They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. What a perfectly applicable statement when it comes to embarking on a new career as a Tour Guide or Director! As with most things in life, the journey is far more important than the ultimate destination. And the path for all of us begins in markedly different ways, twisting and turning as we gain experiences that will ultimately prove valuable to this new line of work.
We sat down with several 2024 ITMI students for a two-part post about what got them interested in this career, how they discovered ITMI, and what they’ve learned along the way. Look for our next post, which focuses on how they secured their first opportunities as Tour Directors. (And how you can follow in their footsteps!)
About Our Students & Their Path to ITMI
Stephanie Sjaardema, a former teacher from New Mexico, was at a point in her career when she was looking for new job possibilities. She had a friend who attended ITMI years ago, and she kept the program in the back of her mind. With a passion for teaching and adventure, mixed with the desire to forge a new path, Stehanie signed up for ITMI in 2024.
Similarly, Heidi Schindler encountered an ITMI grad on a group tour, and intrigued, she’d asked for her contact information. Serendipitously, she stumbled across those details 13 years and an entire corporate career later. Heidi grew up with a thirst for new places, spending summers road tripping and camping in National Parks with her family. Throughout her career, she was forever offering travel advice to her coworkers and inspiring others to see the world, just as she did. After some substantial life changes, a friend asked Heidi, “Without thinking, what is it you want to do in life?” Her response? “Be a tour guide!” A long-held dream, coupled with the realization that the timing was finally right, propelled Heidi to sign up for ITMI.
For Kim Thompson, the path to becoming a Tour Director was a long and winding one. She’d discovered a passion for sharing knowledge during her first-ever job in high school: a museum tour guide. A study abroad during her last semester of college ignited a passion for travel that led her to a 15-year career in travel PR, representing destinations, attractions, and luxury resorts. Through it all, she continued to plan and lead small-group tours for media, yet be bogged down by the realities of a corporate job. During a late night of Googling, she came across ITMI and was moved by TDs describing their experiences of helping their guests explore the world and realize their travel dreams. She emailed ITMI the next day.
Preparing for the Journey: How has your experience been with ITMI?
“I initially looked up ITMI because I knew someone that had done the program, and to be honest, I didn’t realize there were other schools I could have attended,” Stephanie said. “Now that I have had some experience and have heard about other schools, I would still choose ITMI because of the doors it has opened.” And that’s a sentiment that’s shared.
Heidi was inspired by the “energy and encouragement” she experienced in initial conversations with ITMI leaders, and the “sense of acceptance and belonging” she felt immediately. While some early work in the “Building Blocks” courses seemed a bit overwhelming, Heidi was inspired by the seemingly endless possibilities this profession offers. “It was an eye-opening and exciting time as I learned about the opportunities, and I found the open-form questions from ITMI’s coursework to be rather therapeutic and motivational, helping to build my confidence in this new industry and start the journey to find my voice.”
Having worked in tourism for a decade and a half, Kim began her ITMI courses knowing a lot of the lingo and ultimate job options, but was excited to experience this industry through a new lens. Her husband repeatedly said she “came alive” working through the assignments. Perhaps most refreshing about this new side of tourism has been the people who work in it. “A big take-away for me is the kindness and generosity of everyone in this particular industry. Veteran Tour Directors want to take the newbies under their wings. Tour Operators want to give you advice and your first gigs – many of them were once in your shoes. It’s been so refreshing to experience.”
Working Towards Opportunities: Where did you seek out jobs and how did you prepare?
Before Kim signed up for ITMI, the program leaders encouraged her to look into industry hiring conferences that were planned for the end of the year. Both would be filled with eager Tour Operators hiring for their 2025 seasons. With many months ahead and still working her full-time job Kim signed up for ITMI and the conference at the same time, giving herself a hard deadline to be prepared to take the next step. “I not only needed to get certified, I needed to rediscover my self-confidence. Coming out of a long corporate career, I felt depleted and a little unclear about who I was and what I wanted. I was invigorated by the coursework, and as I started to prepare for the hiring conference, I asked myself questions about the types of tours I wanted to lead and my motivations for being a TD. This level of prep gave me clarity in what I wanted out of the hiring conference, and I drew on the responses for my interviews.”
Stephanie and Heidi prepared for the conferences by devouring all the webinars and preparation materials offered by the conference hosts and ITMI. Suggestions were made for how to design a resume, create business cards, and—perhaps most intimidatingly—produce a video! See here for Kim, Stephanie, and Heidi’s videos.
“I then researched each company that would be at the conference taking notes about who I would like to work for and why,” said Stephanie. “I made notes with specific information about their company that would be helpful in interviews.”
Her preparation proved to be invaluable, as did Heidi’s approach of going in with an open mind. “I had a few people I wanted to meet, and I let the rest unfold from there,” she said. “I hadn’t overscheduled myself and let the networking unfold in an organic way. I had no idea what to expect, and left feeling extremely happy with the outcome.”
Look for our next post that details our students’ experiences at industry conferences in 2024: The people they met, the conversations they had, the interviews they scheduled, and the decisions they made along the way. And start thinking about how you can do the same in 2025!
