour in our itinerary or where we might go to get in a nice afternoon hike. My brain moved nimbly to all the information I’d filled my head with. I could visualize a trail and shortcuts in case it became too long. I could recommend the best restaurants for buffalo burgers or salads.
My studying hadn’t ended when the tour began. Every night, I’d excuse myself from the group to go up and plan for the next day. I’d print out my narrative, highlighting key points so I could deliver the story with infrequent glances to my clip board.
By the second week, I’d become comfortable with the expectations and began to adjust my presentation. The group often wanted to know names of mountains, rivers, and buildings they saw out the window. I would scan the road ahead using my maps, often answering questions with information I’d only gleaned a moment before. Despite my lack of prior knowledge of most of these destinations, I was able to present them as the expert Jim expected.
It was then that I realized that the greatest value I offer as a tour guide is my connection to the guests: My ability to tell relevant stories and communicate with each individual so that I could connect my narrative and tour to their interests. Whatever I lacked in knowledge could be made up for in communication.
By the end of the tour, we were family. They paid for me to spend an additional night in their high end downtown Los Angeles hotel so that I could attend their farewell dinner and afterwards presented me with a $3000 tip. The challenge and success of this trip instilled me with the confidence that no matter how difficult, with hard work and a positive attitude, I can indeed take on anything and own it.