On the Road Again
Touring a new city sounds like fun—you have dozens of thrilling landmarks, all sorts of history to learn, and new paths to walk. The thing is, a tour is only as fun as its guide, and not everyone is cut out to lead. We want you to be as safe and comfortable as possible on your next trip, so we’ve narrowed down a few ways you can spot a great (or horrible) tour guide!
1. Lack of Knowledge
Tourists need, and deserve, a proper guide. First and foremost, they need to have insider knowledge about the town, where they take you, and historic sites that people yearn to see. If they only have information you could find on Google, it’s not a good sign.
2. General Disinterest
Of course, what’s a tour guide without a little passion? You can always tell when someone isn’t interested in a topic, and it’s even worse when you’re stuck with them for a few hours. Real tour guides get excited to show you around—they don’t just go through the motions.
3. Trying to Hustle You for Money
Is anything more uncomfortable than knowing someone wants your money? Well, maybe: strangers who want your money make us feel even worse. It’s easy to feel guilty if you don’t tip, but only sleazy guides demand what’s in your money belt.
4. Focus on Typical Spots
While you obviously want to reach popular tourist destinations, a real tour guide ventures off the beaten path. It’s never good when they only bring you to the busiest spots in town, especially since they’re crowded, noisy, and full of money-grabbers.
Chastagner Thierry on Unsplash
5. Poor Organization
If you’re going to lead, you need to be organized. Everything from the itinerary to a curated list of hot spots should be planned well in advance. No one wants to tail a tour guide who just makes it up as they go.
6. Awkward “Joking”
Tour guides need to be personable—but you don’t want them in your business. If they make awkward jokes, single you out, or even hit on members of your group, you’re dealing with a pretty slimy guide.
7. Ignoring the Group
During a tour, the group’s comfort is most important. While your guide can’t read minds, they can read situations. They should avoid overly crowded spots. They shouldn’t take you to noisy, polluted areas, especially with children in tow. More than anything, they should keep you safe.
8. They Can’t Answer Your Questions
It’s one thing to memorize a script, but real knowledge is different. Anyone can remember a blurb from Google; real tour guides can answer any question with ease, always ready to have a legitimate conversation about their passions.
9. No Real Engagement
You might not want tour guides violating your space, but you don’t want a quiet robot either. Guides should be personable, welcoming everyone in the group, and making sure people are engaged. The last thing you want is to follow someone who looks bored or annoyed.
10. Disrespectful Behavior
It doesn’t matter what the guide’s personal views are—they need to remain professional. No cracks about historic monuments, no uncomfortable “jokes,” and definitely no off-handed remarks about culture.
With some negative behavior out of the way, let’s explore a few green flags every tour guide has!
1. Personal Anecdotes
You want your guide to have in-depth knowledge of the city. Whether they grew up there or learned to love it after moving, personal anecdotes show the group that a guide really cares about what they’re doing. They’re also a great way to have everyone bond.
2. They’re Funny
Who doesn’t love funny people? Despite all the incredible sights, tours are a little nerve-wracking—funny guides make everything better. They loosen you up and help you out of your comfort zone, which makes the whole experience more enjoyable.
3. Multilingualism
While it’s not always a must, it is nice when tour guides speak more than one language. You never know who will join your group, and multilingual countries draw all sorts of people from around the world. It’s just nice when everyone feels included.
4. Legitimate Interest
You can always tell when someone’s fired up about something. Their eyes light up, they excitedly point out tourist spots, and they have all kinds of information on the area. The right guide has all that and then some.
5. Impeccable Storytelling
Tourist spots are a lot more than the Statue of Liberty or a national park—it’s all about history. It may not have been your favorite subject in school, but a great guide knows how to make facts fun. If you’re lucky, they might even weave incredible stories from even the most mundane landmarks.
6. Leadership
It’s not easy being a leader. However, the best tour guides know how to keep the group safe. They won’t lead you into dangerous situations. They won’t let people break off from the herd. And they definitely won’t guide you into heavily pickpocketed areas without warning you.
7. Insider Knowledge
Ideally, your tour guide has been living in the country all their lives. That means they should have plenty of recommendations for restaurants, book stores, and even areas to avoid. You can read all the brochures you want—only tour guides have the inside track.
8. First Aid Training
You never know when disaster will strike; you can’t always count on a doctor in your group to save the day. Great tour guides, on the other hand, will have first aid training should anything go awry.
9. Respectful Communication
A good guide reads the room. They know how to include people and when to pull back on jokes. They also know how to clearly engage with everyone, so the whole group feels comfortable. Most importantly, they won’t cross your boundaries.
10. Adaptability
Who knows what Mother Nature has in store? Maybe your group runs into a closed landmark. Someone may need to go to the bathroom mid-tour. Whatever the case, your guide can adapt and still make things fun.
