Around the world with Lisa Yost

Not all who wander are lost – according to J.R.R. Tolkein. This is especially true if Lisa Yost is wandering with them.

That is because Yost, a Del Webb resident and native of Germany, has been leading tours across the globe for over 20 years, and she is not finished yet.

Yost on the Falkland Islands, Antarctica, kneeling by an emperor penguin.
(Photo Provided)

It all began for Yost when she was 20 years old and living in Italy after working for the Peace Corps. For pocket money, Yost gave tours for travelers in Rome. Many years later, after marrying and settling in the U.S., Yost started giving informal tours to her visiting European relatives.

“One day someone said to me, ‘You lead tours [in] Italy, why don’t you do it here?’ So in 1990, I went to International Tour Management Institute in San Francisco and took a very intensive course there,” Yost said. “After that, I got hired right away by a European company because I could speak their languages.”

Because of her multilingual abilities (She speaks German, English, French, and Italian), Yost leads many tours for Europeans who are visiting the U.S. as well as nations abroad. Working for myriad international touring agencies, Yost has also led tours in diverse locations such as the Amazon, the Antarctic, and the Kenyan safari, to name a few.

“I have been everywhere except Australia. I refuse to go there,” said Yost, citing the only continent she has skipped.

Despite Yost’s frequent global escapades, she doesn’t tire of the adventure. Yost admits she still experiences awe amidst exotic landscapes.

“When I was in Africa, my hut was right on the Tanzania border. I could see Kilimanjaro in the distance and elephants walking with their babies down by the river, and I guess I kind of had to pinch my¬self,” she said.

However, even with her international opportunities, Yost’s favorite location to lead a tour is in the heart of the United States.

“I like the national parks a lot. One of my favorite tours to lead is called the Highlights of the West. You start out in Los Angeles, go to the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Bryce Can¬yon, and then Zion. Africa and Antarctica were great to do for a couple of seasons, but that’s an adventure you only do once or twice.”

Yost (far left) guides a tour around Elephant Island in Antarctica. (Photo Provided)

Currently, Yost has cut down to “only” seven tours per year, including several 21-day trips across the U.S. Although she recently underwent knee replacement surgery, she still swims and skis (with the doc¬tor’s permission, of course). But does Yost ever tire of frequent travel?

“Some of my friends ask, ‘How can you do this? You’re on the go all the time.’ And I say, ‘Well, that’s probably why.’ I enjoy it. It’s like you can just keep going and going and going,” she said. “And then I get home and I get myself a cup of tea and I’m fine.”

---

---