Good afternoon all, I hope you had a lovely weekend.

We’re making today’s Monday musings a little different this week – rather than creating a poll, we’d just like you to share your thoughts with us.

Here at JYHQ, we like to pass on the reviews and comments posted here on the JY Community to the wider team and one thing that is exceedingly noticeable is in many cases, you thank the Tour Manager .

What we’d like to ask is; What is it about the Tour Manager that adds to your overall Just You holiday experience? Now, we know that they all add something different, be it their knowledge, their enthusiasm, their humour or the organising of an after-dinner quiz to keep you entertained but as it is all about your thoughts, you can write as much or as little as you like! We will of course share this with the Tour Manager team so that they can pass on your thoughts to those who are out there on holiday with you.

Happy musing…..

Hi Julia,

After 14 JY tours and 3 with TS, I've had a wide variety of tour managers over the years! Almost without exception they have been superb.  The best tour managers have been very well organised - some have prepared colour handouts with info on the destination and an augmented daily itinerary, which I have really appreciated.  A tour manager needs to be extremely well organised, experienced, friendly and approachable, clear in their directions (e.g. when and where the group will be meeting, if we need to check our cases before they are loaded onto the coach etc.) and preferably will add their own little touches to the tour through their own specialised knowledge - for example, bringing us to some extra places over and above those on the itinerary, organising a treat for us along the way etc.  The TM also needs to be able to work closely and efficiently with the local guide to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible.  A couple have tried to organise seat rotation on the coach - this never goes down well, as many have a preference for sitting near the front or the back.  Most leave it up to us to decide where to sit and this never poses a problem.  The best tour managers will get to know their clients by engaging them in conversation, they will be open and honest in their answers, they will keep an eye on anyone who is struggling (esp. if there is a health problem like an upset stomach) and will make sure that everyone in the group is integrated (as much as they want to be), by making suggestions for places to eat when meals aren't included.  Suggestions as to how free time could be spent with directions are also very helpful and add to the holiday experience, rather than been left at a loss for any free days/afternoons etc.

I think that about sums it up for me!

Thanks for asking,

Bob

The tour managers I have encountered on my many JY tours have either been excellent or useless. And all in between.

Sarah who was the manager for NZ was the best I have had, her organisation skills were amazing, she was always handing out paperwork with relevant information on, she took MB numbers from us, and gave us hers, she also took insurance details etc just in case we had a problem, she arranged a few extra bits for us which added to the over all tour. The worst was on a Memphis and Nashville tour and the manager had absolutely no interest in music, she was a nightmare.

For me a tour manager has to be a people person.

Have enthusiasm for the tour, do reasearch and pass it on.

HUMOUR is always well received and to be approachable.

They must make them selves be available at a specific time, for any questions or worries to be passed on.

So many seem to disappear when we get to a hotel, I know they have stuff to do, but it makes such a difference if they actually try and join in with the group from time to time.

Be presentable, they are the face of JY while we are away.

Be on the ball when and if things go wrong, it is the manager we look to.

I don't mind the odd quiz, or game, but I do like to chill and listen to music on long coach journeys.

Don't be patronising, we are all adults.

Do not tell me I have to change/move seats in a coach for rotation, it's never going to happen.

I think the managers that work with JY need to under stand single travellers, those that do add to the tour, the managers I have had that work more with the groups (travelsphere) don't under stand the JY groups, the groups are a total different dynamic to the single traveller groups.

At the end of the day I want some one who is organised, pleasant, keeps an eye on the whole group, and has their finger on the pulse. ( NOT much then ?) And knows if someone is missing from that group.

Cindy

I have been on 10 trips so far and it is difficult to remember names

1 Stephen heart and soul of America weird ideas about seating that worked. He put a note with seat number and itinerary through your door each night. Only one day I sitting on Mick's lap as we had the same seat number 😛

A great time on that trip with a few walking trips to get you acclimatised to the city. His knowledge was amazing.

2 Anne- a lady that works for Just You who took the Richard 111rd and Leicester trip. We had a great chat about the life of a JY Rep.

3 Lady rep on the Lille trip- only 4 people tipped her at the end. Thought that was disgusting as it was a brilliant trip. We had to get to Victoria for the return coach to our respective homes so we talked a lot.

4 Jonathan Flavours of Tuscany Every day he taught us some Italian, any questions were answered fully, sorted out any problems. A brilliant Rep

Jan

Jackie

(1) got my boarding passes sorted out at Gatwick and Seville

(2) waited by the carousel in Seville and Gatwick to make sure all our luggage arrived safely

(3) noted those of us in the group with disabilities and went "above and beyond" to help

(4) spent ages on the phone with HQ to get me the upper deck cabin I'd booked (when they put me in a lower deck cabin by mistake)

Hi Julia,

There are so many things that make a good tour manager but first of all I would put enthusiasm and a good sense of humour. Ability and willingness to sort out problems is also a must.

I have to say I have never had a bad tour manager on any JY holiday but some are that bit more special.

Angie

Like Cindy, I have experienced some excellent tour managers, and some who shouldn't  have been in the job!  The first essential is good communication then good organisational skills and the ability the cope with the unexpected,  like delayed or cancelled flights or sickness.  The very best tour managers always ensure their clients have the best possible experiences and go the extra mile to make this happen. Being only human, tour managers will  have their favourite  clients, but should never show favouritism. On most tours, seat rotation is unnecessary, but managers should ensure that the same people don't  always hog the front seats. A sense of  humour  and good knowledge of the destination are essential.

Hi Julia,

For me there are three things that I look for in a tour manager - in the order I find most valuable..

1. A good sense of Humour - a must with a touring group of total strangers all with their own list of demands. Laughter makes everything seem better, and I have seen a bad experience turn into a great experience when laughter is brought into the mix.

2. Organisation Skills - I need to know where to go, what time to be there, and when to put my case out, and I need it repeated lol

3. Enthusiasm for the country you are visiting - enthusiasm, generally means that they love or know well the country and they share their knowledge by telling us stories or sharing information along the way. Its these things that help make the holiday special, like recommending a restaurant or a place where you can buy something special to that country.

They should also have the negotiation skills to persuade those that always hog the first seats in the coach, to try life further back!!

Kezzer

Julia,

I echo what has been said above re TMs. In my case I've had some excellent TMs, some OK and some hopeless. Best have good organisational skills, know their destination really well, like meeting people and have a sense of humour.

In addition, for JY, they have to understand that single traveller groups have different dynamics than, eg TS. They may need to work a bit harder initially, to get to know the group, ensure that everyone is included, has others to eat with in the evenings (unless they want to do their own thing) etc. My first JY experience was with a TM who had only done TS trips before and she just disappeared at the end of the day without making any suggestions of, eg where people wanting to go out could meet up and when, what options there were etc..

I think also that JY doesn't utilise the knowledge of TMs as much as they could - many know the countries we are visiting very well. What works in theory when planning an itinerary doesn't necessarily work so well on the ground and the best TMs are able to change things around (and JY should be receptive to this).

I couldn't do this job - there can be the odd person on a tour who is a real trial or someone with physical limitations that mean a particular tour really isn't suitable for them - and the TM has to deal with all this. I just wouldn't be able to keep my opinions to myself/be polite.

Katy

I agree so much with what people have posted here already, but just a couple more things. 

Organisation and friendliness are key I think.  I've only had one TM who was not good, there is no need (in her case) to shout at people or to treat the travellers in her care like children.  Enough said. 

I do think that wherever possible TM's should accompany travellers back to the airport (realising that of course with regional departures this can be difficult).  At Costa de la Luz we were just dumped on the bus going back and left to it.  If that is the case JY should have some kind of representation at the airport for going back (unless that was just a one off with this holiday date). 

At the risk of making them blush I have 3 favourites. 

1.  "V" Croatia Istrian Coast.  I have been lucky enough to have "V" as my TM twice.  She's great.  Organisation and friendliness are top notch, and of course she is full of knowledge about her own country.  She is also very funny, and integrates with the group very well.  I haven't come across anyone in either of the 2 trips I have done with her that doesn't like her. 

2. Mark Harbidge (might have spelt it wrong).  TM for the first trip out to Slovenia May 2014.  Mark was wonderful, it was the first trip for JY, and he was juggling and adding things to the trip to make things more interesting for us.  He was constantly on the ball with not brilliant hotels (since changed), and was just excellent

3.  Rob Hay.  TM on my last trip to Cilento Coast.  Such a well organised, interesting guy who worked so hard for us.  He was always there to check that everyone was okay without being intrusive.

I agree with the comments so far; having done 18 tours I have only had 2 totally rubbish tour managers (I gave my full feedback on those). I do like the welcome pack that some managers provide, whether its for the whole tour or just your instructions for the first day (things like where to meet at the other end etc, those small details make it so much easier and avoids people wandering off to exchange currency leaving everyone else waiting). I'm not a fan of seat rotation, in India the only rule was let everyone who wants to have a chance to sit in the front seat to get the full experience of the manic traffic and that worked well, only had one tour where there was strict enforcement of the seat rotation, but again it wasn't too bad as the coach was big enough for everyone to have a double seat. They key thing is the tour manager needs to get the feel of the group and every group is different and to adapt their style to the group, so whether that is being able to suggest additional activities in free time and making arrangements (Sarah Wrightson was brilliant at this on our Japan tour) or dealing with the occasional difficult member of the group that is annoying to all the other members of the group (Kim Clark wins the award for this in my book as we had a particularly annoying group member on our trip to Borneo). Finally a good sense of humour or sense of fun, quite often things don't go to plan so being able to deal with these problems is key to being a good tour manager.

From my point of view the tour manager can make or break a tour so if I know that a particular tour manager that I have travelled with before and enjoyed their style is running another tour that i am looking to do, I would certainly favour that tour over another when I'm planning for the year ahead.

Hi All

Ive done 5 tours with JY (Italy Cilento Coast, Croatia Istrian Coast, Battlefields, 2 x Paris trips), I must admit that I have very few complaints about any of them as all were seasoned tours which had had all their kinks ironed out. My first 8 day trip was to Croatian Istrian Coast. It was a destination booked purely because the Plitvice National Park looked amazing and I thought it would be a fabulous experience. Indeed it was, but so was every other day. It was made more special by our wonderful TM Vladka who I know you still use. There aren't enough superlatives to describe her but I know many others rate her highly.

The other tour managers were all fun, exciting, but I think Vladka stands out because of the love for her a country and a part of Europe most people have probably never heard of.

Mark

I have I think done about 13 trips with JY and 3 with TS. Some TMs have been really good and some really bad. I think in general I prefer the male TMs. As Janib said Stephen on the USA trip was excellent. Paul O'Conner who was on a Tunisian TS tour was great. The very worst have been women. The key as several have said is the giving of information and ensuring that everyone knows what, where, and when. It is a very difficult task organizing 30/40 adults without treading on toes. Some people want to be sort of "looked after" and some like me do not. The bus seating is difficult. There are some people who really don't travel well and need to be at the front. I don't think I have ever been on a trip when it has become a real problem. I'm off again in May so heres hoping for a good TM

Could I extend this topic to local tour guides.  As with tour managers, they can make or break a tour. The majority I have  met on JY tours, have been excellent, having a good command of English,  and being passionate about their countries.  It's their anocdotes and information  about everyday life that I  remember long after historical dates have been forgotten.  I appreciate that JY often employs local guides through local agents,  but  would like to think that when the odd one doesn't  perform well, JY has a policy  in place for not giving them further work.

Further to the local guides, we had a series of guides on a tour I was on, unfortunately they seemed to think they had to talk constantly and their knowledge was encyclopedic! Worse still they repeated information which previous guides had already imparted. There were mutterings around the coach, so I was not the only one who thought this way. It would have been good if the TM had had a quiet word, little and often would have been good, we were on holiday not studying for an exam.

Hope our comments go back to the right people. I put a lot in the questionnaire too.