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What Does it Take to Be a Travel Guide?

Occupation Description Plan, organize, and conduct long distance travel, tours, and expeditions for individuals and groups.

Life As a Travel Guide: What Do They Do?

Resolve any problems with itineraries, service, or accommodations.
Give advice on sightseeing and shopping.
Evaluate services received on the tour, and report findings to tour organizers.
Pay bills and record checks issued.
Provide tourists with assistance in obtaining permits and documents such as visas, passports, and health certificates, and in converting currency.
Sell travel packages.

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Things a Travel Guide Should Know How to Do

When polled, Travel Guides say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.

Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.

Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Destination Coordinator
River Expedition Guide
Tour Director
Mountain Bike Guide
Guide

Are There Job Opportunities for Travel Guides?

There were about 3,600 jobs for Travel Guide in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 5.6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 200 new jobs for Travel Guide by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 600 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Travel Guide are Maryland, Utah, and Iowa. Watch out if you plan on working in North Carolina, Washington, or District of Columbia. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Tools & Technologies Used by Travel Guides

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Travel Guides:

Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Office
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Outlook
Web browser software
Microsoft Access
Word processing software
Data visualization software
Facebook
Tableau
Global Positioning System GPS software
Financial accounting software
Customer information databases
Travel Agent CMS

Becoming a Travel Guide

What education or degrees do I need to become a Travel Guide?

How many years of work experience do I need?

You May Also Be Interested In…

Those thinking about becoming a Travel Guide might also be interested in the following careers:

Those who work as a Travel Guide sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:

References:

Image Credit: Bblackpsu via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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