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As more tourists travel around the world, the need for qualified tour guides will remain steady through 2014. More travelers are choosing tours with a particular interest. And ecotourism and wilderness tourism are growing in popularity. This means that there is plenty of work to be done by tour guides all year long. Here’s what you should know about a career as a tour guide. Here’s how to choose the best tour guide job for you. In addition to being well-trained, you should also have some experience.
As a tour guide, you will spend a few hours with a group and deliver detailed commentary about the sights and history of a place. This type of job is part of the “day tour” industry, which is also known as “Tours & Attractions”. Some examples of day tours include wine tasting tours of Sonoma’s Wine Country, rafting trips down the Colorado River, or walking tours of Greenwich Village. Alternatively, you can hire a local tour guide to add the flavor of your home country to a large-group tour.
Having excellent interpersonal skills is essential if you’re considering a career as a tour guide. A good guide can be patient with tourists and answer questions in an engaging way. As a tour guide, you’ll be expected to be dependable and reliable. You’ll need to keep track of how many people are on a tour, and you’ll need to know how to deal with customers who want to check their social media pages after the trip. You’ll also need to know how to deal with people who might have special needs, and you might need to educate your audience on proper etiquette and other important things to remember while traveling.
Tour guides also need to be flexible and adaptable. Unexpected circumstances will arise and they’ll need to be flexible. Whether it’s inclement weather, a delay in transportation, a reservation mishap, or a weather issue, there will be many occasions when they’ll need to think on their feet. It’s essential that tour guides have the flexibility to react to all of these situations and find solutions quickly and efficiently. If you don’t, you’ll be putting your guests at risk.
Typically, tour guides need a high school education. However, they may need to have a valid driver’s license or a college degree if they’re planning to work with international tourists. In addition to education, some tour guides have specialized training and have an education in a specific field, such as museum tours or historic sites. There are also many other opportunities to become a tour guide, so you should make sure you choose wisely.
Tours can be short or long. Usually, organized tours have a specific itinerary and a tour guide that leads the group. In this way, they can teach you about the history, culture, and geography of a place. However, if you’re traveling alone, hiring a tour guide can be expensive. Tour guides charge a fee per day or trip, not per person. So, you may want to consider purchasing a quality guidebook and reading information about the site beforehand.
