1. Where did you work?
I worked at City Segway Tours in San Francisco.
2. What did a typical day look like for you?
I usually gave 2 tours a day, in the tourist district of the city. I did a safety and training seminar for about a half hour and then took groups of about 8 to ride around with me for 3 hours! Most people on my tours were couples that finally decided to splurge on something completely absurd – the best!
3. What was your favorite part of your job?
I loved riding Segways. My family did a tour when I was 13 in Florida and I remember looking at my guide and thinking he had the best job ever. Right away I put it on a bucket list to do Segway touring as a summer job! I finally pulled the trigger and I’m so glad I did. These machines are totally ludicrous and a ton of fun.
4. Most valuable lesson you learned?
Dealing with all kinds of customers, I like to think I gained perspective on the difference between a good tourist and a bad tourist. A whimsical “When in Rome” attitude of adventure is key, but only if it’s coupled with a respect for the host culture.
5. Most embarrassing moment on the job?
The most popular entertainer in Fisherman’s Wharf, the tourist district, is named “The Bushman” and he crouches behind a garbage can, holds up foliage to hide himself, and when people pass by he goes “RAWR!” and jumps forward to scare tourists. Well, one day, he targeted me, on a Segway, as I led a tour! I yelped and jumped off the Segway as all my guests started laughing at my overreaction. He got me good!
6. Would you recommend this position and why?
Absolutely. I like to say this is the perfect job for someone like me, because I love History, I love talking to people, and I hate exercise! Seriously, I’ve had a couple of summer jobs in my life but nothing compares to this – I got paid to Segway! How cool is that?
7. Any fun stories?
It’s less a story than a funny fact: I have no actual ties to San Francisco, I just wanted to go there for the summer. When I started work I began by telling people the truth: “Hi, I’m Kevin, I’m from Connecticut, I study History in Baltimore, and I’ll be your tour guide for the day!” Of course this drew odd looks and questions of, “Why?” I decided I needed a back-up plan to seem more official, so after about a week I just started saying I was from Baltimore but I was a Senior History major at UC Berkeley, so this was my adopted city for the last 3 years. Apparently virtually nobody in tourism is from the host city, they’re usually professional tour guides who move from place to place! So that’s a little inside knowledge I found funny. In any case the cover worked great, except sometimes I had Berkeley alumni on my tours! Then I’d get questions like, “Do you know Professor Soandso? He’s in the History Department, right?” …