Ana-Maria Mitchell talks about being a tour guide in the digital age

Ana-Maria Mitchell. Photo Credit: Daniel Mitchell.

Ana-Maria Mitchell chatted about being a tour guide in both Romania and Switzerland in the digital age.

How does it feel to be a tour guide in both Romania and Switzerland?

It’s an incredible feeling I never really planned for—it just happened. Well, not entirely by chance; it did take some hard work and planning to get here. It all began in 2008 when I was a news journalist for one of Romania’s biggest daily newspapers.

At that time, I was searching for a career change to provide a greater sense of purpose and meaning.

It took me several years to discover what would bring me that joy and satisfaction, but more importantly, it took time and energy to find the courage to start over in a different industry.

By the way, I was already in my 30s when I made that bold decision. Long story short, I quit my job as a journalist and began working as a freelance tour guide in August 2015. That date will always be etched in my memory, just like a few other milestones.

Four years later, I met my future husband during a tour of Bucharest. But then the pandemic put all my personal and professional plans on hold for about 18 months.

However, life always finds a way, and by the end of 2021, I found myself in Switzerland, contemplating the idea of not just having a successful career as a tour guide, but doing so in two different countries.

Again, nothing great happens without a little magic—lots more hours and effort were needed to start from scratch. While in Romania I had already made a name for myself and was getting many requests from the U.S. market via Rick Steves’ website, travel guide, and social media, in Switzerland, I was unknown.

No one knew who I was or what I could offer, so I had to find a way to showcase my passion as a tour guide and my love for helping travelers create memorable experiences.

After almost 18 months in Switzerland (in a village between Vevey and Montreux), I finally felt confident enough in my knowledge and understanding of Swiss society to create and publish my Swiss private tours on various travel platforms like ToursByLocals, GetYourGuide, Viator, and LocalBini.

A year later, I’m proud to say I’m getting closer to where I envisioned myself nearly three years ago.

Meanwhile, I do my best to keep my Romanian side of the business alive. The years 2022 and 2023 were quite busy, largely due to all the postponed or canceled Romanian tours from 2020.

More and more North American tourists are resuming their travel plans, which for me means more requests for guided tours and commuting from Geneva to Bucharest. It’s also wonderful to return home every 3-4 months to see my 6-year-old niece, family, and friends while doing the private tours I’ve always loved.

So, in conclusion, it’s fantastic to be a tour guide in two different countries. Thank goodness we live in the digital age—you don’t need to edit my long answer to the bone!

What do you love most about your job?

I’ve asked myself this question many times, not to mention the countless times I’ve answered it during my tours. It’s hard to pick just one thing that I love most.

I adore meeting new people and expanding my horizons, even when I don’t have time to travel. I love helping people have a great vacation and create lifelong memories. Not to mention what a sense of fulfillment and pride I have when running tours in my home country, Romania.

While I’m not a fan of clichés, I have to admit that an inner drive to change Romania’s image abroad played a big role in choosing this path.

Small actions can trigger much bigger changes, and that’s what I love most about being a tour guide—I can make a difference, even if it’s just at an individual level.

I help people feel good and collect valuable memories, all while sharing my culture and roots, especially during my Romanian tours.

How does it feel to be a part of the digital age?

It’s like a roller coaster, with very high highs and some pretty low lows. Digital technology is amazing, but how we choose to use it is a different story, and not always a happy one.

I spent the first 25 years of my life in the analog era, not because I was born ages ago, but because I lived in a communist country that was completely isolated from the world in the 1980s.

So, I had to learn fast and become tech-savvy quickly. It would have been impossible to be a news journalist and an online news editor without these skills.

I’ve witnessed firsthand how digital media and social media have transformed everything in the blink of an eye, and not always for the better.

To summarize, I would say it’s great to have this technology and access to information, but we must use it wisely and in moderation.

How do you use technology in your daily routine as a tour guide?

Even though I left the news industry almost 10 years ago, I still have a little PTSD from the long workdays spent in front of a laptop, following all possible news.

I have a sort of physical reaction when it comes to spending time online and using digital technologies. However, I must stay online a lot, or I won’t be able to communicate with my tourists or sell my tours.

If you look at my phone, you’ll see I have two Gmail apps (one for my Romanian tours and one for my Swiss business), several travel platform apps like ToursByLocals, GetYourGuide, Viator, LocalBini, and so on, three social media apps, and a full Google calendar to keep everything up to date.

What I haven’t done yet, at least not at a professional level, is to have two running informative websites for my work as a tour guide. It’s on my to-do list for this year—revamp my Romanian website and create one for my Swiss tours.

What are some of your proudest professional accomplishments as a tour guide?

If I think about traditional benchmarks, I’d say working with Rick Steves when he was in Bucharest in 2016 to film his TV episode about Romania.

That moment sparked my career as a freelance tour guide who primarily runs private tours with small groups. However, if I speak from the heart, I’d say my proudest professional accomplishment is making it in this industry at all.

I was in my early 30s when I changed careers. I had no connections in the industry and didn’t know anyone with a similar story to follow.

All the experienced tour guides were either very young, having started as guides during school breaks, or older professionals with decades of experience in the travel industry.

The odds were not in my favor at all. So, yes, this is my proudest achievement. I made it despite the odds. I now have 10 years of experience as a freelance private tour guide, and since 2023, I’ve started my business in Switzerland as well.

What is the hardest part of your job?

Many times, people forget that English is not my mother tongue and treat me like I’m a native speaker. This means my brain has to run at full speed all the time, especially when I need to switch to two other languages if I’m in Switzerland.

French is the official language here, and Romanian will always be the language I think.

On top of this mental fatigue, there’s also physical fatigue, especially after several days of leading private tours.

All you want to do is go home and not see anyone for a day or two. But that’s not usually an option because we also have families, friends, and relatives who need our attention.

What is your advice for young and aspiring tour guides?

My advice is something we should all remember, even after years in the field. Being a tour guide is not about having fun, traveling, and enjoying a stress-free life, as many people think.

If you’re not passionate, people-oriented, patient, and eager to learn and improve every day, this isn’t the career for you.

You won’t get rich, or even wealthy, and working as a tour guide means dealing with hectic hours, spending holidays away from family and friends, managing stress, and developing excellent time and people management skills. But if you tick all those boxes, the rewards are immense.

I’ve never felt so accomplished and grateful in my life. For me, it feels like the most meaningful job I could have done.

What is the best lesson that being a tour guide has taught you about yourself?

The best lesson? I think it’s made me see myself more clearly than ever before. I used to describe myself as an introverted, don’t-put-me-in-the-spotlight type of person.

However, the last 10 years have shown me that I have a much more complex personality.

What does the word success mean to you?

Success is, in my opinion, a feeling and not something that can be measured like the results in sports competitions or at the market.

I would say I’ve been successful every time I’ve set my mind to something and accomplished it. It doesn’t matter if it was a huge goal or something small.

When our thoughts turn into actions, that’s success. Of course, I’m speaking about the kind, generous, brilliant, and inspiring thoughts human beings have.