Ep. 9: Rotem Shahar – Grounded Journey: From Soil Scientist to Tour Guide

Ep. 9: Rotem Shahar – Grounded Journey: From Soil Scientist to Tour Guide

I drove down to Moshav Pedaya, which is about 30 minutes outside of Tel Aviv to have tea with my friend and colleague Rotem Shahar and to discuss her fascinating journey from the soil science lab to being a licensed tour guide in Israel. In this episode, we discussed a broad range of subjects including the role of gender in guiding and career in general, her favorite types of tourism, why she has decided to take a step back from Birthright, and how she has carved out a niche as a virtual tour guide during the pandemic. You can find her at rotemguide.com and contact her there about presenting virtual tours or trips to Israel.

NOTE: The interview with Rotem begins about 10 minutes into this episode.

Ep. 8: Daniel Sigalov – Tourism as a Free Market Exercise

Ep. 8: Daniel Sigalov – Tourism as a Free Market Exercise

I sat down with Daniel Sigalov and we discussed his family’s struggle to emigrate from the Soviet Union to Israel and how this has impacted his life and his firm belief in the promise of capitalism as the most effective way to ensure prosperity and the common good. We debate the role of government interventions in the tourism industry, such as the requirement for tour guide licensing and the certification of tourist vehicles. Daniel shares some of his entrepreneurial initiatives such as the Haifa Free Tour that he founded, his You Tube channel, his plans for regular tours from Haifa, and Israel With Fun website (Israelwithfun.com). Last, but not least, we discuss his extensive hat collection and how he sees his role as a tour guide and storyteller.