ON THE JOB: TOUR BUS DRIVERFor the past three years, Christine Turnberg has worked during the summers as a seasonal bus driver for Gray Line of Alaska, owned by Holland America–Westours, Inc. She enjoys driving the large coaches while surrounded by breathtaking scenery and
looks forward to returning to the road next summer. I never considered working in the tour industry until Gray Line of Alaska and Gray Line of Seattle came to my undergraduate travel and tourism class to recruit bus drivers. That really caught my interest. I've always wanted to drive big machinery, having first learned how to drive on a tractor, and I especially wanted
to visit Alaska.Initially, I sent in an application and went through a tough phone interview. They asked numerous situation questions such as what would you do if a passenger did this, how would you handle the bus in this situation, how would you react if you encountered this while on a tour? They were difficult questions, but I got through it and went on to the in-person interview. Holland America conducts six recruiting sections in the Pacific
Northwest and have also started some in Provo, Utah. They are trying to expand the program to cover more colleges, since their busy season up in Alaska has expanded. Now it runs from early May to the end of September. Because of this they need a good sampling of quarter and semester system schools to recruit from in order to target students who can be there for most of the season. Holland America does have minimum requirements for its drivers.
You must obtain a commercial driver's license to drive a bus, and in order to do so, you have to be at least 21 years old and have a clean driving record. After I was hired, I attended a paid training session that started in February, and lasted about three or four months. The training focuses on how to deal with customers and how to drive a bus. There is some training on tour information, but you do most of the research on your own. As a result, you can focus your tour talks on
certain areas of study, things you have a personal affinity for, like wildlife conservation or historical issues. Personally, I stay away from too many facts. I try to give passengers interesting information they can't easily get elsewhere. Also, I recommend new employees start by becoming accustomed to seeing the big picture as they drive. Drivers have to keep track of everything they see on the road and be aware of their surroundings.
After training I flew to Alaska; the company pays the roundtrip air fare for employees. Accommodations, however, are not provided at your homebase, so you are pretty much on your own to find a place to live. But the company does pay for lodging while you're out on tours. Most days vary, but one thing is for sure––you are always on the go. There are two basic tours: highway tours that use large coaches and
are typically three-day trips, and in-city tours that only last a couple of hours. But no matter what type of tour we are assigned, in general, we begin the day around 6 a.m. After a pre-trip check to clean and inspect the vehicle, it's off to the hotel to pick up the passengers. On a highway run, you travel through a lot of barren territory. It's the driver's responsibility to chit-chat and give general information, but
it's also a time for the passengers to relax and see the scenery since that's what they are there for. The buses also have VCRs, and passengers like to watch movies on the gold rush, the fauna, or other documentaries on the area. The lounge coach attendant, who takes care of coffee, food, and snacks, offers extra help to entertain people. There are brief picture stops along the way every hour or so until the group is dropped off in town. The last thing a driver does is
refuel, wash, and park the bus for the night. There's not much free time for drivers during these extended tours since we have lunch as a group and stop often for pictures along the way. Having such long days and dealing with people all the time can be emotionally draining. Holland America sets high standards and expects its employees, whether they are ship captains or a bus drivers, to be representatives of the company. You have to be prepared to be helpful and congenial all the time.
Despite the few negatives, it has been a great experience-why else would I have returned to the same job three summers in a row? Being in a beautiful environment everyday is amazing. And you meet so many interesting people and make really great friends. There's actually a big social scene among drivers and attendants. I've made friends with passengers too. It's common for them to offer, "If you are in my area, look me up." Those addresses will come in handy when I
go on the cross-country trip I'm planning. Remember that the key to driving a tour bus is flexibility. If a person can handle changing work schedules and is comfortable dealing with a variety of people and situations, tour bus driving can be a fantastic opportunity to see new places and faces. Tour Director Jobs (Interview) >>> | 
