Tour Guide Training - A Chance To Get Paid To Travel

Whenever people are asked in a survey what they would do with their time if they had additional financial resources, the majority usually state they would travel. Sadly, for most, they may not ever get a chance to fulfill their dream. There are some, however, who realize that they can accomplish their desire to travel by doing tour guide training and becoming a tour director. 

There are a lot of tour guide jobs in the travel and tourism sector. Opportunities are available in sightseeing and bus tours, adventure tours, sporting tours, and cruise ship excursions both within the United States and internationally. If you train as a tour director, you can work as a cruise host, but you also have the potential to be in a management position with a tour company. You can work for tour operators, destination management companies and event planners.

One of the great things about the travel and hospitality industry is, there are a variety of jobs available that are suited for people from various backgrounds. The three things that you should possess if you want to be successful in this field are; a love for travel, enjoy working with people and the required training in travel and tourism. Some have traveled extensively before starting and others just have the desire to travel. Some tour guides work on a part-time basis during school vacations or after retirement. Others work full-time as tour directors or may travel on cruise ships around the world. Getting your training as a tour guide is essential for you to become a good tour director.

You can earn your certificate as tour director by doing it at a community college, university or taking the course online. The top online courses offer the option of getting credit for the course through an accredited local college or university. Remember to examine the background of the instructor who is doing your training. You would ideally want to find someone with over ten years of travel experience and has worked as a cruise host and international tour director. They should have extensive tour guide training experience.

A tour director training course that is highly regarded should last about six weeks. The course should include the expectations, requirements, and procedures that are involved in tour directing and guiding, also techniques for group management, creating and delivering interesting narration and how to handle any challenges that may arise. In addition, it should also go in-depth about pre-tour planning, multi-day tours, facing emergencies anywhere in the world, and governmental regulations and procedures.   Lastly, a good tour guide training course will explore the career opportunities available for a tour director, which opportunities are the right fit for your needs and interests, and how to write a proper resume, network, and interview for travel jobs.
To get paid to travel is a dream job, and with the right tour guide training, it is possible to make that dream come true.