Here we go, off into the unknown. When I accepted this position as a tour leader last year I was super stoked at the idea of being able to show people around this country that has become a second home to me. I've enjoyed leading the group tours; I am a fan of rituals - I attend Mass even though I am not Catholic, I have my own little rituals at home (such as Papa Murphy's pizza and Amazing Race/Survivor) and am very comfortable with schedules and lists of checks and balances. I am a creature of habit when it comes to working standards, and group tours fit perfectly into that. You have a daily schedule and although each tour has minor hiccups and changes along the way due to unforeseen circumstances like weather and local red tape, I am able to adapt quickly and think on my feet with relative ease. Dispatching for years in an "emergency" capacity has prepared me well for this type of thing. But all in all, there is a schedule and that is what I looked forward to. Someone else prepared the schedule and I'm just following it. No problem.
This time out, however, I am leading private tours for the next two months, as is the norm in the winter months when the natural flow to the industry is slower. The cost of keeping the regular group tours is not possible, since there is a minimum number of clients needed per tour (usually it is 12) so it is the season of private tours. People are still welcome to take the same tours, but it will cost them more, kind of like ordering off the menu or "a la cart" at a restaurant instead of the "pre-fixe" or combo menu. Which is interesting to me because I tend to travel in the off-season to save money, however I am a do-it-yourself girl and not looking for a guide to lead me around usually. As a result of the private touring game, the clients are a bit different, since they are paying a premium for your undivided attention and tailoring the tours specifically to their wants and desires. A dossier is built through their contact with the home office, a travel consultant obtaining or suggesting a lists of "wants" months in advance. Conversely there are also their "dealbreakers" and "do not wants" to meet. Paying the extra for a private tour ensures the client they will have exactly the type of tour they are looking for. Through the consultant at the home office they arrange how many days, which cities, arrange for accommodations and their “must see” lists, including the specific sites they want to see, if there are any restaurants they need to go to, etc. then send the information to the tour leader (me) to fill in the rest of the blanks to make complete daily itineraries. As a result, I will be spending much more time with the clients in the course of a day than with group tours, which usually have me spending half days with the group and they are off on their own to explore at will. Private tours are a different animal – they are paying the premium and I am expected to hold their collective hands a lot more. Yay for togetherness.
I sent back itinerary proposals well in advance of leaving, and all were deemed acceptable, but additional tailoring may come up with each group. No problem. For the ancient sites, like the Colosseo, Foro Romano, and trips to Pompeii, an official Italian licensed guide is necessary, just as with the group tours. This is the cost of doing business and it is justified; the Italian government doesn't want Italians missing out on opportunities to earn a living showing the ancient sites. Essentially, any place where you have to pay an entrance fee for a ticket must be guided by an Italian licensed guide. We have many that we work with on a regular basis, we are a large operation and pay above the normal cost for guides to get the best ones and have them hold their schedules open for us.
Some of the requests the clients have are boggling to me, but it's not my dime. I can't imagine going all the way to Italy and not wanting to set foot in a single museum, as my first group insists upon, but after all it's not my dream trip, it's theirs. They want to miss seeing the beauty of The David? That's on them.
Okay, back to the present, as this is all prologue.
I was set up to fly business class this time around, as an apology for a few accounting errors on the part of the home office last fall. I accept their apology and my rear-end will be happy to accept the cushy seats. Finally set for take-off on Superbowl Sunday from SFO through JFK and into Rome FCO.
My flight was leaving SFO at 6:30 am, so of course I expected to have no sleep. I get really keyed up and usually don't sleep before a flight. It's not nerves, I am just ready to go! Hub-unit and I left the house with my belongings at 4am arrived 27 minutes later at SFO. A long kiss goodbye and a “Knock 'em dead, Sweetheart!” was his rallying send-off. I approached the check-in line and the woman ahead of me was pitching a hissyfit with the agent over the weight of her luggage. She was at 53 pounds, three over the acceptable limit. She would either need to put three pounds in her carry on or pay $75 for overweight fees. The trouble was the agent already let her other bag go on the conveyor, so she didn't have the opportunity to offload into that bag, and her carry on was pretty full apparently. The agent was trying to diffuse the situation and the woman was freaking out with the “don't put your hand in my face!” nonsense. It's 4:34 am, too early for a xanax. Calm the hell down, lady.
I was shaking my head when I got up to the next agent, right next to her, and I greeted him with a smile and a “Whoa!” expression. We plopped my bigger suitcase on the scale and it was also 53 pounds. Oh yay. I knew I was cutting it close, but I could easily transfer a few things if necessary. The agent smiled at me and in a low voice said “I would advise you to be careful on your return not to have this happen. They are much stricter on weight in European airports. Have a nice flight madame.” The things that a smile and a non-combative attitude will bring you... It's very possible that he was letting me slide because I was in business class and a gold-medallion frequent flyer, but I like to think it was because I wasn't looking to pop him in the head after looking at the scales. No matter. I have no worries about weight on the way back. I'll pretty much be bringing only my clothes back. I have toiletries that will be used up or left behind, and there are some export items in there too. I'm usually a mule for particular American products my Italian friends clamor for. Like mouthwash and glucosamine chondroitin. Really.
Got on the plane with no problems and settled into my uber-cushy seat, but could tell it was going to be a waste of seat. The coach section was only 1/3 full. Part of the joy of an upgrade is knowing you have it better than cattle in coach. However in this case, people were able to stretch out across their rows easily. I could have taken up a row and saved the office the money, but hey! I get free breakfast in business class. Whoo! I slept most of the way, but it wasn't uninterrupted so it wasn't entirely restful. I'm not complaining; it was a comfy flight nonetheless.
JFK was not as crazy as I had anticipated. The recent blizzards and shutdowns led me to believe there would be mass confusion and people trying to pay me for my seat on the plane, but other than announcements for delayed flights to Atlanta and Detroit, not much was happening. Such a letdown.
The coach section was again 1/3 full, so again, a waste of a business class seat. I did like the upgrade in the quality of the meals served and the headphones were much better. I watched three films: The Town with Ben Affleck and The Hamm, The King's Speech with my beloved Colin Firth (forever Mr. Darcy!) and The Social Network. Give them all the Academy Awards – all three. Very good films.
Interspersed with my film watching, I got to “babysit” an adorable 15 month old girl named Gisela. The parents were moved up to our section on the proviso that the baby didn't cause disruption. The father sat next to me and his daughter and wife were across the aisle. They were having a rough day. They were the last ones on the plane, they are moving overseas onto a military base for the first time in family housing, the baby was off schedule and they were both absolutely exhausted. Mama was trying to get some zzzs so Papa had the baby and he was nodding off but the baby was wide awake. I told him that if he would let me hold her, I would keep her entertained quietly so he could rest. She was very comfortable and happy with me and fell asleep on me within about 20 minutes. I am soft and built for being a pillow I have been told. I went back to watching a movie. Mama woke up and was confused about where the baby was, but I waved at her and she went back to sleep after seeing that her husband was sawing logs as well.
An easy and enjoyable flight, all in all.
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