Tour Guide Training - International Guide

Tour Guide Training - International Guide: "Travel Leader"
What does a Travel Leader really do? Are they supposed to be paid or simply be someone who travels for nothing in exchange for a free trip. Well as far as I am concerned the old cliché holds true. Nothing in life is free! A Travel Leader is a hard job and a "free vacation" it is not. Travel Leaders are expected to be a friend, mentor, doctor, and even psychologist. We host parties, take people to hospital, secure the best rooms in the hotel and even look after diet requests. We fight with hotel personnel, restaurant managers and coach drivers all in the name of our guests comfort. Does this sound like a free trip? Not to me. The job is actually very difficult and can have a lot of legal implications as well. A Tour Leader could end up in court if a passenger blamed a problem on them. How do you protect yourself? Well liability insurance helps, but more importantly how about avoid being blamed for a problem.

Tour Leading is a great career but, not without its downsides. Do it right and do it well. All the best in your travels!


Kay

I often wonder about what it would be like to be a Tour Guide in a bus crash. I wonder about the loneliness of being hurt and by myself. Having recently smashed up my car traveling alone, and feeling scared and hurt, I wonder how I would feel with a group of clients around me. I can't imagine wanting to be left alone any more! I would just want the moment to be about my getting well, of course the tour guides needs are not relevant on the trip!

Here is an interesting article about a bus crash in California involving French and Canadian tourists. Pretty scary. It seems that the driver was pretty bad. At what point do we as a guide insist the driver is pulled?

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/06/24/20090624buscrash24-ON.html

Kirsten Snowdon
www.traintheguides.com