Travel Director

About the Role

The Tour Director has overall responsibility for assigned events from planning and scouting through final operation. Working with company leadership, the Tour Director establishes the direction, itinerary, cycling experience, and priorities for each event, then leads a Travel Operations & Experience Manager and Travel Operations Specialist in turning that vision into a detailed operating plan.

The Tour Director remains actively involved in routes, scouting, vendors, logistics, transportation, contingency planning, and participant‑experience decisions. They are not expected to complete every planning task personally, but remain accountable for event readiness and Santana Adventures’ standards. Once an event begins, the Tour Director becomes its primary on‑site leader, maintaining a confident, approachable participant presence while overseeing the complex operation behind the scenes. A successful Tour Director must be equally comfortable addressing 300 participants with a microphone and working behind the scenes to solve an unexpected operational problem.

Responsibilities

• Event Planning & Leadership – Assume primary operational responsibility for assigned Santana Adventures events from development through completion; work with company leadership to establish each event’s itinerary, priorities, and participant experience; lead the Travel Operations & Experience Manager, Travel Operations Specialist, and other team members; set priorities, delegate responsibilities, review work, and ensure each event plan is operationally sound; remain involved in routes, destination research, transportation, vendors, reservations, timing, and contingencies; participate extensively in on‑site scouting of routes and destinations; evaluate whether routes, experiences, transportation, vendors, and other components will work for a large Santana group; identify and resolve weaknesses, missing information, and potential problems before the event.
• Public Speaking & Participant Leadership – Deliver route talks, briefings, orientations, announcements, and presentations to groups approaching 300 participants; clearly explain routes, distances, elevation, stops, transportation, timing, safety, and daily information; present complicated logistical information in a clear, organized, and engaging manner; communicate schedule or itinerary changes calmly and confidently; be personable, energetic, and professional while maintaining authority and credibility; set a positive tone that creates enthusiasm, confidence, camaraderie, and organization.
• On‑Tour Operations & Problem‑Solving – Serve as the primary on‑site leader for assigned events; oversee daily routes, transportation, activities, vendors, ship coordination, staffing, and participant logistics; conduct team briefings so staff understand the day’s plan, responsibilities, and challenges; make real‑time operational decisions when circumstances change; coordinate changes clearly with staff, participants, vendors, transportation providers, and ship personnel; remain composed, decisive, and solutions‑oriented during demanding or rapidly changing days; keep the team prepared for upcoming days while resolving current issues; use lateral thinking to identify alternatives, understand downstream effects, prioritize competing problems, and preserve the intended participant experience when weather, roads, transportation, vendors, schedules, or participant needs change unexpectedly.

Requirements

• Valid U.S. driver’s license.
• Valid U.S. passport or ability to obtain one.
• Willingness to drive rental vehicles or vans as needed.
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
• Ability to occasionally lift or move luggage, supplies, or bicycles up to approximately 50 pounds.

Qualifications

• Relevant experience may include tour operations, luxury or experiential travel, cruises, hospitality, destination management, large‑scale events, international logistics, transportation, high‑end guest service, team leadership, or public speaking.
• Cycling, route development, mapping, international travel, and foreign‑language experience are valuable but not required.

Skills

• Exceptionally organized and detail‑oriented.
• Comfortable with significant responsibility and accountability.
• Confident making decisions with incomplete information.
• Excellent verbal communicator with strong public‑speaking potential.
• Personable and engaging while maintaining professional authority.
• Calm, adaptable, and resourceful when plans change.
• Strong at lateral thinking and creative problem‑solving.
• Able to balance the big picture with critical details.
• Comfortable delegating while retaining visibility into critical details.
• Service‑minded and comfortable with active, mature, well‑traveled participants.
• Able to balance individual participant requests with the needs of a large group.
• Takes ownership rather than waiting for others to solve problems.
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