JAM! Training

I look happy in this picture. I was tired, exhausted and happy. But at some point those other two aspects just took over and made my whole experience as a tour guide insupportable, but let me start in the beginning.

After I got back from France I got on a bus to Lloret de mar with 39 others aged 18-25 who wanted to become tour guides for JAM! (a german travel agency for party trips). On the bus the training started right away. We were divided into groups and had to present our bus speeches we’d had to preare in advance. On our way through Germany we picked up all the other trainees. But instead of relaxing and pre-collecting some hours of sleep we already got tasks to fulfill and a whole folder of training material to study during the bus ride.

After about 26 hours we finally arrived in Lloret de mar. There, we only got minimum time to check in and freshen up a bit before starting our first workshop. Throughout the week we had theory and workshops starting at 9 am every morning. In the evenings we went out to every single bar and club in town that the agency had contracts with, as that’s where we would be taking our guests in the future. Additionally we went on the trips the guests can book on their holiday, like Paintball, a catamaran cruise and Barcelona, but more on that later on.

One day we went to Calella, another JAM! destination and basically had to be able to know and locate all of the hotels there just by walking past them once. After doing so we went drinking through every single JAM! partner bar and club in Calella. As for us drinks were free basically everywhere (we either got coupons or open bar wrist bands) and everyone was exhausted since it was midway through the week most uf us were completely out of it by the end of the night. While the majority wanted to just sleep on the bus back to Lloret that night our instructors started blasting music and dancing JAM! club dances all the way (which was still part of the training by the way, because we had to learn all of those as well). That we only got back to our hotel around 4 am did not change the fact that class started the next morning at 9pm as per usual. At least we got a little bit of relaxation that following afternoon on the catamaran cruise.

On the second to last evening we had to pass a “surprise” test, which tested our knowledge on JAM! destinations, guest types, travel right, english language, hotel rules and more. While our instructors graded our exams we went to visit Barcelona the next day. After a bus tour around the city, presented by one of the Barca guides, we got some free time during which we went shopping and to get pizza.

After Barcelona we met our instructors in Queen Vic, an event location in Lloret for our final assessment. There we each got our results and were told whether we got the job and of so where we would be deployed. As I had told them I would theoretically be available immediately and all summer, they asked me to stay in Lloret right away and start working. Because I am a very spontaneous and adventurous person I agreed; Which considering my health I probably shouldn’t have. I was already sick from that whole week of no sleep and continous partying and that week then turned into a whole month without any opportunity for my body to recover.

Eventhough it is all in german, here a little insight on what the week was like: JAM! Tour guide training week LLoret de Mar 2018

The whole week kinda felt a bit like a casting show. Lots of pressure, everything was being assessed (how you participated, gave feedback, behaved in the club, treated guests, engaged with the group, spoke publicly etc.), a camera guy was there the whole time and then in the end the “judges” (instructors) told us who had made it and who had to go home. During the week two people had already gotten on a plane back to Germany because they couldn’t stand the pressure and a couple of others followed after not having passed.