Michael has a deep appreciation for perspective. A city, a monument, and even a walk down the street will take on a whole new meaning when viewed from a different angle. Growing up on a fourth-generation cattle farm in South Dakota, his days were filled with riding horses, driving tractors, and understanding the importance of a hard day’s work. Michael carried those lessons with him later, interning for his state senator on Capitol Hill in college. There, he learned about a different version of hard work and fell for a city a world away from the open acres he was familiar with. These days, in his role as a Tour Director, Michael takes great pride in his opportunity to give students a new view of the world.
The more you travel, the broader your horizons and perspectives can be.
As a Tour Director for EF Explore America, Michael introduces students to Washington, D.C. and helps them grow through travel. But sharing perspectives is a two-way street. Michael has visited most of the city’s monuments dozens of times and knows their stories like the back of his hand. But he regularly finds that students, with their own unique backgrounds, ask completely unexpected questions that make him think in a whole new way.
From the White House and Arlington Cemetery to the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, Michael loves watching students’ faces as the nation’s capital comes alive. But his favorite part is seeing them step outside of the world they’ve always known and grow through travel right before his eyes.
Michael is just one of the many Tour Directors
with a story to tell
Our Tour Directors are pretty special. Equal parts history teacher, cultural connoisseur, architecture expert, restaurant recommender, and sightseeing savant, they’re trained guides who know the ins and outs of all the cities you’re visiting—and they can’t wait to give you a window into their world.
Interested in seeing how your own students can grow through travel in Washington, D.C.?
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