@carothetourguide gives insight into her life as a Miami tour guide and what it means to her
You may know Carolina Isabela in Miami and on Instagram as @carothetourguide. Isabela has been giving tours of Miami for three years. She became a tour guide after seeing an ad on Craigslist in her sophomore year of college. She decided to exit her typical office environment and try something different.
Her new job allowed her to step out of her comfort zone and hone her public speaking skills. Public speaking was crucial for her future career as an international business and sales major.
Starting as a full-time tour guide, @carothetourguide spent her days conducting three or four tours per day. Her tours were usually carried out on bikes or Segways. So, before the tour, she always made sure to check the equipment and make sure it was usable. This included making sure the bikes had air, the chains were working, and the brakes were set up.
Before a Segway tour, Isabela spent 20 minutes giving a lesson to her clients about how to safely ride a Segway.
Trying something new is the reason @carothetourguide got into being a tour guide. But her love for Miami is what drove her passion behind her job.
“Miami is important to me because I view it as the city that gave my family a chance.”
@carothetourguide
Her family immigrated from Colombia when she was three years old. To her, Miami is where they were able to grow and develop their roots on a deeper level. That’s why being a tour guide in this city means so much to her.
Unfortunately, when the pandemic began in March, Isabela lost her job. After a few months, in May, she decided to begin to conduct virtual tours.
On her Instagram, Isabela refers to these tours as Miami Monday’s. It is a mini-series that aims to highlight different historical landmarks in Miami. Isabela’s goal is to acclimate the local Miami community to Miami’s culture. This goal stemmed from personal experience.
“I noticed that Miami locals didn’t have the best image of Miami and looked down upon the city. I’ve never looked at it that way.”
@carothetourguide
Her love for Miami is what inspired her to want to show other locals what the city has to offer. Isabela has a special understanding of why Miamians do the things they do and how Miami grew over time.
Although tourism was not Isabela’s chosen career path, her passion motivated her to pursue it. The COVID-19 pandemic also became the catalyst that pushed her to take it on. This is the passion that she brings to the local community in her short Miami Monday’s videos each week.
Isabela hopes to show locals that everyone in Miami should work hard to help Miami thrive. This includes on an economic level, environmental level, and as a community.
The latter is what Isabela aims to achieve by hosting monthly charity tours. Each month, she will host a bike tour in a different part of the city. All the proceeds from that tour will go to different charities.
For the first month, Isabela has chosen Miami Waterkeeper to receive the proceeds. She is a big advocate for the environment and the protection of Biscayne Bay. She believes all Miamians should help to protect the Bay as well.
For more information about Miami Monday’s or the charity tours, visit Isabela’s Instagram @carothetourguide.
