Tour Guide Careers
The work of a typical tour guide involves meeting tourists for trips, sightseeing or inside information about attractions. Some tour guides also take people on trips ranging from half-day excursions to multi-city international jaunts. Their official work is to share information and relevant anecdotes, and answer questions, but it is just important that they make people feel comfortable on the journey and that they manage to visit the places on the stated itinerary.
Other People Are Reading
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Function
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A tour guide functions as an intermediary between a tour group and an unfamiliar place. Tour guides typically maintain files of information about sights and destinations. Some tour guides also speak multiple languages, at least enough to make arrangements, ask questions and engage in pleasantries. Tour guides also help resolve issues ranging from small problems, such as lost luggage, to major emergencies, such as evacuations for medical care.
Considerations
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To prepare to be a tour guide, it helps to earn a university degree in history and tourism and to have some coursework in languages. One of the official certifications tour guide hopefuls can earn is the National Occupational Certification for tour guides. Some of the qualities and skills that can help a potential tour guide are customer service skills, geographic knowledge, an interest in travel, good time management and cross-cultural experience.
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Types
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Some tour guides do the same activity day in and day out, such as those who are posted at a historic site to share trivia and answer questions. Although these presentations are largely scripted, there is room for creativity and variation depending upon the audience of the tour. Other tour guides may take groups via bus or van to interesting sights. Some tour operators do thematic tours for special interest groups, such as haunted spots of London or sewer tours in Paris. Themed walks, such as tours of neighborhoods of famous authors, are also popular. Some tour operators are also drivers, and may have a taped commentary they play while navigating groups to various spots. Someone may begin a career as a tour guide, and progress to becoming a tour supervisor, then a tour director, then a tour operator and finally an owner and operator of a tour company.
Features
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The common features of effective tour guides include an interest in diverse people, ease with public speaking, excellent interpersonal skills and a sharp memory for facts, dates and events. Depending upon the type of tours the guide offers, it can help to have an interest in and knowledge of the arts, history, architecture and science. Tour guides should know how to tell stories and share information in an interesting way, even though they may be repeating similar information throughout the day.
Expert Insight
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In the book "Selling Destinations: Geography for the Travel Professional," Marc Mancini shares an interesting fact about being a tour operator: "Here's a surprise: If you're in the travel business, you don't really sell travel." He asserts that travel industry professionals sell geography and destinations rather than the journey. Mancini is a professor of travel at West Los Angeles College and has filled his book, often used as a textbook for students interested in pursuing tour guide careers, with insider information on the travel industry.
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