I have been lucky enough over the past few years to spend a lot of time talking with Michael Idriss (now the African American Interpretive Fellow at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia) about the impact of tours. It's a huge responsibility that not many tour operators or tour guides take on,
Giving options is a dangerous road to walk as a guide. I’ve seen the most well-intentioned guides completely lose control of their tour, for example, guests getting it into their heads that they can request whatever catches their eye on a food tour. Prefer to listen & watch? This article has
A lot of guides are resistant to doing 'housekeeping' on a tour (the boring start-of-tour business like when the tour will end, safety information, etc) but it might be the reason your guests are having trouble paying attention. Prefer to listen & watch? This article has a video version. Video please
We often assume that defining moments are accidental luck, something so special that it couldn’t have been planned. But what if I told you that special moments COULD be prepared ahead of time, and even reused again and again? Prefer to listen & watch? This article has a video version. Video
Guest Post by Prachi Thakur on being inclusive. Inclusion is the new buzzword, and everyone wants to get on board by making their trips inclusive. As our industry stands on the selling point of diversity, it is essential that you incorporate a few minor changes to become more inclusive and be closer
The biggest mistake I see is taking in-person tours and converting them to virtual. Prefer to listen & watch? This article has a video version. Video please Virtual tours are, by nature, different. From how they're consumed, to how guests can interact, to the price point you can
Two of the most difficult parts of virtual tours are (1) learning how to adjust your in-person skills and (2) engaging your guests. In this article for Indie Travel, I offer some tips on how to make a virtual tour engaging. See the full article on Indie Travel. Read here
In all the work I’ve done, one of my absolute favorite things is creating guide conferences. If you’ve never been to one, that’s because they’re rare outside of the few offered by various tour guide associations. Check out the Guide Week site. (And use TRIPKINETICS for $10 off) Guide Week
The use of tours for education is not something tour guides should take lightly. And while I mention often that we should make an effort to reveal a more diverse history on our tours…we should also take care with the more common history. Prefer to listen & watch? This article has
Arriving at least 15 minutes early to your experience can help you get ahead of most challenges that might pop up on your tour. Prefer to listen & watch? This article has a video version. Video please Showing up early is not just for the guests! By being proactive with