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So You Wanna Be a Segway Guide? |
Seacoast History Blog # 126
August 24, 2011
It’s not easy being a Segway tour guide, but it’s really not that hard. You’ll need a sense of balance. The smart wheeled machines can sense your slightest movement and respond. Lean forward to go. Lean back to stop. Okay, you’re qualified. The challenging part is being a guide. Any guide has to love people. You have to be a clear and patient teacher. You have to know your subject matter, which in the case of Seacoast Segway Tours means knowing your way around Portsmouth. You need to show up on time, follow the rules, keep your customers safe and happy. (Continued below)
I mention this because company owner Eric Gregg told me in an email today that he may be looking for a few part time Segway guides for September and October. I’m a hermit, so I know practically no one, so I’m passing that tip on to you.
Scroll down for candid pix
To be honest, although I wrote the script for the Segway history tour, as of this writing, I’ve not been on one of the nine machines running around Portsmouth. It’s on my bucket list.
But I was at the John Paul Jones House the other day with my brother-in-law Brian and his friend Amy. That’s the home base for Segway tours in Portsmouth. I know the spot well having had my office at the JPJ House for years. Segway instructor and guide George Hosker happened to be setting up for a run when we arrived. Eric says the summer has gone better than expected for a start-up business. The idea is catching on. That day George had four time slots filled. Most people opt for the one-hour run around town just to get the feel of a personal transportation machine without plonking down $6 grand to purchase one. A surprising number of clients come back for more.
I grabbed these shots as George gave Brian and Amy their first taste of mechanized freedom. He’s a good teacher. Both students got the hang of the Segway within two minutes and were buzzing around the garden path at the Portsmouth Historical Society as my wife Maryellen cheered them on.
If you want to try one out, or you think you have what it takes to be a guide, don’t call me. Call Seacoast Segway Tours.
© 2011 by J. Dennis Robinson. All rights reserved.





Photos by J. Dennis Robinson,(c) SeacoastNH.com
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