Freelance Tour Manager for Rail Based vacations around the world
Our final full day so I took my clients up the volcano. We started early to avoid crowds and make the best of good weather. Nearly all of my clients went to the very top - I stayed as base camp Refugia Sapienza. To catch them as they came down and to defrost them (it …
The weather Gods are beginning to tire of tormenting us and were able to catch an early morning hydrofoil back to mainland Sicily. We arrived at Milazzo port and out faithful bus driver Salvatore transferred us to Messina for a short tour and a late breakfast. Looking across the Straights of Messina, the Italian mainland …
For those of you who believe that my life is one endless stream of basking in sunshine at poolside while being fed grapes by supermodels in skimpy bikinis, well… you are essentially correct. Unfortunately, into every life a little rain must fall, and it’s doing so today, rather heavily in fact. The weather has impacted …
One of the things that I love most about being is that here in Italy is that despite the usual Covid precautions, the place still feels like Italy. People are laughing, and talking, and gesticulating, just like They always do in Italy, and it doesn’t feel at all strange. It’s a wonderful change from the …
Our final full day in Italy, before we fly home tomorrow. We visited the Italian town of Gallipoli, A walled island city at the end of a peninsular that sticks out into the Ionian Sea. We were back on the train today, and this time in air-conditioned comfort. Nardò Centrale station is a busy hub …
Continue reading "Gallipoli (no, not that one, the Italian one)"
Like a fool, and despite training, I lifted and twisted something today and now my back hurts. I’ve decided to have an early night with my new best friends, Ibuprofen and Paracetamol. Tonight’s post will be light on prose. Today we visited lovely Otranto, the most Easterly point in Italy. You can just see Albania …
Yesterday was a Free Day for my clients - so no Tour Manager chasing them around on and off trains and busses. They made good use of the time, walking, cycling, exploring and even going out on the ocean in a boat. They’re not supposed to have that much fun without me! Today we made …
Yesterday was a full day excursion to the large town of Lecce and or first opportunity to travel by Italian train. Our faithful bus driver, Mimino, picked us up and transported us to the station (tiny building, unmanned and closed) where we picked up the regional train to Lecce. Lecce’s more famous residents include Gerard …
It’s not NARdo. There’s an accent on the last ‘o’ so that’s where you put the stress. It’s narDO. And the ‘o’ isn’t rounded like at the end of Tomato - it’s flat, as in ‘Block’. You’d know that if you were an Italian, like me 😁😁 While I’m here, I’ve decided to improve my …
Well, we made it, and as I write I have now become an Italian. My hotel last night was the Premier Inn at terminal five. I’m usually rather fond of Premier Inns but they seem to be struggling a bit at the moment (who isn’t?). I went down to the bar in the hotel to …
Got a phone call today from Great Rail Journeys. A Tour Manager has become unwell and can’t operate his scheduled Tour, Puglia & The Salento Coast - All Inclusive. They asked if I would be happy to pick up the Tour at short notice; it leaves very early on on Saturday morning so I’ve got …
It's been only six days since I got back from China, but I'm off and running again! Like much of the Travel & Tourism Industry, the work of a Tour Manager is highly seasonal. Apart from an occasional flurry around Christmas, the Winter months from November to April are usually pretty quiet - there may …
That's the line up for the next few weeks. July and August have been quiet, with little work for TimOnTheTrain. That's actually quite normal. My clients tend to be a tiny bit older, and they don't do heat and they don't do kids - both of which are everywhere during the Summer months. This Thursday …
September is always the busiest month for Great Rail Journeys Tours - The GRJ client demographic is of a slightly older person, and as a rule, they don't do heat and they don't do kids... meaning that July & August are quiet months for Tours. But then comes September, and the taps are turned fully …
TimOnTheTrain 