START & RUN A TOUR GUIDING BUSINESS
Barbara Braidwood, Susan Boyce, & Richard Cropp
Self-Counsel Press
(a division of)
International Self-Counsel Press Ltd.
USA Canada
Copyright © 2012
International Self-Counsel Press
All rights reserved.
Introduction
Imagine a life filled with golden sandy beaches, sparkling ski resorts, priceless art treasures, and exquisite wonders of nature. Glamour! Romance! The adventure of exotic destinations and fascinating people. This week Paris, next week Rome or perhaps Hawaii. On days when you are not globe-trotting, you sport a great tan and are a sought-after guest at parties, where you dazzle everyone with tales of your travels.
Better yet, imagine someone paying you to live this lifestyle!
Sound exciting? You bet it is!
Travel schools, tour operators, and librarians all report that tour guiding is one of the most asked-about careers in the tourism industry. The life of a tour guide or tour director can be fun and rewarding, not to mention thrilling.
This book will give you a realistic idea about what it takes to be a tour director or guide. First we provide some industry background, describe what is involved in tour guiding, and tell you how to get a job as a tour guide or director. Then we give you tips on how to develop your own tours to your favorite destination and outline the planning you must do no matter where you are going. And finally we include a blueprint for the entrepreneur who wants to run a larger organization.
We do recommend you read the whole book. Readers who want a job with a tour company will get a good idea of what problems their employer faces behind the scenes. Knowing how things work and what the issues are can make all the difference to the kind of assignments you get. Entrepreneurs determined to set up a larger tour operation will benefit from learning the daily nitty-gritty of a tour organization.
By the way, if you decide the tour guiding business is perfect for you, you will find yourself being called a —
• tour director,
• tour guide,
• tour escort,
• tour host,
• tour leader, or
• tour manager.
Although the industry has specific definitions for each phrase, these terms are often used interchangeably. In this book we use the term “tour guide” for a person who leads a local day tour and “tour director” for someone who leads a tour that includes at least one night of accommodation.
One caveat: Everything changes in the travel business. We have tried to be accurate but we know that by the time this book goes to press, some item of information that has been the same for the last 20 years will have changed. Rather than relying on this book for every detail, use it to highlight those things you must research for yourself. The facts may change, but the principles will be the same.
1
Before You Quit Your Day Job
1. Why Group Travel?
Group travel is as old as humanity, a heritage passed down from the days of nomadic prehistory. The glorious quests of the Crusaders, the wandering routes of gypsy caravans, the Wild West migrations across North America, even the voyage of Noah’s Ark can all be thought of as group travel.
These groups formed because of common interests, needs, and goals. While it is unlikely (but not impossible) you will ever find yourself in charge of a group whose sole purpose is to recover the Holy Grail, many of the reasons people banded together in the past still apply today. If you want to be successful as a tour professional, it is essential to understand these reasons.
1.1 Convenient, hassle-free travel
The single biggest reason most people choose group travel is because someone else takes care of all the planning. They want a sense of luxury, the feeling that Jeeves or Max is constantly available to attend to minor details and inconveniences.
The word travel is actually related to the French word travailler, meaning “to work.” For people with limited annual vacation time to relax from the stress of today’s work environment, work is the last thing they want to do during their holidays.
Hassle-free travel can be enticing and worth paying for. People expect to be buffered from all worries, including the following specific concerns:
(a) What happens if my plane gets delayed?
(b) I’ve never been here. I’m afraid of getting lost.
(c) I can’t even pronounce anything on the menu. I certainly don’t have any idea what it is. What am I going to eat?
(d) How will I talk to people and make myself understood when I can’t speak the language?
(e) How much should I carry in cash and traveler’s checks? What about my credit cards? Will my bank debit card work?
(f) How much should I tip the waiters and hotel staff? Should I still leave a tip even if the service was lousy?
(g) What kind of clothes will I need? Should I bring formal evening wear or just casual, comfy clothing?
(h) Will the hotel be up to North American standards?
(i) There is so much to see and I don’t want to miss any of it. How will I ever visit everything?
1.2 Companionship
We live in a world of ever-faster travel and communications. Ironically, it is also a world of ever-increasing isolation. Many people travel solo because they have no one to accompany them, and travel becomes a lonely experience. Tours allow travelers to share the joys of experiencing a new destination with other people. If your passion is painting, it is more fun to chat about the wonders of the Louvre with another enthusiast over a cup of cappuccino or a leisurely dinner than to be closeted in a room with no one but room service for company.
1.3 Safety
Safety in numbers may be a cliché, but it is a cliché based on truth. Travel in a foreign city or the wilderness can be dangerous, sometimes even life-threatening, for a solo traveler.
1.4 Affordability
Many first-time tour participants are surprised by the affordability of group travel. Because tour operators receive the benefits of group discounts and repeat booking bonuses, they can often provide first-class packages at economy prices. Costs other than personal spending are known up front, so there are no nasty surprises on arrival in a foreign country. That means additional savings for everyone who can resist the urge to spend three times as much on souvenirs.
1.5 Knowledgeable leader
Group travelers are confident their tour director’s knowledge and experience will help them enjoy all the traditional sights as well as some they might not otherwise see — the “back rooms” of museums and