Interview with Tour Guide Dominique Novelozo
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Dominique Novelozo originally joined Rick Steves' company to work in the operations side of our Travel Store. But once she had a chance to assist on a couple of European tours, she found herself hopelessly bitten by the tour-guiding bug. So one day she bid au revoir to her office-mates in Edmonds, loaded up her bags, and moved to Belgium! Immersing herself in the heart of Europe, Dominique breezed through Rick's rigorous guide apprenticeship program, and has won rave reviews for leading our Best of Europe and Family Europe tours.
Do you have any regrets about leaving your "day job" in the USA to become a guide?
No regrets! It's been the best continuing educational experience anyone could ask for. I've enjoyed traveling all over Europe, and learning about different cultures past and present. It's great to be based in Belgium, too. The Belgians are so socially outgoing. If there isn't a reason to come together, they find a reason!
What was the most difficult aspect of learning to guide tours?
First, I had to realize I couldn't become a capable guide overnight. Throughout my training, I had to stay alert and accumulate a tremendous amount of information, and then highlight what was most important and suitable for my tours. Motivation and a positive attitude are the key ingredients for being a guide. It's a never ending process becoming the "perfect" guide, so patience and eagerness are also essential.
From a guide's perspective, what is the most rewarding about leading a Family Europe tour?
The challenges! Our Family tour is designed to be the perfect mix for families — both the kids and the parents need to have fun — and to pull this off you have to manage the right balance of cultural and educational experience along with lots of fun activities. Also, kids just seem to always keep you on your toes, so being a lead guide for a family tour requires endless amounts of energy and enthusiasm.
What's the craziest thing a kid has done on one of your tours?
It was the day when ALL the kids on a Family Europe tour suddenly threw me in the swimming pool right before dinner. Then, every one of them jumped in the pool after me — fully clothed — so they wouldn't have to go to dinner with their parents!