I’d Like to Show People How to Travel and Enjoy their Vacations

Daily writing prompt

List three jobs you’d consider pursuing if money didn’t matter.

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The three jobs I would consider pursuing are helping people fully enjoy their vacations. My first job would be as a tour guide, particularly to Europe. I would help people see the best places according to their interests. Instead of taking them shopping, as too many tour companies do, I would include small villages without many tourists rather than the sites that everyone seems to want to see, such as the Colosseum in Rome or the Prado Museum in Madrid. We would visit the towns and villages around the larger cities and sit with the locals to eat rather than cafeterias and cafes that serve American versions of European dishes.

My second job would be a museum docent so that I could spend nearly every waking moment among some of the best art in the world. I would do private tours and give people time to examine each piece of art minutely rather than fight to see paintings and art objects. As a person who is vertically challenged (4 ft. 10 in), I know that some of us miss seeing great paintings because we can’t get to the front of the pack or see over people’s heads. I would be a docent just for short people and seniors.

My third job would be as a train conductor. I love trains, and the thought of traveling the world on a train seems like great fun. I would ensure that people never miss seeing the best views on each side of the train. I would ask the engineer to blow the horn for any traveler who requested it, mostly because I love the sound. A train reminds me of the journey of life. We are always either headed for a destination or arriving at a destination. I love the feel of the rails beneath me, and you travel slower than a plane, with many more stops to explore on the trip.

Vacations should be fully enjoyed, and I would love a job that allowed me to show people how to enjoy every moment of their vacations, experiencing life through all five senses. As a retired professor, these are also jobs that can teach people about letting go and enjoying life to the fullest. I would do them for free.