03/04/2025
🇸🇮 Tanja Kostanjšek je lokalna turistična vodnica po Ljubljani v 5 jezikih: slovenskem, angleškem, francoskem, italijanskem in španskem jeziku.
Z večletnimi izkušnjami v turizmu kakor tudi mednarodnem okolju izvaja zelo različne oglede Ljubljane za goste iz celega sveta.
Več pa v intervjuju.
M: Tanja, pozdravljena! Že nekaj časa se poznava, pa kljub temu še nisem slišala tvoje zgodbe - kaj te je pripeljalo v vodniške vode?
T: Ja, zanimiva zgodba. Že ko sem študirala jezike, so me nekateri spraševali: »Boš delala kot vodnica?«, a takrat še nisem imela teh ambicij. Nato pa sem delala v galeriji Rustika in tako spoznala vodnika Vida, ki me je spodbudil, da bi bila res »taprava« za vodnico in potem sem začela o tem resno razmišljati.
M: Si se takoj odločila za ljubljansko licenco?
T: Ideje so bile že leta 2015 a sem vmes morala dokončati študij in sem nato obiskovala tečaj šele 2018 in naredila licenco v začetku 2019. Malo dlje je trajalo, ker sem delala licenco v 5 jezikih.
M: Poleg francoskih gostov vodiš tudi italijansko in špansko govoreče, drži?
T: Da, vodim v petih jezikih: v slovenskem, angleškem, francoskem, italijanskem in španskem jeziku.
M: Midve sva se spoznali na tečaju za čebelarsko-turističnega vodnika.
To se pravi da imaš poleg ljubljanske, tudi druge licence. Kako se je obrestovalo to izobraževanje?
T: Trenutno se ne ukvarjam veliko s čebelarsko tematiko, mi je pa tematika blizu. Že kot študentka sem delala za slovenska podjetja na čebelarskem sejmu v Piacenzi v Italiji. Tam sem se spoznala s čebelarji in ob neki priložnosti sta me čebelarja iz Francije prosila, da ju spremljam na obisku Čebelarske Zveze Slovenije ter nekaterih slovenskih čebelarjev. Ta izkušnja me je navdušila, zato sem se odločila za izobraževanje čebelarsko-turističnega vodnika. Trenutno ta tema ni v ospredju, mi pa seveda vsako znanje prav pride.
M: Seveda, veliko je možnosti, sploh ker se neprestano izpopolnjuješ. Kot vem imaš tudi licenco za vodenje po Mestnem muzeju Ljubljana in Narodnem muzeju Slovenije.
T: Res je, rada se konstantno izobražujem, ne le zato, ker izobraževanja odpirajo nove možnosti dela, ampak tako tudi pridobivam nove veščine in znanja iz različnih področij.
M: Imaš različna tematska vodenja – nad tvojo turo po francoski Ljubljani sem navdušena! Nam lahko poveš kaj več o tem?
Seveda. Ustvarila sem že nekaj tematskih tur, ki jih tudi nadgrajujem in izpopolnjujem. Ker vodim francosko govoreče goste, so me zanimale zgodbe povezane s Francijo in Francozi. In tako sem začela raziskovati in nastala je cela tura – »Po sledeh Francozov v Ljubljani«.
Nato so sledile nove ideje in s tem nove ture. Ena bolj popularnih in posebnih, ki je požela tudi največ zanimanja je »Erotične zgodbe Ljubljane«.
Naj pa omenim še »Vodne zgodbe Ljubljane« kjer gre za ogled mesta skozi prizmo vode, ki je zelo povezana z mestom Ljubljana. To vodenje lahko izvajam peš ali s kolesom, najbolje pa izpade kombinacija – peš in vožnja z ladjico po Ljubljanici.
M: Torej kot vodnica veliko sodeluješ tudi z ljubljanskimi ladjarji?
T: Ja, dosti vodim tudi ladjice. Sicer pa vodenja izvajam večinoma peš, nekaj tudi s kolesom.
M: Po katerih turah pa imaš največ povpraševanja?
T: Največ je seveda klasike, se pravi večina si želi najprej videt glavne znamenitosti. Izvajam pa vedno več tudi »food ture« oziroma gastronomska doživetja in se trenutno izpopolnjujem na vinskem področju. Lani sem naredila tečaj za sommelierja začetnika, da bi znala gostom povedati kaj več o vinu, nato pa se navdušila in naredila še za sommelierja 1. stopnje.
Je pa ta vinska tematika tudi ena zanimiva zgodba, saj prihajam iz kmetije, kjer smo imeli tudi vinograd in pridelovali vino. In po spletu okoliščin me je pot vodila na Erazmus prakso v Mednarodno organizacijo za vinsko trto in vino in tako je bila tema moje diplome jezikovna primerjava dveh revij s področja vina in vinske trte. Desetletje kasneje se pa znajdem na tečaju za sommelierja.
M: Ali v zimskem času, ko je manj obiska, nabiraš energijo in študiraš za nove ture?
T: Oboje. Kak bolj ležeren mesec čisto paše za regeneracijo in vse tiste stvari za katere med sezono ni časa. Rada imam november, ko se vse malo umiri, ko lahko grem na dopust, pa malo več v hribe in preberem zvečer kakšno knjigo. Se pa počasi sedaj že začenja nova sezona. Trenutno je veliko italijanskih skupin srednješolcev.
M: Kaj te najbolj veseli pri opravljanju tega poklica?
T: Če se malo pošalim, bi lahko rekla, da je najboljše pri vodenju to, da delamo z ljudmi v najlepšem delu leta, ko so na dopustu in so večinoma veseli in sproščeni. Od nekdaj sem uživala v tem, da sem lahko nekomu predstavila znamenitosti Ljubljane. Poleg tega pri delu uporabljam veliko več jezikov kot če bi poučevala v šoli, namreč po poklicu sem profesorica francoščine in italijanščine. In tako imam stik z različnimi ljudmi in kulturami.
M: Kaj pa so izzivi?
T: Najbolj stresno je, če gosti zamujajo, saj to lahko vpliva na druge obveznosti. Seveda se z izkušnjami vodniki naučimo tudi v omejenem času profesionalno in kvalitetno izpeljati vodenje. Je pa vodenje najbolj prijetno ko z obiskovalci pride do prijetne interakcije in izmenjave energije.To mi daje zadovoljstvo in zagon za naprej.
M: Tanja, najlepša hvala za ta pogovor. Želim ti še vrsto prijetnih vodenj in zanimivih gostov.
T: Najlepša hvala tudi tebi za tvoj čas in vprašanja.
Telefon: 031 449 981
Email: [email protected]
FB stran: facebook.com/tanjaljubljanaguide
IG: tanja_wanders_slovenia
🇬🇧 M: Hello, Tanja! We've known each other for a while now, but I haven’t yet heard your story. What brought you into the world of guiding?
T: Well, it’s an interesting story. When I was studying languages, people often asked me, "Are you going to work as a guide?" But at the time, I didn’t have any ambitions in that direction. Then, I worked at the Gallery Rustika, where I met a guide named Vid who encouraged me, saying I’d be a perfect guide. That’s when I started to thing about it seriously.
M: Did you immediately decide to pursue a Ljubljana guide license?
T: I had some ideas already back in 2015, but I was still finishing my studies. I finally took the course in 2018 and received my license in early 2019. It took me a little longer because I did the licence in five languages.
M: In addition to guiding French-speaking guests, you also guide in Italian and Spanish, right?
T: Yes, I guide in five languages: Slovenian, English, French, Italian, and Spanish.
M: We met at the apitourism guide course. This means you have another license in addition to the Ljubljana one. How has that course benefited you?
T: Currently, I’m not actively involved in apitourism, but the beekeeping theme is close to my heart. As a student, I worked for Slovenian companies at a beekeeping fair in Piacenza, Italy, where I met beekeepers. At one occasion, two French beekeepers asked me to accompany them to the Slovenian Beekeeping Association and visit some local beekeepers. That experience left a strong impression on me, so I decided to take the apitourism guide course. While it’s not at the forefront of my work right now, all knowledge is useful in the end.
M: That’s true, and there are always so many possibilities, especially since you're constantly seeking to improve yourself. I also know you have a guide license for the Ljubljana City Museum and the National Museum of Slovenia.
T: Yes, that’s correct! And I also do enjoy constantly learning and improving myself. That not only opens up new job opportunities, but it also provides me with new skills and knowledge across different fields.
M: You offer a variety of thematic tours – I'm particularly thrilled by your "French Ljubljana" tour! Can you tell us more about it?
T: Of course! I’ve created several thematic tours, and I’m always working to improve them. Since I guide French-speaking guests, I was interested in stories related to France and the French in Ljubljana. That’s how I came up with the idea for the "Following the Steps of the French in Ljubljana" tour.
From there, more ideas followed, leading to new tours. One of the most popular and unique ones is "Erotic Stories of Ljubljana," which has garnered a lot of attention.
I also have "Water Stories of Ljubljana," where we explore the city from a water perspective, since water is so closely connected to Ljubljana’s history. This tour can be done on foot or by bike, but the best experience combines both walking and a boat ride on the Ljubljanica River.
M: As a guide, do you collaborate often with Ljubljana’s boat companies?
T: Yes, I frequently guide boat tours. Most of my tours are on foot, but sometimes I also do bike tours.
M: Which tours do you get the most demand for?
T: Of course, the classic tours are the most popular. Most guests want to see the main attractions first. However, I’m also doing more and more "food tours" and I’m currently perfecting my knowledge of wine. Last year, I took a beginner’s sommelier course so I could tell more about wine to my guests, and I was so fascinated by it that I went on to complete the Sommelier Level 1.
The wine theme is actually quite personal for me. I come from a farm that had a vineyard and produced wine. By chance, my path led me to an Erasmus internship at the International Organization of Vine and Wine, and my diploma thesis was a linguistic comparison of two magazines in the wine industry. So, it’s funny how a decade later, I find myself taking a sommelier course.
M: In the winter, when there's less tourist, do you take time to recharge and study for new tours?
T: Both. It is great to have some calm months an being able to do things I don’t have time for during the season. I really enjoy November, when everything calms down a bit. It’s a great time to go on vacation, spend more time in the mountains, and read a book in the evenings. But new season is slowly starting now, and I’ve been guiding a lot of Italian high school groups recently.
M: What’s the most rewarding part of your work?
T: If I may joke a bit, I’d say the best part of guiding is working with people at the best time of the year when they’re on vacation, and mostly happy and relaxed. I’ve always enjoyed showing people around Ljubljana and sharing its sights with them. Plus, I get to use a lot more languages than I would if I were teaching at school – I’m actually a teacher of French and Italian. So, I get to connect with people from different cultures.
M: And what are the biggest challenges?
T: The most stressful part is when guests are late, as it can affect other commitments. However, with experience, guides learn to work within time constraints and still deliver a professional and high-quality tour.
As a tourist guide I most enjoy an interaction with guests and to exchange positive energy. That’s what gives me satisfaction and motivation to keep going.
M: Tanja, thank you so much for this conversation. I wish you many more enjoyable tours and interesting guests.
T: Thank you very much for your time and thoughtful questions as well.
Phone: 00386 (0) 31 449 981
Email: [email protected]
FB stran: facebook.com/tanjaljubljanaguide
IG: tanja_wanders_slovenia
Društvo regionalnih turističnih vodnikov Slovenije, deluje z namenom izboljševanja kvalitete dela
