Tour guide in Israel enjoys life in difficult places

AS THE NAME IMPLIES: The Dead Sea, as seen from Masada. / Photo by Cameron Salony

By Cameron Salony

March 25, 2008 | USU students have many choices when it comes to choosing a career field: everything from Accounting to Wildlife Science. However, one option that is not afforded to many Aggies is "tour guide" in some exotic place.

Meet Ushi Engel, a tour guide in Israel. She studied in Haifa and Tel Aviv for four years to become a licensed tour guide. Within this four-year study program, tour guides must pass speaking tests in English, Hebrew and at least one other language. Engel's third language is German. She is originally from Germany.

Engel has toured exotic places such as Cambodia, the Galapagos, Ecuador, China and Australia.

Engel says she does not have a family of her own, which makes it easy for her to be a tour guide. She says a successful tour guide in Israel must work 15 to 20 days a month. She works weekends and "holy days."

"I do well living out of a suitcase," she said, "Some people don't, but I'm just fine."

Engel says tourists come to Israel on an inconsistent basis. She says at times there is almost too much work, however, one time her work was completely halted after a suicide bombing in the area.

"I like to go to places where it's not easy to live," Engel said.

Engel lives in Tel Aviv, but she sometimes stays in the same hotel as her tour groups. She prefers to go on weeklong tours as opposed to day tours.

On this particular day, Engel fields questions during the half-day tour of Masada and the Dead Sea. Masada is the setting of a battle between the Zealot Jews and the Romans in 73 CE. Many of the Jews eventually committed suicide before the Romans had the chance to kill them or enslave them.

"You should only share 10 to 15 percent of your knowledge with the tourists or you are going too deep," Engel said.

Engel loves her job and never plans to stop traveling.

"Sure, when I'm 70 I won't sleep on the ground in Cambodia," she said. "But I will always travel."

Perhaps this career is not for every Aggie student, but just maybe there is one student out there who walks across the Quad dreaming of fishing for piranha in the Amazon.

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