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Get to know Venus de Milo, Liberty Leading the People, and Napoleon's Coronation like never before

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That Dam Guide

Amsterdam private tours.

walking, driving, museums, history, windmills, countryside, tulips & red light

• Hour Glass 3 hours

Amsterdam Walking Tour

Start your stay with a 3 hour guided walk and get an overview of the history, culture, layout as we explore the old city center and its elegant canal belt and you learn tips for enjoying the city like a local.

• Info Countryside
• Hour Glass 6 hours

Amsterdam Windmill Tour

Meander along tree-lined lanes, past cow studded fields. Explore an old Dutch town, a family farm, and a 400-year-old working windmill and see beautiful Holland countryside.

Keukenhof Tulip Tours

Ogle at the magnificent Keukenhof Gardens with its millions of flowers and more types of tulips than you ever imagined. We find flower fields in bloom for photo ops and tuck into a tasty Dutch pancake lunch.

• Info Museum Tour
• Hour Glass 2 hours

Rijksmuseum Tour

Dutch Golden Age Tour – that’s the 1600s, golden for the elite, not so much for anyone else. It was a time of great wealth and focus on the arts and the Rijksmuseum is the best place in the world to see it!

Van Gogh Museum Tour

The Van Gogh Museum has the world’s largest collection of Vincent’s art and shows his remarkable development as an artist from his first steps to his materpieces.

• Hour Glass 2.5 hours

Amsterdam Red Light District Tour

Join a group “Walk & Talk” session at the Prostitution Information Centre or me on a private tour of the area.

Private Tours - Summary and Prices

Here is a summary of all of our tours on one page with a price guide.

Top Amsterdam Private and Small Group Tour Guides

We specialize in Amsterdam walking tours, museum tours as well as countryside, windmill and tulip tours.

Let us take you on a walking tour or one of our day trips and make your visit one to remember!

Find out more about us…

- 2000+ excellent reviews on Tripadvisor -

A RICK STEVES RECOMMENDATION and I myself can't recommend this tour enough. Mark caters to all age groups and interests, and provides you with an unique perspective of Amsterdam. If there is a particular area of history or interest, Mark will personalize the tour just for you. I came into the tour with very little background of Amsterdam, and left with a wealth of knowledge. Mark also takes the time to sit down with you and highlights specific museums, restaurants, and activities on a map that you otherwise would not know of. If you are looking to learn more about Amsterdam as a whole, or if you are already an expert, Mark is sure to teach you something new. As someone who has gone on many walking tours, this was by far the best.

"It was such a great day! Mark took us out into the beautiful Dutch countryside to view and learn about the dykes and how the irrigation system works, then to visit a gorgeous, non-touristy seaside village(so so beautiful and quite a highlight), then to a working farm and then to the windmills with a lovely picnic lunch. Mark was a great guide and so knowledgeable as well as friendly and made everyone feel welcome. It was also great to get off the tourist path and avoid the bus loads of big tours and see something more authentic. I would totally recommend this."

"Lee took us around Amsterdam on the walking tour which was great. She’s definitely knowledgeable, knows her way around the town, gave us great recommendations and made things as comfortable as possible for us. We enjoyed the tour and definitely worth the money."

"After all my travels across Europe, I have become very fond of walking tours. This was hands down the best tour! Mark's tour was addictive! His content was fascinating, and his personality made everything so much fun! I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND doing this on your first day, to better your understanding of all things in Amsterdam!"

"Absolutely loved this tour with Mark! He is a very thorough and considerate guide. I took a picture of something on the tour and he emailed me a picture of that particular building from years ago later that day. This is a great way to learn about Amsterdam and The Netherlands and I highly recommend this small group tour!"

"Bottom line -- if you are going to Amsterdam, you can't get a better introduction to the city than the 3-hour small group walking tour offered by Mark of That Dam Guide. He provides a thorough but nicely paced overview of the city that can serve as the perfect starting point to your Amsterdam vacation. Knowledgeable, friendly, funny -- Mark had it all and we couldn't have been happier with the experience."

"We did both the City Walking tour with Rob and the Red Light District tour with Lee. Both tours were extremely informative. We find that walking tours provide extra insight and information that you wouldn’t find in guidebooks, with the personal touch of engaging and friendly guides. Thoroughly recommend both tours!

18 Best Websites & Apps to Find Local Tour Guides

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If you are looking at this page you are probably looking for recommendations on where to find local tour guides . There are many websites and apps where you can book local tour guides and can sometimes be difficult to find. To save you some time, we have curated a list of websites in order to help you find the best local tour guides who will surely give you an enriching experience.

Websites to Find Local Tour Guides – Worldwide

For an even more convenient way to find local tour guides and compare their deals, check out TourScanner !

• Find local tour guides

Don’t hesitate to comment below if you wish to recommend other websites for local tour guides. Wishing you an excellent time and travel safe!! 🙂

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How to Become a Tour Guide

So, you want to get paid to travel the world? Being a tour guide means you get to travel  while working, be the envy of all your friends, and visit dream destinations all over the globe! You’ll meet people from everywhere, wake up in a different city every other day, and truly become a citizen of the world. But do you know what you are getting yourself into, and what it takes to land one of the best jobs ever? Read on to find out how to become a tour guide! 

Travel to: Europe

Important to note: Though a lot of people living on the road are referred to as tour guides, in some countries, they’re tour leaders, managers, directors… the list goes on! It’s important to know that when you’re looking for travelling job opportunities, many tour guide job advertisements will be looking for licensed city tour specialists, who unlike you will be looking to stay put in one city

See Also: Every Question You've Ever Had About Group Tours

How to become a tour guide

If you’ve decided this is the life for you, but don’t know how to go about getting your foot in the door, here’s a behind-the-scenes sneak peek into what it takes to become a tour guide! 

The pros of this job can’t be counted on just one hand, but becoming tour guide doesn’t mean a permanent vacation. It’s a competitive field, and you’ll have to work hard to keep your coveted role. You need to be dedicated, but you also need to know how to have fun.  You’ll live out of a suitcase, answer hundreds of questions every day, and work with many different personalities and cultures from all over the world. A tour guide is at the heart of a tour and can make or break the experience. Translation: there is no such thing a “bad day.”

Your passengers have saved long and hard to come on your tour, and you need to do everything in your power, every day, to make sure they have the trip of a lifetime (no matter how challenging it might be).  You need to be patient, fierce, tenacious, and most importantly possess a genuine passion for your passengers and profession. Still up for the challenge? Here’s what you need to do next! 

Step 1: Research tour operators in advance

Do your research! It’s important to find a tour operator that aligns with your interests. Are you a history lover that enjoys a relaxed pace of travel with a more mature audience? Or do you prefer non-stop adventure and fast-paced city hopping with today’s youth? No matter the operator there’s a tour style that will fit your own, it’s just a matter of doing your homework to find them. And of course, different operators will require different levels of experience and external certifications depending on where their tours travel and what type of experiences you’d be facilitating as their guide. 

You should also find out how much experience you need for the tour operator you have your eye on. Some tour operators won’t require you to have any previous experience and will instead invest huge amounts of time and money in “auditioning” you. These jobs are highly sought after by many young, enthusiastic adventurers, so the stakes are high. You’ll be looking at 2-3 months without an income, travelling through potentially expensive European cities and without any guarantee you have the job until you’ve passed the finish line! Pretty soon into the process, you’ll find out if you are up to the challenge and whether you have the necessary skills, personality and expertise to make it or break it as a tour guide.

Other tour operators may have much shorter training periods, but will need you to know a lot about the region you want to work in: maybe you’ve lived there for an extended period, or speak the language, or you have a degree related to the culture or history of the region. Your speaking skills will be tested in an interview before training, and finally, some operators will look for individuals that have been  guiding or tour leading for at least a couple of years before they will even consider you. If you’re starting out, wait until you’ve got some solid experience under your belt before reaching out to these companies! 

All in all, it’s important to choose an operator that fits your personality and travels to destinations you feel passionate about! 

Step 2: Remember that it’s both a job  and a lifestyle

Living a life on the road is both a lifestyle and a job. You need to have a consistent passion for learning, relentlessly optimistic outlook and dedication to hard work. If you’re one of the lucky few that lands the job you need to be prepared to give up everything about your old life. You will be on call 24/7, your own needs will always, always,  be the last priority and you’ll find yourself with little to no time to speak with your friends and family back home. If you can make peace with all of the above, then focus on crafting the perfect application, preferably one that touches on your passion for learning, relentlessly optimistic outlook and dedication to hard work.

Spend plenty of time tailoring your application letter and resume to fit the role and the company you’re applying for. Experience with travel, being able to talk about history, culture, art and much much more at a moment’s notice and charisma will help, but  you also need to think about who their audience is! What can you offer this company (that thousands of other applicants can’t) to convince them they are placing their valued customers in the right hands? 

Be confident in selling your skills, especially the ones essential to successfully running a tour. Highlight any professional experiences like being able to perform under pressure, working with groups, and any relevant language or academic knowledge that will help you to stand out. Give examples of past experiences and anything else that will make your application jump off the page.

Step 3: Prepare for the interview process

The interview round depends on the company’s recruitment process. It could be one meeting or a series of meetings. The tour operator wants to see if you are the right fit for them and the real deal. It’s time to convince them that you can put your money where your mouth is. Come prepared with examples in your head, and be prepared for seemingly-random questions that will test your character, initiative, and even your general know how.

Tour operators invest a huge amount in their tour guides. There are very few other jobs in the world where people work so independently of their managers’ presence from the beginning of their employment. Their brand and their customer’s experience is the most important thing to them, and they should have no doubts that you are a superstar who can do the job professionally and support their goals. Get a good night’s sleep before your interview and enter the room calm, confident, and personable.

See Also: Everything Your Tour Guide Wants You to Know Before You Travel

Step 4: Study, study, study!

You’ve been accepted to progress beyond your application submission. Now’s time to get stuck into preparing yourself to become the rookie tour guide of the year! While organisational and personal skills probably come naturally to you, no one, no matter how much they have studied, is prepared for the questions you will face while on your first tour or training trip. And if you hate studying, you may as well peace out now! 

Where is the closest cash machine? What kind of tree is that? When was that building built? What’s the major industry of that little town we just passed?

The more you know about history, culture, food, language, geography, politics, economy, and flora and fauna before heading out on your training trip, and hopefully your first tour, the better. You will never know all the answers, but you’ll learn smooth ways to own up to that, or find out and provide a helpful response shortly after (hello Google), or direct the passenger to where they might find out.

If the company you’ve applied to work with has a training trip before you embark on your first adventure with real, paying clients, they will be doing all they can to replicate every single possible tricky scenario you could come across on tour. Given that you’re applying for one of the most popular jobs in the world, it’s going to be intense, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get maximum satisfaction out of it. Making it to the end of your training is a huge accomplishment in itself. So p repare well, work hard, keep your wits about you and sleep now, because if you do become a tour guide, you can kiss more than six hours of shut-eye per night goodbye! 

Step 5: Preparing for your first tour as a tour guide

You did it! You may have shed blood, sweat and tears to get here but you can finally call yourself a tour guide! It doesn’t matter if you’re  new to this because everyone has to start somewhere. Celebrate the fact that you’re here because experienced touring professionals believe you have what it takes to take passengers on the trip of a lifetime. So have some confidence in yourself. Your colleagues and peers can help you when you need it but focus on the most important thing of all, your passengers! If you gain their respect and they can see you know what you’re doing, you’re well on your way to being a roaring success.

Now that you’re a tour guide, there are a few other things to keep in mind. Your life will change. This isn’t a run of the mill 9 to 5, but if you’re leading a group of tourists towards the pyramids of Giza then you already knew that! Irregular hours means keeping in touch with loved ones or having a routine isn’t easy, but standing at the foot of the world’s greatest wonders will outweigh the crazy hours and lack of routine. If you love what you do, then none of it will feel like a sacrifice, in fact, you might even say all of the above is the best feeling! Not many people can call the world their office or say their day job includes visiting incredible sights and attractions that the rest of us dream about.

Requirements to become a tour guide

Work permits and passport.

Before you begin your application, do a solid check on the work permit requirements. Are you legally able to work in the country where you’ll be touring, or is there a visa or work permit you’ll need?

Before investing your time, heart, and soul in a solid job application, make sure you’ve got the legal parts covered.

See Also: Most Difficult Countries to Get a Visa

When to apply

Most tour operators will hire in preparation for their peak season. If you’re interested in working in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s best to apply around September, as applications will usually close before the new year to have training arranged in the first months of the year.

If you want to work in a region with year-round tourism (such as South East Asia, for example), check with the company to see when they run their training trips, or when is the best time to apply. If you’re lucky, they’ll tell you they can take an application anytime!

If you’d like to work in Australia and New Zealand, applications are generally taken around mid-year in preparation for the summer. As there is more demand for tour guides in summer months in most regions, the operators hire and prepare new tour guides for the peak season. Those tour guides may then apply or request to also have some winter work.

If becoming a tour guide is for you, maybe it’s time to start doing your research on which companies you’d like to apply to! It may seem like a daunting task, but for those suited to the job, it’s a dream come true.

Have any questions about the process? Ask us in the comments below! 

Finally settled down in Vienna after 9 years of leading tours in Europe, Leona first joined TourRadar in 2016. She speaks four languages and enjoys cooking authentic traditional recipes, walking in the hills around Vienna and arranging beer coasters so they're all facing the same way.

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8 Ways to Choose the Perfect Tour Company

Last Updated: November 3, 2023

That idea of tours being bad is an old and outdated perception.

These days tour groups have become more adept at the changing landscape. They feature smaller groups, more authentic experiences, a better environmental impact, and more local guides.

I love group tours.

Even though I am an independent traveler, I find group tours super fun, a great way to meet people, learn more from an informed guide, go to places you normally can’t, and wet your feet in travel. My first trip overseas was on an organized tour. I didn’t know the first thing about travel and that tour gave me the confidence to travel on my own. It was the taste test I needed to become hooked on travel. Tours give a lot of people time to adjust to the “travel lifestyle.”

Unlike in the past, today’s tours are eco-friendly, cater to all travel styles, over cheap, and make a point to use local transportation and guides. And many destinations (like Halong Bay, the Galápagos Islands, the Serengeti, Machu Picchu, Antarctica, Everest) are virtually inaccessible without an organized group tour!

In this article, I am going to tell you how to find the best tour company so you get one that is inexpensive, eco-friendly, provides local guides, and gives back to the local community:

1. Research the costs

With tour companies, it’s not always true that you get what you pay for. Many tour companies nickel-and-dime you, while some are really good at maximizing value for your every penny. Ask how your money is spent to find out if you are really getting the best value for your money. How much of your fee is their overhead? Are you paying for top-notch hotels but staying in two-star guesthouses? You want a company that is transparent with why prices are the way they are.

Moreover, make sure you ask if there are added fees to pay when arrive. Many companies require you to pay additional money when the tour starts or don’t include park or attraction entrance fees. That cheap tour won’t be so cheap if you have to pay for everything while you’re there!

2. Make sure you are the audience 

Is the tour geared toward older couples? Young people? Families? You don’t want to end up on a loud Contiki tour full of drunk twenty-year-olds when all you want is a quiet holiday.

There’s a tour company for everyone — just make sure you don’t end up on one that isn’t yours. Most tour companies list their guest demographics on their “About” page, and you can usually see from the photos of their tours who goes on it.

You can also tell the audience based on accommodation: if it’s hostels or guesthouses, it’s usually for backpackers and budget travelers; if it’s fancy digs, it’s for older travelers and families.

This is very important because these are the people you’ll be traveling with so you want to make sure it’s the kind of people you are traveling with. I’m still friends with the people from my first tour in 2003 because they were people like me. The tour in Japan that was filled with older families? Not so much. We didn’t have much in common. Wonderful people but we didn’t connect.

So, I always look for tours that have my demographic in them.

3. Get local guides

Guides can make or break your trip. They are going to explain everything to you and keep the flow of the tour going. I don’t want them hiring some young kid, non-expert, or someone who doesn’t know the place well. I’ve been on tours where the guide was a walking encyclopedia, and on somewhere the guide was a glorified timekeeper.

Make sure the company uses knowledgeable, local guides. The guide should be a local or at least a long-term resident, know the local language, have travel experience, and know life-saving techniques.

If you are unsure about the guides, call the customer service line and ask them about their guides.

4. Safety record 

Make sure the company follows all the proper safety requirements and is accredited by the local government, the government where they are registered, and any other appropriate trade organizations.

5. A balanced schedule 

You’re paying for them to fill most of your day. How do they do that? Are they doing that? Do they have a lot of activities organized, or do they leave you to your own devices?

That said, you don’t want a schedule that is crammed with things to do. Make sure you get a schedule of all the activities and pick a tour that is balanced. Running around will leave you wishing you had a holiday from your holiday, but you don’t want to be sitting around all day, either.

I love taking small group tours because they generally have a good balance. Any tour that requires you to be on a huge bus and hits 6 cities in 5 days is not a tour to take!

6. Environmental impact

There’s a growing trend among travelers called ecotourism . It’s about more responsible travel, not only toward the environment but also toward the locals in an area. This means using local guides, hotels, and services, and making sure to reduce waste and your footprint on the local habitat.

Moreover, these companies tend to offer better and more interactive tours that also give you a good degree of autonomy.

I think it’s important to pick a company that provides great value and gives back to the place you are visiting. After all, did you go there to ruin it for others? Doubtful.

Check with groups like the International Ecotourism Society for a list of companies that have been certified “eco-friendly.” With so much money pouring into the industry now, you have a lot of companies fraudulently saying they practice ecotourism but end up being involved in terrible labor practices, animal abuse, and waste.

7. Group size

Tour companies that have smaller groups tend to be much more mindful of the environment and the impact they are leaving. It’s a lot easier to meet people in a group of 10-15 than it is in a group of 60. I don’t like to go on tours with more than 15 people on them. However, I have friends who love Contiki tours with 40-50 people. Know what you are getting yourself into, so you don’t find yourself with a group too small or too large for your tastes.

Just remember larger groups tend to stay at bigger, more impersonal accommodations (they can only accommodate the numbers), eat at more touristy restaurants, and tend to travel to more destinations quicker.

In my expert opinion, small group tours are the best.

8. Check their reputation

How have other travelers enjoyed their time? Look for online reviews to see what a company’s reputation is. It might not always be what they claim, and it’s important to find out the truth before you book.

Remember that MOST people only write a review if something goes wrong. Someone might give a tour company one star just because their eggs were runny. Find the average. Someone might hate a tour because the weather was hot. Seriously. These are actual negative reviews from the tour operator company, Thomas Cook:

“On my holiday to Goa in India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don’t like spicy food.”

“We went on holiday to Spain and had a problem with the taxi drivers as they were all Spanish.”

“We booked an excursion to a water park but no-one told us we had to bring our own swimsuits and towels. We assumed it would be included in the price.”

“No-one told us there would be fish in the water. The children were scared.”

“Although the brochure said that there was a fully equipped kitchen, there was no egg-slicer in the drawers.”

“When we were in Spain, there were too many Spanish people there. The receptionist spoke Spanish, the food was Spanish. No one told us that there would be so many foreigners.”

“We had to line up outside to catch the boat and there was no air-conditioning.”

So how can you trust the reviews you read online?

Take them with a grain of salt. You can read reviews on websites TrustPilot . The approval rating should look like a bell curve but with more A’s and B’s than C’s. I look for companies that average 85% or higher (or 4 out of 5 stars). If a company is that highly rated, the negative reviews are probably just outliers.  

My Recommended (Best) Tour Companies

Here are some of my favorite small, day-tour, or backpacker bus tour companies:

• Take Walks – This is my favorite walking tour company. They run a wide variety of insightful and entertaining tours around Europe and the US. What makes them so good is they get you inside access to attractions and places you can’t get elsewhere. Their guides rock too!
• Get Your Guide – A massive marketplace for tours, activities, and excursions. If you’re looking for something niche, you’ll find it here!
• Devour Food Tours – My go-to tour company for tasty food tours around Europe and the US.
• Kiwi Experience – A hop-on, hop-off bus tour company in New Zealand for backpackers!
• Baz Bus – A hop on, hop off again bus tour company in South Africa for all travelers.
• New Europe – Free walking tours throughout Europe.
• Free Tours By Foot – Pay-what-you-like tours throughout Europe and the United States. They are one of my favorite free walking tour companies in the world!

THE #1 COMPANY FOR MULTI-DAY SMALL GROUP TOURS

When it comes to multi-day, multi-week tours (think trips through Morocco, sailing in the Galápagos, etc.), I highly recommend using Intrepid Travel .

Intrepid is my favorite and best small group tour operator out there! I really love their guides, their small groups, off-the-beaten-track itineraries, and their commitment to the local environment and community. I always have an incredible time on their tours. They are my favorite multi-day tour operator and the only one I use now (the picture at the top of this page is me on their Patagonia trip). Intrepid is environmentally friendly, uses local guides and transportation, doesn’t rush their tours, and are quite inexpensive. I don’t even consider anyone else when it comes to multi-day trips.

I love tours. They are a great way to meet people, get a local to add value and knowledge, and see places you can’t get to alone! I don’t take them often but I do take them. And, since I follow the above rules, I always have a good time. Some of my favorite travel memories were when I was on a group trip. If you follow my tips above, you’ll never go wrong either.

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What are the golden rules of tour guiding? 10 tips to help you shine

By Erick Tomaliwan

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Most tour and activity providers find themselves embracing a career in the travel industry through an appreciation for certain cultures or destinations. But to be successful in this role, you need to know which tour guide rules to keep in mind.

As a tour guide, you have a profound impact on how a guest interacts with their surroundings. And you also have the power to offer guests a life-changing experience through your charm and wit.

Sure, you don’t have to become the expert on the komodo dragon or shark mating rituals, but does it hurt to have a few fun facts at the ready? 

Nope! 

Ultimately, a skilled tour guide will know when to turn up the charm and dial the facts back to match the bandwidth of their audience. And as a tour guideline, you should adjust your performance based on the feedback and social cues you receive from your audience.

TL; DR: To be a fantastic tour guide, you should be full of enthusiasm, knowledge and kindness.

What are the golden rules of tour guiding

For many, guiding tours is an ideal way to see the world while getting paid to travel.

However, the role of a tour guide can be highly impactful, if you focus on making it fun and entertaining. Not only do you have endless opportunities to meet fascinating people from all over the globe, but you’ll never stop learning. 

It makes sense that some of the best tour guides are hungry to connect with new people and enjoy reciting fun facts about what makes a place special. And whether you’re a pro or just starting out, it helps to know which tour guidelines to follow. 

1. Be present, punctual and full of personality

There are few things worse than a tour guide who isn’t engaging, especially when guests arrive with high expectations. Show a vested interest in your guests during the first meeting — especially if you have a few early bird arrivals.

And since this role is equal parts education and entertainment, people with big personalities tend to do well as tour guides. This is a credit to having the ability to add a little extra zest to an experience.

Personalize the experience

The reason why people still book live tours is that in-person delivery is better than reading a guidebook. Ultimately, you have the power to transform an ordinary encounter into something more memorable. To do this, you’ll want to become a storyteller.

Do you know what’s worse than being a tour guide without a funny bone? Being hard to hear! If guests are straining to follow what you’re saying, they’ll likely tune you out. 

And, even better if you can drum up fodder that travelers will not be able to find in a guidebook. Whether it’s because it’s new, insider knowledge or off-the-cuff — fun facts can send your guests into a fit of laughter and keep them engaged.

2. Know your stuff — as a tour guide rule

What do travelers often rave with tour guides? Approachability and good candour tend to show up in 5-star reviews, highlighting how a good attitude goes a long way.

You’ll need to stay up-to-date on the subject matter because guests are going to expect you to have all of the answers. With that said, you do not need to fib if you receive a curveball question. Instead, invite the audience to chime in if they have an answer or commit to finding out and responding at a later time.

Still, no matter how much you prepare, some travelers will throw some quizzical questions your way. Lean into your ability to charm and dazzle people with your local knowledge to escape these encounters unfazed.

Take time to prepare

Understandably, tour guides should have all of their ducks in a row once the tour starts. Dedicate time to doing a dry-run of your tours in advance to avoid potential hiccups that might pop up en route.

Typically, guides know where they are going, have a good sense of direction, anticipate when local restaurants and popular landmarks will be open and busy while also gauging optimal times for travel overall. 

3. Engage with guests while sharing tour guidelines

Get to know your guests by striking up a conversation. There’s something known as the “third thing”. I learned about it from a brilliant architect friend who shared that wherever two people can find an item or topic they are familiar with, it helps to strike up a conversation. 

In reviews, tour guides who are engaging and entertaining receive high praise. We know that becoming a 5-star tour guide takes work, but the added effort will pay off through reviews and word-of-mouth referrals.

Becoming a skilled communicator

Guests want a tour guide is confident and fun to be around. You’ll want to conduct the tour at a pace and tone that’s easy to follow. What does this sound like?

Use inclusive language to make guests feel welcome. The best way to brush up on your communication skills is to use them on a regular basis. Invite discussion and provide context for your guests to ask questions.

4. Offer helpful and timely insight

When leading a tour group, you’ll likely be commenting on things you’ve seen many times before. Imagine yourself in the shoes of a traveler. 

So while you may find yourself constantly searching for new ways to talk about the same thing, it’s the first time for many — if not all — of your guests. When you share stories or recite unconventional facts, small details like these kick the experience up a notch.

Try changing up your route or focusing on different sensory receptors to offer fresh and fun ways of re-visiting the same places.

You want to create an inclusive guided experience that welcomes all types of travelers — including kids, visitors with mobility challenges and slower-paced adventurers. 

5. Address guests and answer questions

Some travelers might initially be nervous to ask you questions because they will yet to have a rapport with you. 

Think about common questions guests have and aim to proactively address them with your guests. And determine which facts you believe will be most advantageous for guests to know, then share them — openly. 

To combat this, position yourself as a friendly and approachable guide who’s here to do just that — guide their experience. Reiterate how the tour is theirs alone, but your role is to facilitate the best experience possible.

Speak loud and proud

Annunciate. Broadcast. Project. This is not a time to use your library voice. I mean, there’s a balance, but aim to be vocal enough that passersby find themselves eavesdropping on what you’re sharing. 

An added benefit is if your tour heads somewhere quiet, guests will be tuned in to your voice and more likely to lean in if you’ve been using inflection to command their attention.

Aim to be full of charisma

While hard to define — charisma is a core element of becoming a successful tour guide. 

It can be summarized as one part charm, one part knowledge and one part wit with a dash of humour for good measure. 

6. Demonstrate good time-management and organizational skills

Leading by example is one of the most effective ways of gaining the trust of your audience. Sure, you’ll probably contend with a few latecomers on tours — but don’t let this derail the entire group.

For visitors arriving at a new location, they tend to have a lot of questions. On your tour, aim to proactively answer them and allow space to respond to your curious followers. 

To better frame the experience, give your tour a dry-run. Without the pressure of a tour group, you can see when certain dining spots, viewpoints or transportation routes will be busy, and adjust your plans to maximize the visitor experience.

7. Infuse storytelling as part of your tour guide rules

There are plenty of advantages to becoming a skilled storyteller. First, as travelers, we thrive on stories. They help to forge new neural pathways and turn ordinary encounters into something more relatable.

And second, while it can feel intimidating to share personal anecdotes and memories, storytelling elevates the tour for your guests. Plus, you can ad lib and you’ll have guests who are none the wiser.

Peter Syme shares something called the Peak Design Rule , where he suggests tour guides identify elements throughout your tour that is most helpful, entertaining and valuable, and design your tour around that. 

Travelers develop a greater capacity to recount their adventures in a favourable light with personalized tours.

8. Keep things moving

When you step into the role of tour guide, you assume the responsibility of educator and entertainer .

There will be times when you have a restless audience member or guests that tune you out. Don’t panic — instead, aim to keep a consistent pace throughout your tour.

Account for buffer time throughout your route, giving consideration to guests of all ages and mobilities. And once a tour begins — keep that trust going by letting visitors know what to expect next and offering reasons behind each stop you have planned along the route.

9. Offer breaks

If you’re leading a scenic tour, note a few stopping points en route where guests can expect to have a few minutes to snap photos and take in the view. Allow ample time for breaks while on tour. They allow guests to feel refreshed and ready for the next stop on the tour.

In addition, short pauses help guests rest up, so they have the capacity to mentally digest more information.

Bring some snacks along

Instead of waiting until the eleventh hour to lead your guests to a dining location, bring snacks and water as a safety mechanism. This is especially useful for guests traveling with young children. And while it’s not expected, it can absolutely save the day for a family who just needs a little extra support.

Food can act as a bridge between cultures. You’ve probably heard the term “hangry” or been on the receiving end of a guest who’s coping with low blood sugar.

Ultimately, you’ll have some guests who are keen to see the next vantage point and a handful of tour guests that are more inclined to take their time meandering along the route. 

10. Start and end tours on time

There will always be guests who misgauge timing or location and show up late to a tour. And while travelers might visit a location for the first time and find themselves running behind, this should not take away from your fellow guests who arrived on time. 

One thing you should have control over is whether your tour or activity ends on time. Instill a walking pace that accounts for little ones and more mature travelers, by building in some buffer into your schedule. 

This way you can feel good about pausing to talk more in depth throughout your tour. 

Research proves people tend to remember negative experiences more readily than positive encounters.  It could be that guests are hardwired to weigh bad encounters differently than positive ones, but it’s also a way of keeping them safe from repeating the same mistake in the future.   

Helpful tour guide rules to keep in mind

Ideally, you want to create opportunities for guests to feel included and listened to throughout your tour. If it works for your style, ask questions in advance and help them to feel involved in the experience.

But, one thing to keep in mind is that your job isn’t done when the tour ends — you’ll want to bookend the tour for guests with options for learning more along with prompts for a review.

• Guests don’t know what you know — overshare information to keep visitors in the loop
• Include a safety overview whether it’s related to gear, the location or the route
• Provide guidelines for what to expect and how they can expect to interact with you/others
• Let guests know where to find washrooms en route
• Build in buffer timing in case guests are late

As a general tour guide rule, the greater amount a guest pays, the more they will expect from the lead tour guide. You may find that tipping is activity and location-dependant.

But with guests visiting from all over the world, make sure you share how tips indicate that you’ve done a great job and while not required, are greatly appreciated.

Set a tone of curiosity, competency and confidence early on. This way, travelers arriving bright-eyed and bushy-tailed — will be ready to trust you to show them the world.

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What does a tour guide do?

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What is a Tour Guide?

A tour guide provides assistance, information, and guidance to individuals or groups of tourists during their travels. Their primary role is to enhance the travel experience by sharing knowledge and insights about the destinations, attractions, and cultural aspects of the places being visited. Tour guides are well-versed in the history, geography, culture, and traditions of the locations they cover, and they use their expertise to educate and entertain the tourists.

Tour guides are responsible for organizing and leading tours, ensuring that the itinerary is followed, and the group stays on schedule. They may work in various settings, including cities, historical sites, natural landscapes, or cultural landmarks. During tours, guides provide commentary, answer questions, and engage with the tourists, creating an interactive and immersive experience. They may also assist with logistical matters, such as arranging transportation, coordinating entry to attractions, and recommending places to eat or shop.

What does a Tour Guide do?

Tour guides bring destinations to life by providing valuable expertise and insights. While guidebooks and online resources can offer information, tour guides offer a unique and personalized experience that cannot be replicated.

Duties and Responsibilities Tour guides have a range of duties and responsibilities to ensure a smooth and enjoyable travel experience for tourists. Some of the key responsibilities include:

• Planning and organizing: Tour guides research and plan tour itineraries, considering factors such as the duration of the tour, the interests of the group, and the availability of attractions. They arrange transportation, accommodation, meals, and any necessary permits or tickets, ensuring that everything is well-coordinated.
• Providing information and commentary: A primary role of tour guides is to offer informative and engaging commentary about the destinations being visited. They share historical facts, cultural insights, and interesting anecdotes to educate and entertain tourists. Guides should have a deep understanding of the locations, including their history, architecture, local customs, and traditions.
• Leading tours and managing groups: Tour guides are responsible for leading the group throughout the tour. They ensure that the group stays together, follows the itinerary, and adheres to any safety guidelines. Guides should have good organizational and leadership skills to manage groups of varying sizes and diverse backgrounds.
• Assisting with logistics: Tour guides handle practical aspects of the tour, such as coordinating transportation between sites, arranging entry to attractions, and managing timing to optimize the itinerary. They provide directions, answer questions, and offer recommendations for meals, shopping, and other activities.
• Ensuring safety and security: Guides prioritize the safety and security of the tourists. They inform the group about potential risks or hazards, and they take necessary precautions to prevent accidents or incidents. In emergency situations, guides should be prepared to provide assistance and follow appropriate protocols.
• Interacting and engaging with tourists: Tour guides create a welcoming and interactive environment for tourists. They foster a positive and friendly atmosphere, encourage questions, and actively engage with the group. Guides should be approachable and adaptable, catering to the needs and interests of the tourists.
• Resolving issues and addressing concerns: Tour guides act as a point of contact for tourists, addressing any concerns or issues that may arise during the tour. They handle complaints, resolve conflicts, and provide assistance or alternative solutions when needed.
• Promoting responsible and sustainable tourism: Guides play a crucial role in promoting responsible tourism practices. They educate tourists about local customs and cultural sensitivities, encourage respectful behavior towards local communities and the environment, and advocate for sustainable travel practices.

Types of Tour Guides There are various types of tour guides, each specializing in different areas and catering to specific types of tours. Here are some common types of tour guides and a brief description of what they do:

• City Tour Guides: City tour guides specialize in providing tours within a specific city or urban area. They are well-versed in the history, architecture, landmarks, and culture of the city. Their role is to guide tourists through popular attractions, historical sites, and local neighborhoods, offering insights and commentary along the way.
• Cultural Tour Guides: Cultural tour guides focus on highlighting the cultural aspects of a destination. They provide in-depth knowledge about local traditions, customs, festivals, and arts. These guides may accompany tourists to museums, art galleries, cultural events, or religious sites, helping them understand and appreciate the cultural significance of these places.
• Ecotourism Guides : Ecotourism guides are responsible for designing and planning itineraries that are environmentally and culturally responsible, researching the destination, developing educational materials, preparing necessary equipment, and coordinating logistics such as transportation, accommodation, and meals.
• Adventure Tour Guides: Adventure tour guides lead tours focused on outdoor activities and adventure sports such as hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, or skiing. They possess skills and knowledge in the specific activities offered, ensuring the safety of participants while providing guidance and instruction. Adventure guides may take tourists to remote and challenging locations, coordinating logistics and providing a thrilling experience.
• Historical Tour Guides: Historical tour guides specialize in providing detailed insights into the history of a destination. They are knowledgeable about specific historical periods, events, and significant landmarks. These guides often work in historical sites, monuments, or archaeological sites, sharing historical context and stories that bring the past to life for tourists.
• Specialized Tour Guides: Specialized tour guides cater to niche interests or specific types of tours. Examples include food tour guides who focus on culinary experiences, wine tour guides who provide expertise on vineyards and wine tasting, or art tour guides who lead tours in museums and art galleries, offering interpretations of artworks.

Are you suited to be a tour guide?

Tour guides have distinct personalities . They tend to be social individuals, which means they’re kind, generous, cooperative, patient, caring, helpful, empathetic, tactful, and friendly. They excel at socializing, helping others, and teaching. Some of them are also enterprising, meaning they’re adventurous, ambitious, assertive, extroverted, energetic, enthusiastic, confident, and optimistic.

Does this sound like you? Take our free career test to find out if tour guide is one of your top career matches.

What is the workplace of a Tour Guide like?

The workplace of a tour guide can be quite diverse and dynamic, offering a mix of indoor and outdoor environments. One aspect of their workplace involves cultural and urban settings. City tour guides, for instance, operate within bustling cities, leading tourists through streets, squares, and iconic landmarks. They may work in vibrant neighborhoods, historic districts, or cosmopolitan areas, immersing tourists in the local culture and urban atmosphere. These guides navigate through crowded streets, interact with locals, and provide insights into the city's history, architecture, and vibrant lifestyle. They may also lead tours in museums, art galleries, or cultural centers, where they can showcase the city's artistic and cultural offerings.

Another significant aspect of a tour guide's workplace is outdoor settings. Nature and wildlife tour guides find themselves working in breathtaking natural landscapes, such as forests, mountains, or coastal areas. These guides lead groups on hikes, nature walks, or wildlife safaris, sharing their knowledge about the local flora, fauna, and ecosystems. Their workplace is characterized by stunning scenery, serene environments, and opportunities for visitors to connect with nature. Adventure tour guides also operate in outdoor settings, taking tourists on thrilling activities like rafting, rock climbing, or skiing. They work in adventurous and often remote locations, ensuring the safety of participants while providing an adrenaline-pumping experience.

Additionally, the workplace of a tour guide can extend to various modes of transportation. They may lead tours on buses, boats, trains, or even walking tours, utilizing different forms of transportation to explore diverse attractions and destinations. This allows guides to provide a comprehensive experience, showcasing various facets of a region while offering comfort and convenience to tourists.

Tour Guides are also known as: Tourist Guide

How to look for the qualities of an effective tour guide operator when hiring

By Kevin Tjoe — 24 Jun 2018

amadeus   tips   tour guide   tour operator

Updated June 2022 – Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt like giving up on hiring your next tour guide. When you on-board new hires, you’re hit with the realization that they’re just not a good fit, killing any sense of confidence you had about finding the best person for the job. It’s daunting enough finding a new hire – never mind going through the on-boarding process all over again when it doesn’t work out.

Well, there’s good news: selecting your next tour guide role doesn’t have to be that hard. With the right set of criteria of tour guide skills at your disposal, you could easily find the best tour guide for your business, all without the hassle that comes with having it not work out.

Wondering what personality traits do tour guides have that will reveal their future success or failure? To help you answer this, we’ve outlined 10 important qualities of a good tour guide. 

With these tour guide characteristics tips, you’ll know exactly what makes a good tour guide and have the proper tools in place to hire someone who will exceed customer expectations and customer satisfaction. 

1.  Enthusiasm

One of the most fundamental tour guide characteristics is enthusiasm.

Customers can tell if a tour guide doesn’t want to be there. Considering that nobody wants to feel like their presence is a nuisance, it is impossible to provide customers with a fun and engaging tour if it’s obvious that their guide would prefer to be at home.

On the other hand, enthusiasm is contagious. If a customer notices that their tour guide is as excited to be there as they are, they’ll feel a lot more satisfied with their overall experience. Enthusiasm fosters an authentic connection between the tour guide and customers. It’s also the backdrop of all of the other essential characteristics of a good tour guide. An enthusiastic tour guide will be not only willing but excited to grow their skills and engage with the customers.

2.  Organization and punctuality

Besides dressing themselves well, this involves setting expectations prior to the tour – informing customers of location, time, and length of tour, what they need to bring, and any rules or special considerations (if your online booking system doesn’t automate this for you). Your tour guide needs to have organisational skills to be able to run through the structure for each tour in advance.

Ultimately, one of the key characteristics of a good tour guide is effective time management skills and punctuality. They shouldn’t make customers wait for them, and they should end the tour on time.

How punctual are they when it comes to their appointments with you during the interview process? This is a good indicator of how they will be when running your tours.

The speed with which they speak and move the tour along should also be just right – it can’t be too fast or too slow. You don’t want your customers to get bored or feel rushed through certain parts of the tour.

3.  Prepared for anything

A good tour guide is adept at improvising, no matter whether it’s responding to hiccups in the tour’s timing, unexpected customer questions, or responding to crises. It’s key that your tour guides are capable of efficiently detecting and responding to any crisis, no matter how big or small. They should also have a comprehensive understanding of your company’s tour guide insurance policies and how this may relate to their work.

Unexpected situations can crop up where medical assistance is needed. Every guide should know First Aid and carry the appropriate equipment. Can your candidate attend to the injured using this equipment? If not, are they willing to attend First Aid training prior to starting?

4.  Can read the room

A good tour guide will take the initiative to learn about customers on the tour, then include universally relevant information to tailor the examples they use to make it more personal. They need to be aware of who they’re speaking to, the audience needs to see that your tour guide engages with all the attendees.

5.  An engaging storyteller

Obviously, you don’t want people to become disinterested whilst on your tour. Your guide’s personality is a huge part of that. Can they make the tour more interactive? They should be able to invite questions and use demonstrations to help tourists to learn by themselves. 

One of the most essential qualities of a good tour guide is a great customer service experience and the ability to hold good conversations. It’s also important that they have a passion for travel as this will keep the audience interested and engaged .

Make sure that they themselves are interested in the subject matter, because they need to be enthusiastic about what they’re saying.

6 .  Knows their stuff

Another one of the most important characteristics of a tour guide is their ability to retain information.

Your guide must be able to recite facts from memory and be clear in delivering them. Facts have to be accurate – otherwise, they should be able to say they aren’t sure and get back to the customer asking.

Of course, you can’t expect your tour guide to know everything from day one. But hiring a tour guide who demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning and has clearly researched your tour company prior to their job interview, is key to ensuring that your staff are committed to learning and understanding the tours they provide.

7. Multilingual

While it may not be a necessity, speaking multiple languages is an excellent and particularly useful quality of a good tour guide. A multilingual tour guide will dramatically broaden your target audience and help welcome people from varying backgrounds to your tour.

A tour guide doesn’t need to be fluent in dozens of languages for their lingual skills to be handy. All tour guides should at least have a conversational grasp of commonly encountered languages. This knowledge becomes extremely useful if someone has an emergency.

8.  Leadership and initiative

Since they’re managing a group of people, the ability to have a certain level of authority is crucial. Tour guides must be able to lead a group of people without being condescending, snobby, or aggressive. If something unexpected happens on the tour, a good tour guide will be able to take charge in an assertive manner to ensure that all customers receive the right directions.

9.  A good sense of humor

Whilst they don’t have to be total comedians, tour guides need to be quick witted so they can throw in friendly jokes or light banter with the customers. Again, it’s not a stand-up routine, so they should also know when to be quiet. You can gauge this aspect of their personality when they interview for the job.

10. Willingness to learn

 A key part of your tour should be collecting feedback and using it to make it better. Your tour guides should be open to change based on customer criticism – without taking it too personally.

Of course, the ideal tour guide will look differently for each tour operator company as some traits are necessary for certain activities but not others. However, there are certain qualities of a good tour guide that transcend time and place: enthusiasm, a willingness to learn, leadership skills, and punctuality.

Now that you’ve found what makes a good tour guide, it’s time to ensure that your newly hired tour guides are given the right tools they need to succeed.

Rezdy’s all-in-one online booking software simplifies the management of your tour company so you can ensure that your customers receive a satisfying experience. Curious to see how Rezdy can help your tour guides succeeds? Start a  FREE 21-day trial  or  book a demo so you can  experience first-hand the benefits of automated activity booking websites.

If you enjoyed this article then make sure to follow the  Rezdy blog . There are a lot of marketing tools and tour operator tips designed with businesses like yours in mind.

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Travel Guides, Info & Tips Blog

The Top 25 Qualities of an Effective Tour Guide-Guiding the Way

Are you passionate about travel and enjoy sharing your knowledge with others? Becoming a tour guide might be the perfect career path for you. Being a practical tour guide requires a unique set of skills and qualities that go beyond simply knowing the facts about a destination. In this article, we will explore the 25 qualities of a practical tour guide and how they contribute to creating memorable and enriching travel experiences.

Being an effective tour guide is not just about knowing the destination but also about possessing a range of qualities that enhance the overall experience for travelers. From excellent communication skills to a deep passion for the subject matter, a practical tour guide can make all the difference in creating memorable and meaningful experiences for their guests. 

In this article, we will explore 25 essential qualities for any tour guide looking to excel in their profession. Whether you are already a tour guide or aspiring to become one, this comprehensive guide will provide valuable insights and tips to enhance your skills and become an exceptional tour guide.

Table of Contents

What Qualities Do I Need To Be A Tour Guide?

To be a successful tour guide, there are several essential qualities that you should possess.

• Firstly, strong communication skills are vital. As a tour guide, you will need to convey information to your clients clearly and engagingly effectively. Excellent verbal and written communication skills will help you effectively communicate historical facts, local customs, and interesting anecdotes.
• Secondly, a deep knowledge and passion for the subject matter is crucial. Whether you are guiding tourists through a historical city, leading a nature hike, or conducting a food tour, you should have a thorough understanding of the area’s history, culture, and attractions. This knowledge will not only enhance your credibility as a guide but also enable you to answer questions and provide interesting insights to your clients.
• Lastly, being personable and friendly are essential qualities for a tour guide. You will interact with people from various backgrounds and cultures, so being approachable and adaptable is critical. Your enthusiasm and positive attitude will not only make the tour more enjoyable for your clients but also help create a welcoming and inclusive environment.

In conclusion, to be a successful tour guide, you should possess strong communication skills, a deep knowledge and passion for the subject, and be personable and friendly. These qualities will help you effectively engage and connect with your clients, making their experience memorable and enjoyable.

What Skills Make A Tour Guide With 5-Star Quality?

Regarding being a tour guide with 5-star quality, several critical skills are essential. Firstly, excellent communication skills are crucial. A tour guide must effectively convey information, engage with their audience, and answer questions. Clear and concise communication is essential to ensure tourists have a memorable and enjoyable experience.

In addition to communication skills, a tour guide should also have extensive knowledge and expertise in the area they are guiding. This includes historical facts, cultural insights, and local tips and recommendations. A 5-star tour guide is well-prepared and can provide accurate and exciting information, enhancing the tour experience.

Furthermore, a tour guide with 5-star quality must possess exceptional customer service skills. They should be friendly, approachable, and able to create a positive and welcoming atmosphere. A great tour guide understands the importance of personalizing the experience for each tourist and goes above and beyond to ensure their satisfaction. From anticipating needs to providing an exceptional level of service, these skills are vital in creating a memorable tour experience.

What Is The Most Important Quality Of Becoming An Effective Tour Guide?

When it comes to becoming a practical tour guide, several qualities are important to possess. However, one of the most crucial qualities is knowledge. A tour guide must have extensive knowledge about the destination they are guiding tourists through. This includes knowing about the history, culture, landmarks, and other important aspects of the place. Being well-informed allows the tour guide to provide accurate and interesting information to the tourists, enhancing their overall experience.

In addition to knowledge, communication skills are also essential for an effective tour guide. Communicating clearly and concisely is important in delivering information to the tourists. A tour guide must be able to articulate their thoughts and ideas in a way that is easily understandable to a diverse group of people. Good communication skills also involve listening to the tourists’ questions and feedback and being able to respond appropriately.

Lastly, enthusiasm and passion for the job set apart a great tour guide from an average one. A tour guide who is genuinely excited about the destination and their role in showcasing it will be able to create a positive and engaging atmosphere for the tourists. Their enthusiasm will be contagious, making the tour more enjoyable and memorable for everyone involved.

What Are The 5 Roles Of A Tour Guide?

A tour guide plays multiple roles in ensuring a successful and enjoyable travel experience for their guests. Here are the five primary roles of a tour guide:

1. Informer:  The primary role of a tour guide is to provide accurate and relevant information about the destination. They should be knowledgeable about the history, culture, landmarks, and other significant aspects of the place. Tour guides should be able to answer questions, share interesting facts, and engage their guests in informative discussions.

2. Interpreter:  Tour guides bridge the gap between different cultures and languages. They act as interpreters, translating information and conversations for their guests. They ensure effective communication between locals and visitors, enhancing the understanding and appreciation of the destination.

3. Organizer:  Tour guides are responsible for planning and organizing the itinerary. They arrange transportation, accommodation, and activities, ensuring a smooth and efficient travel experience. They handle logistics, such as coordinating schedules, managing reservations, and running any unforeseen circumstances that may arise during the trip.

25 Qualities Of An Effective Tour Guide Pdf

To view a PDF document that provides more detailed information on these 25 qualities of a practical tour guide, please click the link below: 25 Qualities of an Effective Tour Guide PDF.

25 Qualities Of An Effective Tour Guide Ppt

https://www.slideshare.net/jen199629/qualities-of-an-ideal-tour-guide

Skills Of A Tour Guide

• Communication Skills:
• Clear and confident speaking voice
• Appropriate language for the audience
• Ability to engage and connect with travelers
• Responsive to questions and concerns
• In-Depth Knowledge:
• Strong understanding of the destination’s history, culture, and attractions
• Staying updated on current events and changes in the area
• Organization and Time Management:
• Creating well-planned itineraries
• Efficient coordination of transportation and accommodations
• Handling unexpected situations effectively
• Interpersonal Skills:
• Building rapport with clients
• Friendliness and approachability
• Patience and attentiveness
• Sense of Humor:
• Creating a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere

These skills and qualities collectively contribute to a tour guide’s ability to offer travelers an exceptional experience during their journey.

Characteristics of an Exceptional Tour Guide

• Knowledgeable:  Possesses in-depth knowledge of the destination’s history, culture, and attractions.
• Excellent Communication Skills:  Communicates information clearly and effectively to travelers.
• Enthusiastic:  Inspires excitement and engagement among tour participants with their passion for the subject matter.
• Flexible:  Adapts easily to unforeseen situations and changes in the itinerary.
• Organized:  Ensures a smooth and efficient tour experience through careful planning and preparation.
• Problem-Solving Abilities:  Capable of finding solutions quickly and efficiently, especially in challenging situations.
• Multilingual:  Speaks multiple languages to cater to a diverse group of travelers.

How to Become an Effective Tour Guide

• Gain Extensive Knowledge:  Conduct thorough research to acquire a deep understanding of the destination you’ll be guiding.
• Develop Communication Skills:  Practice and consider attending public speaking courses to improve your ability to convey information effectively.
• Cultivate Enthusiasm:  Stay curious and continuously learn about new attractions and experiences to maintain a high passion for your subject.
• Enhance Adaptability:  Seek opportunities to work in different environments and practice handling unexpected situations to become more flexible.
• Improve Organizational Skills:  Create detailed itineraries and proactively plan logistics for a well-organized tour.
• Sharpen Problem-Solving Abilities:  Participate in scenario-based training programs or seek advice from experienced tour guides to become a more effective problem solver.
• Learn Additional Languages:  Consider taking language courses or participating in immersion programs to become multilingual.

10 Characteristics Of A Tour Guide

• Knowledgeable
• Communication skills
• Flexibility
• Organizational skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Problem-solving
• Professionalism
• Sense of humor

As A Tour Guide, How Will You Manage Tourist With High Expectations?

Strategies for Managing Tourists with High Expectations

1. Listen Actively:  Listen to tourists’ expectations, interests, and preferences.

2. Manage Expectations:  Be transparent about what the tour can realistically offer and set clear expectations.

3. Provide Detailed Information:  Ensure tourists have comprehensive information about the tour itinerary, attractions, and activities.

4. Be Knowledgeable and Professional:  Demonstrate expertise in destinations, history, culture, and local customs.

5. Offer Personalized Experiences:  Tailor the tour to cater to individual preferences, arranging special interests-based activities.

6. Maintain Effective Communication:  Keep tourists informed about changes and provide alternative options.

7. Handle Complaints Professionally:  Address dissatisfaction empathetically, offering solutions to resolve concerns.

8. Seek Feedback:  Encourage tourists to provide feedback after the tour to improve future experiences.

What makes a great tour guide and host? | Rick Steves | TEDxSeattleSalon

In conclusion, a practical tour guide is vital in crafting unforgettable travel experiences. With extensive knowledge, excellent communication, and adaptability, they enrich journeys and create lasting memories. Beyond information, they foster a sense of camaraderie and storytelling, making them essential for exceptional adventures.

In conclusion, an effective tour guide plays a vital role in crafting unforgettable travel experiences. With qualities such as extensive knowledge, excellent communication, and adaptability, they enrich journeys and create lasting memories. Beyond information, they foster a sense of camaraderie and storytelling, making them essential for exceptional adventures.

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How to Become a Tour Guide

Last Updated: August 6, 2023 Approved

This article was co-authored by Angela Rice . Angela Rice is a Luxury Travel Specialist and Co-Founder of Boutique Travel Advisors, a luxury travel advising business in Phoenix, Arizona. Angela specializes in consulting and curating highly customized and unique travel itineraries for clients seeking luxury, group, and multi-generational family travel. Angela studied at Arizona State University and The University of Iowa Tippie College of Business. She has prior consulting experience in accounting and business, which helps her run her business behind the scenes. Angela has been featured in The Washington Post, Reader's Digest, Travel Weekly, USA Today, Travel Market Report, Phoenix Magazine, and MSN. She is also a frequent guest on WBBM News Radio 105.9 FM's Travel Tuesday show. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 536,519 times.

Being a tour guide can be a great career option for people who love to travel, enjoy being in front of a crowd, and are masters of multitasking. If that’s you, then start looking for job opportunities online and in your area. You can improve your chances of getting hired by becoming professionally certified or getting a degree. Once you’ve found a job, be ready to meet the challenges of this fun and unique but sometimes hectic position.

Looking for Opportunities

• To get started, enter something like “Be a tour guide on a cruise ship to the Caribbean” into your favorite search engine. You can then browse through tour guiding jobs with different companies, job requirements, and salaries.

• You may need to space these tours out, as some could get expensive. Budget in one tour every two weeks or so. While you’re looking for jobs, go on tours instead of going out to eat or doing other fun activities.
• Invite friends and family to take tours with you. They’ll be able to share their likes and dislikes with you, which will help you be a better guide once you find a job.

• For more information and to find a list of associations located around the world, visit: http://www.beabetterguide.com/tour-guide-associations/ .

• Be aware that travel agents may tell you they love a certain company if the two are in a partnership together, even if they know the company has some issues. Be sure to do your own research by going online or visiting the company’s offices.

• You can also look online to see if the companies have open jobs, as many will list these positions on their websites.
• If you’re hoping to become a tour guide to travel, this might not be your favorite option. Remember that doing work locally can help you build your resume and gain experience while staying in your comfort zone. You can always keep looking for travel-oriented jobs while you’re working!

Getting Hired

• You can also look online to find details about the test, study guides, and registration information. Enter something like “Professional licensing examination for sightseeing guides in New York City” to find everything you need to prepare for and take the test.
• Take the exam seriously. If you fail, you’ll need to pay the fee again!

• Be sure to register for courses meant for tour guides rather than tour directors. Tour directors are responsible for logistics and management, while guides lead groups and provide narration about places the group visits.
• These programs are great for meeting people in the field. Your teachers, in particular, could connect you with people they know are looking for guides.

• Be sure you have the time and money to dedicate to the classes. If you’re currently working a full-time job, look into taking night classes.

• Most reputable companies will run a background check before hiring you.
• If they like your application, most companies will contact you for one to two follow-up interviews before hiring you.

• These questions could be things like, “What would you do if the bus broke down?” or “What makes you excited to be a tour guide with us?”

Meeting the Challenges

• You may want to schedule alone time during your days off to balance out your work schedule.

• Attendees will ask you questions that may be slightly off-topic. Knowing these answers will impress your audience and make you a better guide.
• If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so. Tell your audience you’re not sure, but that you’d love to know the answer and will be looking for it as soon as you can.

• You can always contact your company for assistance in these situations, but you’ll need to keep a cool head. You’re the leader of the group when you’re out on a tour, and they’ll look to you for guidance.

• This might be hard if you’re leading groups in beautiful and relaxing locations, but stay strong! You’re getting paid for this work.

• You also need to make sure that you and your group respects the environment you’re visiting. You’ll be responsible for enforcing the rules.
• Always face your audience when giving tours. [14] X Research source

Community Q&A

• If you are looking for a job in a country that has an official language you do not speak, you should learn the language by signing up for a course or using language learning software. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Take a training course on first aid and CPR. Depending on the job you land, this may not be necessary, but as a tour guide, you will need to know what to do in emergency situations. It’ll also look good on your resume. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Be aware that while you may be working in a vacation spot, you are not on vacation yourself. The majority of your time will be spent working. Thanks Helpful 40 Not Helpful 9
• As a tour guide, you may be working long hours. Your job may be in an exciting location, but you must make sure you are capable of working a difficult schedule. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 0
• Be aware that many tour guide jobs are seasonal. This may mean you will not have consistent work in one location. However, if you don't mind traveling, you can always travel back and forth between hemispheres. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ http://www.academicinvest.com/arts-careers/linguistics-careers/how-to-become-a-tour-guide
• ↑ https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/how-to-become-a-tour-guide
• ↑ http://www.beabetterguide.com/tour-guide-associations/
• ↑ http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2013/01/22/so-you-want-to-be-a-tour-guide-afitz/
• ↑ http://www.besthospitalitydegrees.com/how-to-become-a-tour-guide/
• ↑ http://learn.org/articles/How_Can_I_Become_a_Professional_Tour_Guide.html
• ↑ https://savingplaces.org/stories/10-tuesday-tips-good-tour-guide#.WV-TudPytol

About This Article

If you want to become a tour guide, you should research opportunities in your area by searching online and visiting attractions where you might want to work. Depending on your city, you may need to pass an exam, so check out tour guide associations’ websites and search online to see if there are licensure requirements. If you can, take classes relevant to your field or class, or even pursue a degree in hospitality and tourism. If you can't go to school, apply to tour guide jobs that provide training. For more information about the application process and what you can expect as a tour guide, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Broome astronomer, tour guide and TV star Greg Quicke, known as 'Space Gandalf', dies aged 62

West Australian astronomer, TV star and tour guide Greg Quicke has died at the age of 62.

A legend in Broome, 2,000km north of Perth, Quicke — also known as "Space Gandalf" for his distinctive white beard — introduced generations of visitors and locals to the wonders of the universe through his "astro tours" from the Kimberley town.

He later rose to national and international prominence on the ABC and BBC Stargazing Live specials, appearing alongside Professor Brian Cox.

He was diagnosed with cancer in 2023.

In a statement, his family said he was "survived by a legion of people whose lives he touched". 

"He brought the universe to us all and translated it into a language we all understood," the statement read.

"He was watched by millions of people around the globe and carried out his life work with inspirational spirit and freedom."

His enthusiasm for the stars and philosophy took hold as a young man working in the Kimberley.

"You think about astronomy and often it's presented as stuff that's out there," the self-taught astronomer explained to ABC Radio in 2017.

"But my take on it is that we're on a planet. We're moving through space. 

"These are things I can take out of your head and I can put them at your feet."

Born in 1961, he grew up surrounded by tall trees in the mill towns of South West WA, where his father was a forester. 

He recalled a free and nature-based childhood.

"Magnificently tall trees that I spent a lot of my childhood underneath or at the top of," he told Richard Fidler's Conversations in 2018.

"We loved the windy days because you'd get up top and it'd be swaying six feet from side to side and we loved a bit of adventure," he said.

"We'd climb out onto some of the branches about 150 feet up and hang upside down by our legs and bounce up and down."

The Kimberley was calling

But he soon fell in love with coastal Broome, arriving on a motorbike in 1982 after dropping out of a marine biology degree in Queensland.

Quicke then became a pearl diver and mechanic.

His interest in stars took hold after he observed the Kimberley's big tides and spent plenty of time in a swag gazing at the night sky.

As he shared his new passion with friends, they suggested he run tours showing others the beauty and wonder of the universe.

"I started talking about the stars, about what I'd noticed about how we're moving amongst them ... and they told me to keep talking," he said.

After handing out a few flyers advertising an astronomy tour in 1995, he was soon running events seven nights a week in Broome.

An estimated 100,000 plus people have listened in awe, over 28 years, to his softly spoken explanations about the night sky.

Captured by Broome's spirit

Quicke regularly featured in Broome's annual Shinju Matsuri, carrying the head of Sammy the Dragon, a 30-metre parade dragon through the streets.

"The spirit of the place is just amazing," he said of Broome, declaring it one of the country's most beautiful places.

"There's something unique about the place," he told UK Comedian Bill Bailey while the two star gazed together in 2023.

"Everything here seems bigger, the colours are bigger, the tides are bigger, the barramundi are bigger too.

"It's almost like our hearts have an opportunity to be bigger here as well."

Rise of Space Gandalf's star

But it was his appearances on the ABC and BBC which saw him gain international acclaim.

His distinctive flowing white beard, big hat and philosophical approach quickly led fans around the world to dub him #SpaceGandalf. 

The author and TV presenter stayed grounded however; surfing whenever Broome's famous Cable Beach could push up a swell, or riding a motorbike on the open road.

He was exhilarated to experience the total solar eclipse in Exmouth on an island in April 2023.

"This day has been huge ... My body spent, my heart full, I crash into a deep eclipse fuelled communion with the other worlds," he wrote to his 12,000 Facebook followers.

Bill Bailey, visiting Broome for the first time as part of his Wild West Australia ABCTV series, asked him if he had "found his niche in the world" by sharing the galaxy with others.

"It brings me a lot of joy," Quicke agreed.

"Everyone thinks it's all about stars but it's not — it's about people."

"Standing alongside someone who sees Saturn's rings for the first time it's like, wow! I could do that forever!"

Quicke is survived by his parents, a sister and an adult daughter.

His family has asked that their "sacred time be respected".

A memorial service will be held in Broome at a date to be announced.

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2024 Best Golf Gifts for Dad - Father’s Day Deals at PGA TOUR Superstore

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Tips to Choosing a Perfect Golf Gift for Dad Selecting the perfect Father’s Day gift for your dad doesn’t have to be daunting. Whether you're shopping online or in-store, PGA TOUR Superstore experts can help you find the ideal gift. Here are five tips to get you started: 1. Know His Golfing Habits: Whether he’s an avid weekend golfer or a casual player, understanding his habits will help you choose a gift he’ll love. 2. Stay Updated on Trends: Shop what’s new in the world of golf to give you ideas for a trendy, functional golf gift. 3. Consider His Preferences: Think about his favorite golf brands and styles to ensure your gift matches his taste. 4. Get Personal: Personalized gifts add a unique touch that shows you put thought into his present. With these tips and the array of gift options from PGA TOUR Superstore, you’re sure to find the best golf gift for Dad this Father’s Day. Happy shopping!

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Tour de France

Could primož roglič pull the brakes on a tadej pogačar parade tour de france ‘big 4’ form guide, is roglič hot or is he not is evenepoel a podium contender and can vingegaard find form rating the favorites for the tour de france 'maillot jaune'..

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

Eighteen days and counting. The clock is ticking fast for Tour de France favorites Tadej Pogačar , Primož Roglič , Remco Evenepoel , and Jonas Vingegaard .

So who of the Tour de France “Big 4” is looking hot and who’s a little more “not” in this last freewheel toward the Firenze grand départ ?

The final clues were delivered last week when Roglič and Remco put on a show at the Critérium du Dauphiné .

Roglič’s a riddle. And like Vingegaard and Pogačar, Evenepoel is racing the clock.

Now the pre-Tour racing is over, here’s how things stand ahead of the oncoming yellow jersey royal rumble:

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

2024 palmarès: Giro d’Italia GC + 6 x stages; Liège-Bastogne-Liège; Strade Bianche, Volta a Catalunya GC + 4 x stages Key TdF teammates: Adam Yates, Juan Ayuso (injured at Dauphiné), João Almeida Where is he now? Altitude camp, Isola 2000

It seems like only an act of apocalypse will stop Tadej Pogačar from emulating Marco Pantani this summer.

He steamrollered the Giro d’Italia while he was nosebreathing and was never once run into the red.

He delivered an emphatic time trial win that refound his mojo for the race against the clock and won every mountain stage he set his sights on.

Heck, “The Slayer” even had time to hand out gifts along the way, whether they were bidons , jerseys, or stage wins.

“I can take a lot out of this performance and how I was feeling on the bike. After some good rest maybe I can even improve,” Pogačar said after he took a bite of the Trofeo Senza Fine . “I think I’m on a good path for the next part of the season.”

A dream come true. Thanks to everybody who made it possible. Grazie Mille Italia❤️ pic.twitter.com/jOxPlimMnF — Tadej Pogačar (@TamauPogi) May 26, 2024

Pogačar’s biggest problems in the next few weeks are the clicking clock of time, and the status of his teammates.

UAE Emirates designed Pogačar’s whole program so he would emerge from the corsa rosa without excessive fatigue.

A five-week turnaround between the Giro’s Roma closer and the Firenze grand depart will test the team’s physiology nerds to the utmost. Pogačar has to soak in the Giro gains, do some recons, and rebuild in the space of just 34 days.

He’ll need to be good from the Tour’s spicy opener in Italy and stage 4’s trip into the high French Alps, and be able to peak once more for the Tour’s tough final week.

Meanwhile, Vingegaard, Roglič, and Evenepoel will be charting a different trajectory. Fatigue might bite Pogačar just when his three foes are getting into their post-injury grooves.

Rest and recovery will be front of mind all through team UAE Emirates.

Tour de France-bound Juan Ayuso was bashed, bruised, and a DNF in a crash that brought down half of Pogačar’s “Team TDF” on stage 7 of last week’s Dauphiné.

Tim Wellens, Pavel Sivakov, and Nils Politt also suffered damage in a rain-slicked pile up that put UAE Emirates into the infirmary.

Yet if Pogačar gets things right between the Giro and the Tour, he might not even need any teammates to tow him through France.

Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe)

2024 palmarès : Critérium du Dauphiné + 2 x stages Key TdF teammates: Aleksandr Vlasov, Jai Hindley Where is he now? TBD, altitude camp in Tignes on the schedule

Primož Roglič, he’s the eternal riddle of the grand tour peloton.

He dices with defeat while he holds a winning hand. He’s tasted tarmac more times than most of the peloton put together. And his post-race interviews digest like a great big nothingburger.

Roglič continued to tread his eternal tightrope between victory and misery last week at the Critérium du Dauphiné.

He crashed twice, won stages twice, and nearly unraveled in the race’s final kilometers .

It certainly wasn’t a performance on par with the tyranny typical of a top-level Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard. The 34-year-old’s stage-wins were measured in seconds, not minutes. His overall victory was as marginal as it gets.

That said, things are starting to stitch together for Roglič and his band of baby Red Bulls.

A top-level TT and two mountaintop wins show Roglič has finally bedded in to all-things Bora after he initially struggled to adapt to life away from Jumbo-Visma.

Better still for Roglič, Aleksandr Vlasov was on a tear, and the rest of his Bora-Hansgrohe climber crew stepped up to a level befitting the team’s Tour de France ambition .

“It’s definitely something we needed with the team, to work on the positioning, the communication, many things,” Roglič said Sunday after he sealed his second overall title at the prestigious tune-up race.

@rogla : le retour du roi @rogla : the return of the king #Dauphiné ✍️ @maximelth pic.twitter.com/fZdX8Ggue8 — Critérium du Dauphiné (@dauphine) June 9, 2024

Things rarely run smooth on the Roglič rollercoaster, and the Dauphiné proved that once more.

But behind the chaos, things might be pointing the right way for “Rogo” in his long pursuit of Tour de France perfection.

Unlike Evenepoel and Vingegaard, he rebounded from the Basque crash without severe injury and saw no serious impact on his race program. And unlike any “serious” Tour de France contender, he’s not just raced the Giro d’Italia.

The Critérium du Dauphiné was historically seen as a signal of the next Tour de France winner.

Altitude camp, deliver at the Dauphiné, altitude camp, Le Tour . It’s the tried-and-tested template for a maillot jaune .

And that’s the exact pathway pedaled by Roglič the last few months.

However, more recently, the Dauphiné doesn’t always read the runes – just ask recent champions Richie Porte or Dani Martínez.

Likewise, Roglič’s victory last weekend is no sure sign that he’ll swap a Dauphiné yellow jersey for another maillot jaune in Nice six weeks from now.

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)

2024 palmarès: Critérium du Dauphiné 1 x stage; Volta ao Algarve GC + 1 x stage; Paris-Nice 2nd overall + 1 stage Key TdF teammates: Mikel Landa, Ilan van Wilder Where is he now? Altitude camp, Isola 2000

If an “85 percent” Remco is good for seventh at the Critérium du Dauphiné, would an extra 15 percent put Evenepoel onto the podium of his first Tour de France?

Soudal Quick-Step is pinning its hopes on that math.

Evenepoel is racing for the finishing percentage points after he pulled a mixed bag out of last week’s Dauphiné.

He crushed all his GC rivals in the time trial to show he’s well on the comeback trail after he was hospitalized in the Basque Country with a broken shoulder blade and collarbone. But he lost that time back, and more, in the mountains.

The question is whether Evenepoel can rediscover his climbing legs in the next 18 days.

If he doesn’t, his plans for a Tour de France top-5 are toast.

“There’s some time to improve,” Evenepoel said last week after he lost time on stage 7 of the eight-day Dauphiné.

“I’m a guy who needs to race to really improve, to build shape,” he told reporters from high on the Samoëns 1600 summit. “That’s why I’m here. I think it’s good to suffer like this, it’s good for my shape, it’s good for my head, and just for my fighting spirit.”

A strong week for these two in France Both @MikelLandaMeana (10th) & @EvenepoelRemco (7th) concluded a hard #Dauphine in the top 10 overall as they made their return to competition Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/x8I6OdUsv7 — Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) June 9, 2024

Evenepoel’s impressive TT win last week suggests he can count on making gains next month in the mostly flat stage 7 Tour de France time trial.

But the hilly romp around Nice on the final day favors Pogačar and Roglič just as much as Belgium’s aero bullet.

And if Evenepoel cracks like he did when he lost 1:46 in just one stage last week, a rider like Pogačar could inflict double that amount of damage in the Tour’s toughest days in the Pyrénées and Alps.

Evenepoel has got a lot to do this month in his boot camp on Isola.

A career-first Tour de France will be a voyage of discovery that tests his temperament, his form, and the whole of the “Wolf Pack” entourage.

It’s not even like Evenepoel et al have muscle memory to fall back on. It’s now been 18 months since Soudal Quick-Step successfully completed a three-week push on GC, back when Evenepoel won the 2022 Vuelta a España.

Evenepoel was an outside bet for the Tour de France podium even before the crash that crushed his shoulder in the Basque Country.

The Dauphiné did little to change those odds.

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)

2024 palmarès: Tirreno-Adriatico GC + 2 x stages, O Gran Camiño GC + 3 stages Key TdF teammates: Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss (sick at Dauphiné), Wout van Aert (TBD) Where is he now? Altitude camp, Tignes

Will Jonas Vingegaard be ready for the Tour de France? It’s the question on the lips of the entire cycling community right now.

It’s possible that nobody has the answer at this moment – not even the double defender himself.

Word out of the Visma-Lease a Bike camp is that Vingegaard is making a rip-roaring comeback from the catalog of injuries he sustained in the Basque Country.

But still, the 27-year-old hasn’t raced since April and is keeping quiet about whether he’ll hit the “100 percent” benchmark set on his title defense.

“I’m working with Jonas every day and I don’t know [if he’ll be at the Tour]. He doesn’t even know it yet,” Vingegaard’s trainer Tim Heemskerk recently told De Limburger . “A lot depends on developments in the coming weeks.”

With less than three weeks until a raw and rude opening stage to the Tour, things are not looking good for the “Killer Bees.”

The hive is near to upside down after a disaster season that put a Tour de France question mark over Wout van Aert and saw the team last week lose key domestiques Dylan Van Baarle and Steven Kruijsiwijk.

Even the ever-reliable Sepp Kuss is sick .

The rise of Matteo Jorgenson is the one bright note for Visma-Lease a Bike as it nurses its way toward the Tour, but nobody is counting on the 24-year-old to prop up a title defense.

And that’s @ Tignes pic.twitter.com/dnqdEIjRiU — Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) June 6, 2024

A champion like Vingegaard won’t ride the Tour de France aiming for the podium.

A delayed comeback at the Vuelta a España might become a more tasty proposition for the 27-year-old if the next weeks don’t go well.

“Jonas is someone that when he starts, he competes for the win. Jonas currently has that status. Otherwise a ‘Plan B’ must be put on the table,” Heemskeerk said.

“Whether 100 percent is enough for him or 95, I dare not say,” Heemskeerk told De Limburger .

Vingegaard could likely crush most of the Tour de France contenders, even at 85 percent. He would start the Tour as fresh as you can get and as hungry as a long-caged tiger.

But it looks like nothing less than perfection will be enough to overpower a seemingly peerless Tadej Pogačar.

It will be a victory if Vingegaard makes it to the start line on June 29.

It will be a miracle if he tops the podium three weeks later.

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Animal Crossing’s aquarium experience is going on tour — here’s how it works

Time to learn about some fish

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Fans of Animal Crossing: New Horizons likely know the tedium and joy that comes with assembling an aquarium of their own and fishing season after season, but the fun doesn’t have to stop in the game. Nintendo announced that the company will be bringing its Animal Crossing: New Horizons aquarium tour nationwide on Monday . The event started with a partnership between Nintendo and the Seattle Aquarium that brought specially themed Animal Crossing exhibits to the aquarium. On Monday Nintendo announced that it would be expanding the event and tour several locations across the United States.

The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Aquarium Tour will come to seven U.S. cities in total. It includes a nice spread of events across several regions. Here are all the locations and dates for each aquarium Nintendo has announced so far:

• Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina — June 14-Aug. 11
• Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans, Louisiana — June 21-Sept. 14
• Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia — Aug. 1 - Sept. 26
• Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon — Aug. 26-Oct. 20
• New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts — Sept. 21-Dec. 14
• Sea Life Arizona in Tempe, Arizona — Oct. 4-Nov. 17
• Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee — Dec. 21-Feb. 28

The official FAQ on the event describes the tour as an “aquarium experience inspired by the Animal Crossing: New Horizons game.” The participating aquariums will host events “and more with an Animal Crossing twist.” However if you want to get a stronger idea of what the official Animal Crossing aquarium experience could actually be like, it’s helpful to look at the aquarium tour hosted at the Seattle Aquarium.

A TikTok video from the user May showed what it was like to attend the event. The aquarium had giant Animal Crossing-themed backdrops to take photos. Visitors can look for cutouts of characters like Isabelle and Tom Nook in the aquarium, and get a card stamped as they find each character. Exhibits within the aquarium contain additional placards courtesy of Blathers, who will teach fans more about the fish they have caught in the game. Additionally, it looks like the event at the Seattle Aquarium contained adorable merch as well. If you want to see more, you can see the full video below .

@mayplaystv would you visit the animal crossing aquarium in real life? i had to go to seattle to support blathers #animalcrossing #acnh #animalcrossingnewhorizons #aquarium #nintendo ♬ original sound - flowrence

Overall, it doesn’t look like anything overly fancy, but it doesn’t really need to be. The aquarium is already pretty dang fun — even without Tom Nook there — and it looks like the event could be the perfect excuse for an Animal Crossing fan to go and see some cool critters and fish.

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Outlander 's Sam Heughan Jokes That Taylor Swift Should Leave Travis Kelce for Jamie Fraser

The Outlander cast is headed to the Eras Tour in Edinburgh.

"We're going to go see Taylor Swift play in Scotland and I think most of the cast is going," Heughan said in a clip posted to his Instagram yesterday . "She obviously doesn't know this, but when she comes to Scotland and she sees me in the audience, she's going to forget all about him [Travis Kelce] and fall for a man in a ginger wig."

He continues, clearly joking, "How can she resist? She's going to shake him off and take me out instead. I'm really excited!"

Heughan captioned his video "Welcome to Scotland Taylor! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿. JAMMF is a Swiftie 🫶," referencing his character, whose full name is James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser . Watch the full clip here:

Swift will perform three nights at the Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, starting tomorrow, June 7 through Sunday, June 9. It's unclear which night the Outlander cast will attend—or if Heughan will go in costume as his character, Jamie, as he said he'll be in the audience in a "ginger wig."

Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, recently watched the Eras Tour in Paris, telling his brother Jason on their podcast, "It is absolutely unbelievable. I enjoyed every bit of it. I don't know if they're just getting better or if I just keep forgetting how they are." He added, "I'm just happy for everybody that's in the 'Eras Tour' that's performing, from the dancers to the band and obviously, Taylor. It just looks like they're having so much fun out there, and they're absolutely killing it. They're putting on a show that you won't get anywhere else."

Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma , a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram .

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