We’ve introduced Tamara in an older post, but we’d like to get to know her a little bit better; please read on to acquaint yourself with our lovely Baltic Region tour manager:
My name is Tamara. I’m 28 yrs old, and I’ve been working at Stag Republic for over three years now. I started at the company as a part-time guide in Budapest next to my studies. As the years passed I absolutely fell in love with guiding and decided to stay with the company even after finishing my degree. In fact, I started up the Riga branch and became destination manager. I still guide in Budapest on occasion.
What do I love about this job?
The vibrant environment, meeting new people, exchanging cultures, etc. I lived England for over 5 years (went even to 6th Form and university there). When I moved back from the UK I started to miss the people and speaking English, so this job gave me the perfect opportunity to keep up my English-language skills and to be surrounded by Brits!
Why Riga?
I have Russian roots, and when I first visited my friends in Latvia, I felt at home. Everybody speaks Russian and everything reminded me of Russia, but still, it has its own spice. Riga is an amazingly cool city, with loads of parties, lovely bars and restaurants, a great atmosphere and really nice people.
The beach is nearby which makes summer more enjoyable, and there is plenty of snow for winter-lovers, so what else do you need? After many visits to Riga, I finally decided to move there, and have been living there for half a year.
Funny stag stories …
Well, to be honest, I can definitely NOT say all groups are the same! Each group has its unique traditions: the dress , the drinking games, so on… But each time there is one out of the group that surprises me, and that’s the reason why its never boring!!! I have many stories to tell, but here is one of the funnier ones:
I had been out on a pub crawl with one of my groups. One of the guys was really drunk and he couldn’t remember how he lost his expensive watch. The watch which he actually hadn’t lost because one of his mates had it but hadn’t told him. The poor bloke was really upset, but his mate was in stitches because he didn’t tell him he had it and let him go to the police station while the rest of the group was having fun. He had to sit for most of the day in a stuffy police station with people who couldn’t understand a word of English. Just before departure, when he finally sorted the police report out and had gotten the necessary papers, the other guy took out his watch and gave it to him. I will never forget his face at that moment!!! It was really funny…
Favourite activities:
Of course the best time with a group is on a pub crawl (sometimes this can be the worst as well). It’s the most fun when the group can really get to know the guide and bond with the other members of the group, because sometimes not everybody knows each other. A great pub crawl really sets the tone for the weekend.
BUT my second favourite is the sauna party in Riga. It’s a nice relaxing time but still can get crazy, especially in when you rent the sauna out with your own booze, music and company (wink, wink - nudge, nudge 
)
And last but not least - winter bobsledding!!! It’s fun fun fun! An awesome adrenaline rush!
Hope to see you in Riga soon!
Tamara
