5 Tips Plus the All Holy Grail Tour Guide Tip for Running a Successful Trip

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to live a tour guide life? To be in charge of a group of people in a foreign land; where they go, what they see, what they eat and how they spend their time. You alone can have a large impact on a group of people's experiences and help create the memories of their trips which they go home to share with their friends and family. It is a job not to be taken lightly.

I am going on my fifth year of running tours for American volleyball teams in Europe, and over the years I have accumulated a lot of adventures, made many mistakes, taken wrong turns, but accumulated a lot of priceless experiences.

On my last tour, I had a parent volunteer to be a "Tour Guide in Training" for the duration of the trip. He requested a Top 5 Tour Guide list. At first, it started as a joke, but when I started to think about all that I have learned from leading Americans through foreign countries over the years, it really got me to thinking of putting down my big 5 in writing.

Needless to say, my assistant tour guide was flourishing by the end of the trip, as he kept the list in his back pocket and put it to practice daily. We both helped each other become better on that trip.

If you ever find yourself leading a group; whether you're elected from your group of friends to plan a trip, or for strangers, follow these 5 tips plus the big all holy grail tour guide tip for running a successful trip.

5. NAVIGATION

Know where you are going. There isn't a worse feeling, and you quickly lose credibility, when you have a group of 20 plus people following you and have to ask them to turn around and back track.

4. BE CONVINCING

If you don't know the answer to the question, "What is that building?", make it up. And make it convincing. Then go research, what that was so you know for the next time.

3. COMPASSION

You can never ask, "How are you doing?" and, "How was it?", too many times. Make your people feel they are cared for and comfortable.

2. TIMLINESS

If you're on time, you're late. You should always be at least 5 minutes early to the meeting point. Your group will always be 5 minutes later than the meeting time, the bigger the group the more that time will be pushed over. But I have found the earlier you show up to the departure time, the closer your group is to show up on time as well.

1. CONTROL AND FUN

Have control but most importantly, have fun. The fun will come when your tour is running smoothly; once everyone understands the importance of timeliness and they have respect of their new surroundings and the different rules. The fun can then go off the charts from there.

HOLY GRAIL TIP:

If you make a mistake, own it. From my experience, if you mess something up, no matter how big or small (because it will happen), your people will respect you more and be more inclined to move on, if you admit your mistake instead of trying to blame it on some other cause outside of yourself.

May your tour groups be open to new experiences, your adventures full of laughter, your navigating skills on point and you create stories that last a lifetime.

xoxo

Going Places With Guru