Door County Kayak Tours

I was hired in February 2019 by Door County Kayak Tours, LLC. as their Marketing Communications Intern. I began on May 20, 2019.

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Our three-day training program managed to make three people quit, but I knew the craziness I was getting myself into. I was not only going to be the Marketing Communications Intern, but also a tour guide. Our first paddle as a team was four miles long, but the views kept me inspired. It wasn’t until I had to dump myself into the 42 degree water that I questioned my sanity and strength. Looking back on the summer, I can’t imagine it without the memories, friends and challenges my internship brought me.

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If you have ever worked in Door County, Wisconsin, you know that the summer holiday weekends of Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day are some of the busiest (and craziest) weekends of the year. Memorial Day weekend came up on the calendar very quickly, and with it came the people. I gave three Eco-Estuary tours on that Sunday, back to back to back. The soreness in my arms was bad, but my sunburn was even worse (I learned that lesson very quickly). Following the holiday weekend – 1 down, 2 to go! – we had a halt in tours due to lack of visitors in the county as well as poor weather conditions – thank you Mother Nature. Although this meant less money, it also meant more time for me to spend on the company’s social media and marketing strategy. I created an entire content calendar with weekly plans and daily themes that fit our style book’s voice and theme. My boss is all about pushing the tours, but he loves a good meme here and there, so I focused our Instagram account on our tour options, while incorporating some humor into the captions and photos.

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Soon my boss began to rely on me for many different tasks. From organizing a 40-person tour, to cleaning the bathrooms and unclogging the toilet at the end of the day. One of my biggest lessons learned from this job is that everything can be your job. Marketing Communications Coordinator by 8 AM, Kayak Tour Guide by 10 AM, Receptionist by 12 PM, Chauffeur by 2 PM, and Janitor by 4 PM. It’s a lot of work, but I couldn’t be more grateful to learn this at such a young age.