For the Record: Barnaby Davies Uses Travel to Combat Human Trafficking
Barnaby Davies – Class #288Tour Director. Record Breaker. Human Rights Advocate. When Barnaby Davies set out to visit seven national capitals in 24 hours, he wasn’t just chasing a world record—he was making a statement. The British tour director leveraged his passion for travel to bring global attention to one of the most insidious crimes […]
Cherishing Humanity: Shelby Spahar’s Journey of Purpose Through Humanitarian Travel
How one ITMI alumna turned global compassion into action—starting in post-earthquake Nepal Shelby Spahar – Class #287 When a deadly earthquake struck Nepal in April 2015, claiming over 9,000 lives, Shelby Spahar felt her calling crystallize. The Michigan native and ITMI alumna channeled her deep passion for travel into a mission to help others in […]
5 Signs It’s Time to Switch Careers and Become a Tour Guide
If you find yourself constantly daydreaming at work about faraway lands and fascinating cultures, you might need more than a vacation. It could be time to pursue your travel dreams as a tour director or tour guide. Tour guides and tour directors enjoy exciting, fulfilling, and lucrative careers. They meet new people every day and […]
Navigating Cross-Cultural Language as A Tour Director
As a tour director or guide, you have the incredible privilege of introducing visitors worldwide to your city or region’s unique history, culture, and attractions. This diversity makes your work dynamic and rewarding, but it also comes with the challenge of communicating effectively across language and cultural barriers. Successful cross-cultural communication is essential for ensuring […]
Tour…God of Thunder
I like super hero movies. Marvel or DC, it doesn’t matter, if there are capes I’m in! While there have been some duds out there, I like nothing better than a popcorn movie on a weekend. Recently we went to see the latest Thor movie…a truly bazar and epic adventure spanning the universe. SPOILER ALERT: […]
I’m Not an Ugly American
I am Not an Ugly American (I hope). We are nearing the end of our 10 day whirlwind European vacation. With backpacks and train tickets we have made stops in Paris, Venice, Barcelona and finally, Madrid. We have been treated to culinary delights, artistic masterpieces, architectural wonders, welcoming locals, and inspiring adventure. All in all it was a […]
Ain’t No Sunshine
I’m listening to Bill Withers “Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone It’s not warm when she’s away Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone And she’s always gone too long Anytime she goes away– And I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, […]
I’m Outnumbered
I’m Outnumbered! “It all started innocently enough, about a year ago, over pizza. My wife and I had been invited to go on vacation, to Walt Disney World and on a cruise, with two friends….another tour guide and his wife, a meeting planner. For the purposes of this article I’ll call them Jim and Jane, because those […]
It’s Vacation Time
It’s Vacation Time! “Ok, so we’re going to a land far far away. There are questions to be answered, reservations to be made, finances to be sorted and tickets to be purchased. There will be lists to be written, things to be purchased, bags to be packed. Of course, my eyes are bugging out, I’m sweating and […]
Let’s do a Movie
I Want to see a Movie! My wife and I love to see movies together. It used to go like this: “This week you choose a movie, next week it will be my turn…” This really worked out wonderfully, in that we both got to see the movies we wanted, and we were also exposed to (and […]