Trials of a Tour Leader Author:John Howes Trials of a Tour Leader is the tale of the adventures - some exciting, some surprising, some infuriating, but all true - which befell the author during the 18 years following his official "retirement" when he worked as a freelance Tour Manager. — Stories and anecdotes came from real life experiences as he travelled through 28 countries leading ho... more »lidaymakers far and wide, by road rail and air, for a number of well-known national tour companies.
Tours were not always as straightforward as expected and adventures a-plenty were encountered along the way.
The book recounts first steps behind the Iron Curtain; lost in the snowy mountains; night train to Mombassa; and a surprise encounter with Royalty. Then there was the trouble with the famous Tour de France cyclists; travels by steam trains; and tussles with truculcent frontier guards. Read what happened when one of the author's tours crept into an East European country by the back door and when another arrived at te frontier to 21st century Russia.
The author reveals how programmes planned by the backroom boys at headquarters don't always fit into the reality out in the field. He tells of problems with passports and people, hiccoughs with Continental coaches in remote places, money matters and hotels - good and bad - which he has experienced; the passenger who gave him his worst headeach and the strange tale of the man who completely disappeared.« less