Sheila-Moloney-headshot-8

Sheila

Moloney

7 years of experience
Rhinebeck, Hudson Valley, NY
United States of America (USA)

Contact Options

“One of the great things about travel is you find out how many good, kind people there are.”

About

I am a tour director living in New York’s Hudson Valley. I found my way into tour directing in 2018 after leading garden tours for clients of my landscape design business and for the Garden Conservancy. Being on the road with groups brought me back to the pleasures of my first job after college leading biking and hiking trips for teens with American Youth Hostels and researching the destinations of these tours brought me back to my love of history. Ready for a change from running a small business, I sold my company and ventured into the world of tour directing. I have been leading student and adult tours ever since. My passion is for bringing to life the history, cultural achievements, and natural wonders of the destinations I visit with my guests.

Tours Offered & Destination Knowledge

Adventure/Hiking ToursBus ToursCultural/Specialty ToursDriver GuideLarge Group ToursMulti-Day Tour Director/LeaderPerformance Group ToursPrivate ToursStudent Tour Director

I specialize in adult and student tours to the following areas: the East Coast, including New York City, D.C., Williamsburg/Jamestown, Boston, Philadelphia, the Hudson Valley, New England including Cape Cod and the Islands; Eastern Canada including Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec, and the Maritimes; Alaska and the Yukon; Music Cities -New Orleans, Nashville, and Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and Tupelo; Western and Southwest National Parks.

Fun Fact!
I am an excellent poker player.
Hobbies & Interests
Gardening, reading, hiking, biking, kayaking, visiting gardens and museums, film, art, music, baking, inventing cocktails

Testimonials

Sheila was the best group leader of any trip I have been on. She was part stand up comedian and part encyclopedia with game show host thrown in. Her depth of knowledge amazed me. She was personable and just a fun person.

Sheila is incredibly knowledgeable, and was unflappable throughout the week. She always kept us on track, giving timely instructions. The tour in whole has many moving parts, but Sheila made sure it all ran smoothly, and never seemed flustered or out of sorts. Sheila always had a smile on her face, and the joy she takes in her work is obvious. We appreciated her kindness, as well as her wry humor. She was also very professional, and we had great trust in her ability to take care of our every need, including transitions between hotels, restaurants, and trains.

Sheila was extremely accommodating, friendly, caring, and energetic. Loved her sense of humor. Her wealth of knowledge and ability to share numerous facts associated with Alaska was astounding. Sheila is the best Tour Director that we have ever met, and we are world travelers.

Sheila was so friendly and beyond knowledgeable! I learned so much from her. She was easy to understand and had a pleasant way of communicating. Highly recommend her!

Sheila was a fantastic tour director. She was extremely organized and helpful, punctual, always available, had an incredible amount of knowledge that she shared, and had a great sense of humor.

Sheila is a true treasure for the _____ family. She has a wealth of knowledge and is an extremely caring person. I true joy!

Sheila was awesome. Funny and laid back while maintaining control TD Knowledge: Sheila was a wealth of information! She was calm and organized.

Best tour director in 5 ______tours.

Nice job dealing with the constant changing conditions with the fire in Denali. Very dedicated and is like a walking encyclopedia of knowledge about Alaska history and culture. Great tour guide

Sheila is honestly the best tour director we have had on the 5 tours we have taken with ______.

Sheila was so knowledgeable, friendly and supportive during our whole tour. She handled questions or issues on the fly with calmness and grace. She made the tour so fun with her humor and warm personality. She is a gem!

Sheila handled the cancellation of our park tour very well. A lot of stress and uncertainty but she never lost her professionalism or her patience.

Sheila, thank you so much for a fantastic holiday and for all your knowledge and sense of humor. Was lovely to meet you. Big hugs from Steve and Karen

Sheila, thank you so much for everything you have done. We really appreciate the time and effort you have given to not only informing us but also keeping us entertained on the bus. You have played a very important part in ensuring that we have enjoyed our holiday

Dear Sheila, Just a small token of my appreciation for all you have done for us. You have looked after us so well and I am in awe of your knowledge. I loved your humor and music choices. Thank you so much.

Sheila was a warm, personable group leader who made this program a great experience. She was well organized and kept our busy schedule moving along. She is very knowledgeable about all aspects of the Hudson Valley, was keen to share her knowledge, with a very pleasing manner of presenting the information. She was always available to the group to answer questions, present options for free time, and to help group members get together for free time opportunities.

Sheila was an excellent leader. She was very knowledgeable and always available to answer any questions or concerns.

One of the best leaders I've known. Particularly impressive knowledge of history.

Sheila was GREAT! I loved her soothing voice. She gave clear directives; encouraged inclusiveness from the beginning; was willing to help the group in any way.

Dear Sheila, I would like to greatly thank you for being the best and most entertaining tour guide that has ever guided me on a trip. You have made this trip so amazing with your positive energy. Thank you for making our New York trip one to remember. Without you, we might not have been able to enjoy our trip as much as we did. You taught us so much about the historic landmarks that we visited and that would not have been possible without you. Thank you.

Sheila was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. She led the group with ease.

Sheila was very well organized and kept the program running smoothly. She is friendly and approachable, with a wry sense of humor.

I thought Sheila did a great job of herding cats, taking care of individual needs and being very approachable.” 

Sheila was superb, very well informed and likable.

Sheila, Thanks for sharing the group photo; it brought back memories of an enjoyable trip to the Hudson River Valley.  You were an excellent group leader who made sure that everyone had a good time.

'Dear Sheila, Thank you so very much for a wonderful tour of New York City. We saw more of New York than we have seen on our other tours. I am so very impressed with your knowledge on all of the sites and your sense of organization. We all learned a great deal. I know it is difficult when you coordinate two schools on a tour and you did an excellent job. You were able to make our tour entertaining as well. Again, thank you for a wonderful adventure. I truly appreciate your support and admire your dedication. I hope we may work together on our 2021 trip.

Dear Sheila, Thank you so much for being such an excellent tour guide on our New York trip, I couldn't have asked for a bette one! I thought you were really interesting, and you were just awesome overall. I just want to thank you again for being such a great tour guide, and I hope you will continue to be so!

Dear Sheila, I would like to thank you so much for helping us with our tour around New York. Thank you for giving us a wonderful experience and we had a great time with you. Thank you again for everything you did and for helping us get around New York." 

Dear Sheila, I would like to thank you for such a wonderful tour of New York. I do not think I would have enjoyed my trip to New York without such a wonderful tour guide. _______ could not have given my class and I such a wonderful and knowledgeable tour guide. Once again I would like to thank you for one of the best tours I have ever been taken along for.

Dear Sheila, Thank you for being an amazing tour guide and for coordinating everything to provide an astounding trip. It has always been my dream to visit the Big Apple so thank you for making our trip be everything I dreamed and more. Thanks Sheila!

Dear Sheila, I am so glad that you were our guide for the New York trip. I learned so many different things about New York and popular destinations in New York. You were full of fun facts about New York and the different places we went in New York. I can tell that you take pride in your city because you do your job so well. Thank you Sheila.

Dear Sheila, I would like to thank you for being one of the most interesting guides I've ever had in my entire life. You told us a lot of information about each building or place we were going to.

Sheila is amazing! She built a good relationship with the kids and worked with three groups well.

Sheila was awesome! The kids loved her and she communicated really well and made adjustments to meet our groups needs.

 

 

 

 

Details

Gateway Airport(s)

JFK, LGA, EWR, ALB

Licenses

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

Training

ITMI

Language(s)

English

Additional Education

TripSchool

BA in History, Bard College

MFA in Filmmaking, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

MA in Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture from Bard Graduate Center

General Availability

Availability calendar:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSaTNRnR28zp2bDoT2EfWlz0wmAmw0vs4s6MSSsDgFRxPXU1n95gxjuJ-jzSCP2MkwEt6P_Gx-GRQ9D/pubhtml

Photo Album