This Culture with Travel travel entrepreneur interview is with Marteen Lane, a tour guide and cultural heritage writer 

I’ve been a tour guide for five years and I love imparting information to people. Having worked in a few different heritage centres and museums it felt natural that I would start my own walking tours and I’ve always liked the idea of being my own boss.

I’ve always had a great interest in history and Irish history in particular, but never really thought of studying it in college. I was all set to study veterinary nursing but changed my mind at the last minute. I decided to look for a course closer to home and Heritage Studies seemed quite interesting.

I received my BA in Heritage Studies, but I had no plans on making a career in the heritage sector. I wanted to break into acting. So, I moved to Dublin and studied theatre performance. While there a few different theatre companies came to visit the college to discuss the theatre-in-education programmes they bring to primary and secondary schools. An idea came to me that maybe when I graduate I could bring together my love for theatre and my interest in Irish culture and heritage and set up my own theatre-in-education company and tour around schools to teach them about Irish culture and heritage through acting.

When I graduated from the theatre performance course, I returned home to look for work. While I was looking for work, I came across a tour guide course in Dublin. It sounded perfect because I would dress up in medieval costume while giving a tour during work experience, so I could put my acting skills to good use.

It was while training to be a tour guide that my passion for culture and heritage began to flourish. I never had a goal to become a tour guide. It was just something I fell into but found I really enjoy it and love sharing my passion for Ireland with other people.

At the end of June this year, I started a walking tour of my hometown Ballinrobe in Co. Mayo. It’s finished for the summer, but I will be doing it again next summer.

However, I am taking bookings for private tours outside of the summer season. I started the tour because Ballinrobe isn’t a touristy place. Visitors tend to bypass it for Westport, Cong or Galway City. I wanted to tell my town’s story and share the rich history and architecture. I’m hoping it will draw more people to Ballinrobe and show them that there’s a lot to Ballinrobe.

I also have a walking tour in Galway City. I don’t live far from Galway City, so it’s a good opportunity to give niche tours of the city.

When I travel, I want to take something back with me; I want to have learned something about the place I visited. Exploring the local culture really helps me discover its stories and layers of history. I’m a big museum nerd and museums are a good place to start in learning about the culture and history of a place.

I also advise for people to sit on a bench and see who you end up chatting with. I did this not long after moving to Canada back in 2016. I had moved to Victoria, B.C. and went down to the harbour one day. I sat on a bench reading and journaling for the day. I had the bench to myself, so some people would ask to sit down for a rest and we’d end up chatting. I chatted with a Russian couple who had moved to Toronto nearly 20 years ago to give their family a better life and were in Victoria on holidays; the next person was a woman from The Netherlands who happened to be staying the hostel I was staying in and finally a First Nations guy who ran a coffee stall along the harbour.

Always buy indigenous art and crafts from locals rather than big gift shops. Indigenous art is a wonderful way to learn about the culture and support local artists. The harbour in Victoria was a hub for First Nations artists and craftspeople. I bought a beautiful dream catcher made by Linda George from the Nou-chah-nulth Nation. It’s a very special piece to me because it was handmade by a local artist, I wasn’t bringing home the same old souvenir from the chain store gift shop, and I got to see Linda make a dreamcatcher at her stall.

A particularly memorable trip I’ve been on was when I went to Italy on a school tour. I was only 17 and it was the first time I travelled abroad. We visited Florence, Lucca, Pisa and Verona, and ate loads of pizza and gelato. One thing that sticks out for me about that trip was when we were in line to go through security. I was wearing a puffy jacket, and this must have made me stick out a mile as I was asked to step out of the line and then patted down. Needless to say, I was mortified! I also remember
thinking how cheeky the Italian men were. I fell in love with Italy and hope to return soon.

Well, basically, if you have an idea, just go for it! Start slowly and build from there. There will be times when no one turns up for your tour, or books your services as a travel consultant, but don’t get disheartened. Keep sharing your business online and just chatting with people, and it will spread by word of mouth.

Learn more about Marteen on her website, and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!