Our Very Own NYC Splash Down
It’s been a year since Sully used the Hudson as a runway, and now, it’s USA Tour Pros’ time to take on NYC.
Commentary ·Site News ·Tour Directors ·Tour Operators ·Tour Training Services · (2) Comments · (42) Views
USA Tour Pros is North America’s leading Tour Professional’s resource and social-networking Web site offering Individual and Business Members a “one-stop shopping” location for all aspects of the Tour industry, including the nation’s first collection of Tour industry-specific, video podcasts and the first travel industry online continuing education program, USA Tour Pros University. In 2009 we introduced the groundbreaking podcast series, Virtual Tour Director. Plus, where else can Tour Professionals post their very own video resumes and work-availability calendars?
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Tom Schoenewald President USA Tour Pros: Leading the Way.
What a weekend! Our group of Tour Pros who attended USA Tour Pros first NYC FAM trip and NYC Sightseeing Guide License Study Session were a wonderful blend of long-time professionals and newly-trained Tour Pros. The enthusiasm for all was palpable throughout our fur days together and the weather certainly cooperated with our event. And, it was heartening to see that our event, planned first and then unceremoniously trumped just two weeks before by another individual, was the superior of the two options for NYC training. When a local angle is needed to teach out-of-towners about moving a group in NYC, you need to rely on someone who lives there. Not a flatlander.
As of this morning, 20 out of 20 of our participants had passed the 150-question Sightseeing Guide License exam with an average score of 131. A full 90% had earned the coveted gold-star for scoring 120 or higher. Every member of the exam group checked-in following their test for a cordial de-briefing of their experience which we will utilize to teach our next group of FAM trip/Study Session participants even better. The superb assistance of Alice Devereaux and Sheryl Emmett, along with the support of the industry-leading Tour Operator USA Student Travel, and their Vice President Pat Neimeyer in particular, was what we needed to accomplish our success.
It’s been a year since Sully used the Hudson as a runway, and now, it’s USA Tour Pros’ time to take on NYC.
Another year is almost gone and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to give back and to give Thanks!
Detailed major tour city information including neighborhood profiles, tourism hot spots, motorcoach parking areas and regulations, subway and airport maps, museum locations and hours, and all the most up-to-date news and traffic.
USATP offers the Internet's only up-to-date collection of Tour Industry-specific video and audio podcasts, featuring TDs, TOs, vendors, and leading voices in the industry.
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Education: Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario M.Ed., B.A., B.Ed.
Prior to tour directing, I worked as a teacher both internationally and domestically, spending 15 years living in numerous African countries—Chad, Namibia, Tunisia, and South Africa—and exploring many others. Dual Canadian and American citizenships have allowed me to live and work in both the U.S. and Canada over the years, and I have travelled throughout Europe and Israel, and to many parts of North America and the Caribbean. I speak French fluently.
Abroad and at home I have organized events and gatherings of all shapes and sizes, but the ones I’m probably most proud of have been those involving youth and children, including arts and recreation, conferences, and summer schools. Community service has long been a pleasure.
I am an ITMI-certified Tour Director looking to lead group tours both domestically and internationally. I have six years’ experience in the tourism industry and have traveled to more than 25 countries and lived in three. My areas of strong knowledge are New England, the Rocky Mountain States, and Southeast Asia, especially Thailand. I speak and read Thai and can get by in Spanish. I have over 20 years of business and customer-service background. In 2008 i added internatonal tours to my list of achievements, with tours to Russia and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam). A lot of fun with great groups!
I was born and raised in Massachusetts, halfway between Boston and Cape Cod. For the early part of my adult life, I managed my family’s heating/air conditioning/plumbing business. I also sold real estate in Boston for three years (paperwork and forms galore!!) and worked for an Internet banking software provider, downloading bank files onto our servers for Internet viewing. This job involved lots of problem-solving when computer glitches occurred (which we all know happens all too frequently).
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Mention you saw their ad on USA Tour Pros!