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Meghan

Hanson

4 years of experience
Washington DC
United States of America (USA)

Contact Options

Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable

About

Hello!  I learned early on as the Guest Services Coordinator at the Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House that one of the most important skills in leading tours is finding great stories and fascinating facts to hold the attention of the most knowledgeable fans as well as individuals humoring a friend with little interest in the topic themselves. I can find compelling details in almost any subject which allows a wide range of approaches and discussions. In particular, I have found my background in art history, anthropology, and museum conservation most in demand. I also spent many years in the restaurant industry in Chicago before moving to Washington DC. This allowed me to hone my hospitality skills, especially managing expectations, under promise/ over deliver, and soft promotion of further offerings. It also provided me with a deep knowledge of spirits and food that is often useful in casual conversation. My greatest asset is my ability to organize information I have come across in my head for efficient retrieval. As a guide, I love the puzzle of logistics, plotting the course to allow the most time to appreciate what each location has to offer. I excel at tours that allow me to dig deep into a space and extract the subtlety of its lessons.

Tours Offered & Destination Knowledge

Bus ToursCultural/Specialty ToursGeneral Walking ToursLarge Group ToursLocal GuideMulti-Day Tour Director/LeaderMuseum DocentPrivate ToursStudent Tour Director

I have led over the road tours in Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York City, and Niagara Falls. For local Washington DC tours I specialize in museum tours for groups of 1-20. With my background I have the versatility to lead tours at history museums, science museums, and art museums.

I have completed destination trainings for the Southwest National Parks (IATDG) and New England Fall Foliage (TripSchool). I have also attended a number of virtual destination trainings for locations across the country over the past year.

Fun Fact!
I used to collect DC superhero comic books! (I also used to make superhero cosplay costumes for comic conventions when I lived in Chicago)
Hobbies & Interests
I am always up for a new experience! Whether its trying new food or drinks, visiting a museum, attending a presentation, going to comic con, or watching sports I strongly believe variety is the spice of life and want to do it all!

Virtual Tour Experience

I have developed virtual tours for 3 different Tour Operators. I have a retention rate of over 95% attendees staying logged in the entire program (including the 2 hour programs) at a $15-$30 price point, as well as, a number of repeat clients that have taken multiple of my tour offerings from those Tour Operators. I have experience on the Amazon platform with a live Washington DC Memorials tour, however most of my programs are Zoom presentations utilizing PowerPoint. Topics include Historic Department Stores of Washington DC and the Evolution of Women's Place in the Public Sphere (1 hour), Women and Art: Artists and Collectors of the American Gilded Age (1 hour), Sacred Art of the Old Masters in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, DC (2 hour), French Impressionist Art in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, DC (2 hour), The Life and Art of Vincent van Gogh (2 hour), and Women of Impressionism (2 hour). I am currently working on a 2 hour Dutch Golden Age of the National Gallery of Art, DC debuting in early June. At the moment, all virtual tours have been developed for companies I do not own and none have chosen to upload them at this time.

Testimonials

"Loved this tour! Meghan was a wonderful guide who shared so much information about the artists and the social, economical and political influences of the time. She was very passionate and engaging! A plus was that our group was only seven people. Highly recommend." -French Impressionism at the National Gallery of Art, DC

"This tour was stimulating and rich with information. The tour guide managed to cover a lot of ground in the time we had. She clearly had a lot of art history and historical information committed to memory, yet she spoke naturally, as if it was all off the top of her head, so that she was just talking directly to us, and not interposing her any training or studies. It was like being led on an adventure by a great friend."- Sacred Art of the Old Masters at the National Gallery of Art, DC

"We are so glad we booked this tour. Meghan was a wonderful guide who definitely provided us with so much history & a few random facts just for fun! We loved the war memorials & history on the White House and other governmental buildings close by." -White House to the Lincoln Memorial 2hr walking tour (November 2020)

"Our guide Meghan was extremely personable and knowledgeable. She was able to relate separate areas of both museums and tie them together in an interesting way. You could tell she had a passion for the subjects and for the museums themselves. The tour helped hit the highlights and provided a wonderful experience to a potentially overwhelming visit." - Tour of the Natural History Museum and the National Gallery of Art, DC

Details

Gateway Airport(s)

DCA, BWI, IAD

Licenses

Washington, D.C., New York City (NYC)

Training

International Guide Academy

Language(s)

English

Additional Education

Bachelor of Arts (Indiana University) Major: Anthropology, Minor: Art History, focus: Museum Studies

General Availability

My schedule is generally open for multi-day bookings 2-3 months out (except March-June has traditionally filled 6 months out).
For local tours under a day, bookings start 2 months out and my schedule can start to get congested 1 month out.

Photo Album