Lera Chenchevaya Provides Advice on Becoming a Better Tour Guide

Experienced travel agent and tour guide Lera Chenchevaya throws herself completely into her work, passionately guiding people through the natural awe-inducting beauty and splendor of the magnificent backcountry of the state of Washington. As a tour guide, Lera Chenchevaya is afforded the opportunity to not only educate people on the history and natural geography of the area, but to also open up an entirely new world to eager young minds.

LeraChenchevaya wants everyone to have a better touring experience, which is why she offers several helpful ways for professional tour guides to become better and more effective guides into our past, present and future.

Address the Crowd, Not the Subject

Be sure to always face the people you’re speaking to, says Lera Chenchevaya, not the topic you’re discussing. Keep yourself aware at all times of the direction your facing, and if you can be heard by members of the crowd.

Make it Relatable

It helps to get your point across more effectively, says Lera Chenchevaya, if you impart a personal anecdote here and there within the course of the tour. Anecdotes help to create more of a personal connection with the audience, and are a great way to garner and hold onto people’s attention. 

Keep It Moving

Keep your tour moving as quickly as possible, says Lera Chenchevaya. Don’t let your group become stagnant or stuck in a particular position or area. Talk as you move, and make sure everyone is keeping up with the group.

Lera Chenchevaya: Workout Tips

As an extreme sports enthusiast, as well as a time-tested international traveler, Lera Chenchevaya more than understands the importance of staying in shape. Being physically fit requires diligence, tenacity and persistence; a constant commitment to the idea that your body is your most important tool, and steps must constantly be taken to ensure your body is healthy, strong and prepared for intense physical challenges.

Lera Chenchevaya provides several tips for people seeking to get the most from their current workout routines.

Consistency

Stay consistent and devoted to your workout routine. Lapses in your commitment, says Lera Chenchevaya, have the tendency to snowball into a state of defeat, one where the individual has eventually just given up on the idea of physical fitness altogether. Whatever it is you’re doing to stay fit, she says, stick with it, and be sure to dedicate yourself to the same amount of laps, reps, time or whatever happens to be involved.

Be Realistic

You may have aspirations for a target weight or health, says Lera Chenchevaya, and these ideals are a great thing to shoot for. It’s important to remember, however, that physical fitness is a progression, and that it often requires the accomplishment of smaller goals before reaching the larger ones. Set smaller, more realistic workout goals, says Lera Chenchevaya, and be closer to your ideal than you ever thought possible.

Workout with a Friend

It often helps, says Lera Chenchevaya, to find a partner, friend or colleague who shares your fitness goals, as well as your dedication to reach them. Workout partners are great for providing encouragement, and can end up becoming your biggest motivator and ally as you strive to meet your fitness objectives.

Lera Chenchevaya: Maintain Your Professionalism

Maintaining a strong and genuine sense of professionalism is crucial to success in both an individual’s personal and professional life. Being upfront, accountable and professional, says professional travel agent Lera Chenchevaya, is critical to relationship building, customer service and nearly all aspects of business operation and function.

LeraChenchevaya understands the basic tenets of professionalism, and strives to live up to professional values with every client, friend and family member. Below, she shares several basic tips for maintaining a professional demeanor and attitude, which are key components in anyone’s success.

Dress Appropriately

Do your best to always wear clean, well-kempt and professional style clothes for any business presentation, meeting, one on one transaction, etc. Professional attire doesn’t mean you have to be uncomfortable, says Lera Chenchevaya, but it does require a clean and well-maintained appearance that is as inoffensive as possible.

Be Respectful

Be mannerful and respectful with everyone you meet, says Lera Chenchevaya, and the same will be reciprocated almost 100 percent of the time. Be honest and friendly, and do your best to give everyone you meet and talk to your full attention. Know the parameters of what is acceptable and what is undesirable in every professional setting, and do your best to converse and behave within established rules of etiquette, conversation and expected manners.

Network

Every professional needs a strong network in order to successfully survive the competitive business environment. Work on developing a professional network, says Lera Chenchevaya, that can provide you the much needed support and advice you will surely depend on throughout your career.

Lera Chenchevaya: High Altitude Ascent Preparation

Is a high altitude ascent in your not too distant future? If so, there are several things you should most likely know and understand about high altitude climbing; steps every aspiring climber should take before setting out on their first expedition.

As climbing enthusiast Lera Chenchevaya understands, a high altitude ascent can be one of the most challenging, and rewarding, experiences of a person’s life. Adequate preparation is necessary, says Lera Chenchevaya, before undertaking one of the biggest tests of physical and mental endurance you may ever face.

Physical Preparation

Any expedition, as she knows, will require an individual to carry around a significant amount of gear to the top, making it vital to understand your personal physical limitations beforehand. Get to familiarize yourself, says Lera Chenchevaya, with the specific types of gear you will be expected to take with you on the expedition, and make sure you are physically capable of lifting and hauling that gear a significant distance.

Mental Preparedness

Let’s face it. You’re expedition to the top of the peak will most likely be extremely difficult. You need to understand, says Lera Chenchevaya, how testing and brutal your journey will be, as well as the ways you commonly react to desperate or stressful situations. Mental preparedness is essential to any high-altitude expedition.

Be Able to Laugh

Any climbing expedition will present the climber with multiple difficult and trying situations, says Lera Chenchevaya, so it’s crucial that you know how to laugh about your predicament, particularly in the toughest of times. Being able to laugh is essential to morale, and can give you the extra incentive to keep moving on in the face of adversity.

Lera Chenchevaya: Mountain Climbing for Beginners

As an expert mountain climber, as well as an extreme sport enthusiast, Lera Chenchevaya understands the physical and mental qualities that tend to make up the most successful climbing experts. She understands that while mountain climbing can be a highly rewarding and exhilarating experience, it can also present numerous hazards and life-threatening risks, and that it’s extremely important to know what steps to take in order to prevent accidents and reap the most enjoyment possible.

Lera Chenchevaya shares some helpful, yet basic tips every mountain climbing beginner should follow as they enter the amazing world of mountain face ascension.

Perform Research

You need to understand not only the equipment and mental toughness involved in the act of mountain climbing, says Lera Chenchevaya, but also the experiences other, more expert climbers have faced throughout their climbing career. Look for as much information you can in books, DVDs, the Internet, etc. the find out as much as you can about the sport.

Self-Assessment

Mental strength and attitude, says Lera Chenchevaya, are just as big, if not more, a part of the mountain climbing experience and physical aptitude. Ask yourself serious questions regarding the way to commonly react under pressure, how quickly you can make a decision, what your pain threshold is, etc., before deciding if climbing is right for you.

Fitness Up

Mountain climbing involves significant physical strength and endurance, says Lera Chenchevaya, making it important for the aspiring climber to work towards and maintain a good state of physical health. Such activities as walking, running, climbing practice, weightlifting and more can help you develop into a physical specimen worthy of entering the mountain climbing field.

Lera Chenchevaya: Plan Your Next Hike Carefully

Safe hiking requires careful planning, says hiking enthusiast Lera Chenchevaya, which in turn requires the consideration of many different factors before setting out on your trip. As Lera Chenchevaya is aware, a carefully planned hiking excursion equals out to a safe one; a trip where the safety and fun go hand in hand, and allow the hiking the opportunity to best be prepared for any potential emergencies.

Below, Lera Chenchevaya shares several important steps every hiker should follow before setting out on their next adventure.

Careful Planning

A safe hiking experience requires knowledge of your surroundings, the difficulty of the trek, the length of the hike and so on before embarking. Make sure you have adequate knowledge of the terrain and any potential hazards, and to let people know where you’re going and how long you plan on being gone before you leave.

Consider the Weather

Know the weather forecast, says Lera Chenchevaya, so that may be adequately prepared for any temperatures or precipitation that may affect the quality or safety of your trip. Also be alert for and aware of any potential changes in the weather during the course of your hike. Wear the clothing and gear most appropriate for the current day’s weather and any possible changes.

Determine Your Own Ability

Prospective hikers, says Lera Chenchevaya, need to know the level of their own hiking or climbing ability before taking off. Knowing your health and physical state allows you to determine if you are, in fact, capable of making the trip in the first place.