Having a solid understanding of travellers’ interests is essential. Whether they want to see more of a city or are interested in local food markets, tour guides should be flexible enough to incorporate the needs of each individual group.
Guests don’t want to listen to dry and boring history lessons, they want to learn interesting details about the destinations they visit. They also love it when guides can make them laugh.
1. You Get to Explore New Places
For those that enjoy travelling, working as a tour guide gives you the opportunity to see a lot of new places. It also allows you to meet a lot of different people and make new friends.
Being a tour guide requires you to have strong communication skills. You need to be able to explain historical facts in an interesting way and captivate your audience. This can be challenging for some, especially if you are not a naturally outgoing person.
A tour guide needs to be willing to learn new things and be open to new ideas. This is because you never know what other people will bring to the table and you need to be able to adapt to their needs and interests. This could mean learning how to speak several languages or reading up on architectural styles and funny historical facts. You may even become an expert on Corinthian columns or traditional eating habits of multiple countries to offer your guests a more unique experience.
2. You Get to Meet New People
One of the best things about being a tour guide is that you get to meet so many new people. It’s a great job for extroverts, as you are around people all day and often in front of them.
A good guide knows how to break the ice with a group and make everyone feel comfortable. They’re also punctual, which is a must for any travel company; if guests show up 20 minutes late to their tour, they’re going to be frustrated and your brand will suffer.
A good guide can also tell a story with the buildings and sights they’re showing you. It makes the experience more enjoyable and memorable. They’re also able to persuade guests to spend more money by upselling, but they do this in a way that feels friendly and not pushy, browse around this website.
3. You Get to Travel the World
You will meet people from all over the world on your tours and you’re likely to stay in touch with them once they go home. If you’re travelling yourself you’ll have a whole network of best friends from your tours ready to show you their home towns and offer a free couch to sleep on.
Tour guides are responsible for ensuring the safety of their guests throughout their experience. This includes providing first-aid assistance, addressing any guest concerns and making necessary accommodations for special needs. They also ensure that they’re following local protocols for things like treating locals with respect and not touching or taking any protected flora and fauna from nature.
To do a good job, they need to have excellent communication skills and be able to work well under pressure. Plus, they need to be able to think on their feet and adjust the tour when things go wrong. This isn’t an easy thing to do!
4. You Get to Make a Difference
As a tour guide, you have the unique opportunity to influence your guests and teach them how to act as responsible tourists. Every city has pet peeves that they wish tourists would avoid, and it’s up to tour guides to educate their guests on the best ways to behave during a visit.
Punctuality is a must-have trait for tour guides, as the first few minutes of a tour can make or break the overall experience. If a tour begins with an unorganized check-in process or a guide who is late to meet their guests, it can set the stage for how disappointed they’ll feel throughout the rest of the tour.
Great tour guides know how to break the ice by engaging their audience with humor and taking a personal interest in each guest. They’re also able to provide valuable information about the area without sounding dry or boring. The result is a more enjoyable and memorable experience for their guests.
