Making A Living As A D.C. Tour Guide

[L Verge]

I remember when both Joan Chaconas and Mike Kauffman took the standard test in order to be licensed tour guides - a requisite because the tourism bureau could stop our Booth Tour bus (or any of the D.C. trips that Surratt House sponsors/ed) at any point and demand to see a license (bus driver did not count). If a narrator was not licensed, the tour was stopped. We followed the rules for years - and then the rules changed/disappeared.

I have been around various tour guides - both self-employed and working for companies - and many of them leave a lot to be desired. Even with a great personality, it's unfair to the public to flub the facts.