Tour Guide Course
X Factor tour guide qualities – X Factor talent tips for tour guides!
Get work as a tour guide and see the world. Click here for an insider’s tips – be a great tour director and get well-paid tour leading jobs.
Be a cut above the rest… ‘go the extra mile’…increase your gratuities and tips…..exceed expectations and earn more
For example
- fill out departure cards for each member of the group and hand out before they leave. They will appreciate not having to do this mundane and time-consuming task themselves. You can pick up a pile of these cards at the airport while waiting for your group to arrive
- make a note of any hobbies and interests and keep these in mind when you plan any excursions. Artists often appreciate an opportunity to sketch interesting buildings, people or scenery – choose rendezvous points accordingly and advise them in advance
- gourmets and ‘bon viveurs’ appreciate being told of especially good restaurants offering local specialities or fine wines – give them the opportunity to visit these
- teachers may want to see local schools – arrange visits if possible
- arrange or suggest excursions, outdoor and night time activities that suit the interests and personalities of your group
- have plenty of change – it is sometimes difficult for clients to get small denomination notes from currency exchanges
- on arrival at each destination give out hotel cards in the local language for clients to use in taxis or when asking directions
- prepare sketch maps of areas to be visited showing clearly the accommodation and any places of interest and give these out with a map of the area
- fill in the tour name, reference number, your name as tour guide and the date on their tour evaluation report sheets to save them time – they usually won’t want to spend more than 10-20 minutes on this
Maintain a positive attitude at all times, especially in the face of a setback. If you don’t make a situation into a crisis, that’s one less thing for the group to worry about – they are on holiday, remember.
Deal with unforeseen circumstances promptly and with authority – don’t dither or change your mind frequently.
Use humour; be supportive; initiate impromptu gestures – none of these cost money and you can make a real difference to the quality of a holiday.
Take care of the group’s safety and well being, address their concerns as quickly as you can and always take them seriously: you may have heard them before but this is probably first time around for your group. For example, they may ask what seem to you to be ‘silly’ questions. Keep your observations about this to yourself!
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