Twists, Turns, And Tuk Tuks: Ray Snider’s Many Lives

Diplomat, editor, Time reporter, golfer, tuk tuk driver… just who is Ray Snider?

Once a diplomat, Ray Snider swapped the pomp of embassies and the seriousness of high-stakes meetings for a three-wheel tuk tuk, driving tourists around the Reykjavík city sights. On a good day, you might even catch him pointing out his favourite ice cream shop, all with the same diplomatic finesse he once reserved for international negotiations. But forget his other titles for a moment — this summer gig has Ray smiling more than any diplomatic summit ever could.

Raymond Snider, 72, an editor; former diplomat and journalist

I’m a former U.S. diplomat, married to an Icelander. We met in Albania 20 years ago when I was working at the U.S. Embassy. We lived in Brussels for many years, where we both worked at NATO headquarters. Seven years ago, my wife and I decided to move to Iceland.

“I was hired on the spot, given the keys to a tuk tuk the next day, and have been happily driving it for the last six weeks.”

My main job post-retirement from the diplomatic corps is as an editor and consultant at the two universities here in Reykjavík. I edit the papers, mainly with the business department — basically fixing the English. Icelanders speak very well from age five to 55, but they sometimes need help when they write. Before joining the diplomatic corps, I worked as a journalist for Time magazine, so I have a lot of experience in writing things in a simple, clear way.

My sidelines are two, actually. Firstly, I’ve been recruited by the OSCE/ODIHR elections office based in Poland, to work as an observer for international elections. Earlier this year, I went to Azerbaijan. I hope to do more of that in the near future.

But the sideline that’s the most fun is driving and guiding tuk tuk tours. Many people know tuk tuks from their time in Asia, where they’re typically used as taxi cabs. While those are gasoline-powered, ours are battery-powered, making them very environmentally friendly. It’s obviously a summertime thing, focused on cruise ship passengers.

Kicking off in a tuk tuk

I’ve always had an itch to get into the tourist trade in Iceland, because I’m an internationalist. I speak fluent French and Spanish from my previous assignments as a diplomat in Latin America and Europe. When my wife and I moved back to Iceland, we actually wanted to buy a small hotel, but she talked me out of it. She said, “No, Ray, too risky. With this tourist thing, you never know.”

We actually met with the owner of a hotel and came relatively close to buying it about six months before Covid hit. If we had bought the hotel, I would probably be bankrupt now.

I was toying around with the idea of working in a hotel, being a manager of a restaurant or a hotel. I had really no experience in tourism, but I had a lot of experience dealing with people of different cultures. Frankly, what happened in June was that I saw a job advertisement on the internet: “We need guide drivers for a tuk tuk.” I called up the owner, the man who placed the ad, and we had a very nice chat. I was hired on the spot, given the keys to a tuk tuk the next day, and have been happily driving it for the last six weeks.

Cruising with a diplomat

Going to meet the cruise ships and take the passengers on these fun, one and a half hour tours of Reykjavík is our bread and butter. We are not a taxi cab; we’re not taking people from point A to point B. We’re taking them on a tour. We need to know the history, the land, and how to deal with the traffic. We need to be safe and keep them entertained. For me, it’s a fun gig that ticks many boxes.

People who get off the cruise ships are of every nationality. In the last week, for example, I’ve driven Australians, Israelis, Germans, Swiss, Brits, Americans, and Canadians. You never know who will get in your tuk tuk. It’s a very international job.

I actually use my diplomatic skills as a tuk tuk driver. For example, yesterday, I had four tours of four people each. I took them around downtown, down to the harbour, up Grandi, to Hallgrímskirkja — showed them the main sights. I had four Israelis in my tuk tuk, but only one of them spoke English. My Hebrew is zero. So what I would do is talk to the one Israeli whose English was quite good and speak as I did as a diplomat when I didn’t know the language, or my interlocutor was not fluent in English: simple sentences, carefully chosen words, nothing too fancy. I’d let him absorb it and then translate for the others. That’s the art of diplomacy — being concise, clear, and making things comfortable for everybody.

“For the first time in my life, I’m receiving money tips, not giving them.”

We offer pre-booked tours and have total capacity for only 16 people at a time, for about a two-hour window. We can do a maximum of four trips a day. Plus, we need to go back to recharge our batteries. I usually work three days out of every seven, and some days I have two tours, while other days I have four. Once, I had five.

The demographics of cruise ships skews older, but we do have a mix. I’ve had families and I’ve had the elderly, a couple of days ago I had a 96 year old man. I’ll tell you one thing — I really have gotten more respect for the elderly than I had before.

Ray keeps it rolling

Back when I was running a couple of embassies and a NATO office, I had chauffeurs. I wouldn’t call it humbling, but it’s like going back in time. For the first time in my life, I’m receiving money tips, not giving them.

My favourite thing is getting out and about, meeting people and not acting like an old retired guy. The thing that I don’t like the most is the weather. It’s too fickle; it changes every hour. I had no appetite to go out on a day like today — rainy, windy, grey. Because the passengers would be unhappy. When we go out when it’s sunny, it’s great, and obviously people’s moods are better. If it’s a day like today, it’s just not very appetising to go out and walk around. Last week, we had everything but snow. It’s been a bit insane. What a lousy summer it’s been weather-wise!

Fancy a tuk tuk tour guided by a former diplomat? Book yours at: tuktuktours.is

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