How To Become A Tour Guide

The question I’m asked most often is“How long have you been a tour guide?” I tell them, seven years.  That’s not a lot of time compared to most of my colleagues. However, it’s been long enough to experience success, personal fulfillment, and building relationships. I found it to be the perfect retirement gig. So much so, I wonder what would have happened had I started this journey fresh out of college decades ago. In seven years, I’ve met new people and encountered new experiences.  However, without my years of lawyering, I might not have acquired the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to be successful in this line of work. Let me share my journey since entering the workforce and transitioning into a second career during retirement. In seven years I went from an aspiring entry-level trainee to a successful, self-employed independent local tour guide—the cumulative effect of training, professional development, and practice all helped to guarantee my success.

Training

Training is essential no matter how much you know or how smart you are. Self-training over established training methods can significantly impact one’s development and success. Self-training may not be right for some. I know guides who trained themselves, but I recommend the established training method. There is a learning curve and it may require an unnecessary investment of time trying to figure it all out. My interest was sparked when I heard a local NPR radio program on tour guiding. It led me to a local tour guide service offering training for a fee, promising a job and a fee refund after signing a two-year exclusive contract.  The structured learning offered practical experience while working with other experienced guides. It turned out to be a good deal.

After two years, I wanted to grow my income and expand my guiding opportunities which were limited by an exclusive contract. I was hesitant about giving up a steady paycheck.  That changed with joining the Guild of Professional Tour Guides of Washington DC., but seeing so many other successful guides gave me the confidence to jump out on my own. I knew little about marketing and client development but was open to learning. Through my connections with guild members, I gained valuable networking opportunities essential to building a strong client base. Instead of relying on a single paycheck, I transitioned to earning a steady income from multiple contracts. Collaborating with Guild guides significantly boosted my confidence to pursue an independent path

Business Development

How do you become a top-level tour guide? Practice, practice, practice. The practice of tour guiding begins with training that includes actual fieldwork. Working with a senior guide or a mentor can help build, sharpen, and broaden your guiding skills.  Early on I recognized routing to be a weakness.  As a step-on guide, you and the driver become partners in arriving, loading, and unloading passengers, and different groups have different challenges. 

Learning to deliver commentary, watch the road, and direct the driver requires multitasking.  On two occasions, I was inattentive and missed the exit creating a substantial loss of time.  I learned not to make that embarrassing mistake again. In one incident the driver turned down a narrow street resulting in a fender bender. I wasn’t driving but I felt totally at blame.

While having an experienced driver is ideal, it’s not always guaranteed. I learned to make it a priority to know the route to and from any site in advance. This level of preparedness comes only with experience. Whether you’re a step-on coach guide or working with a chauffeured SUV tour, it’s crucial for both the driver and guide to be in sync, sharing their expertise. Together, they share the responsibility and mission of ensuring the group’s safe and efficient transportation

An experienced guide knows the pitfalls of certain road travel.  Tour guiding requires dedication and continuous learning.  The desire to conduct business at top level requires training, business development, and practice.  Tour guiding is both an art and a practice that involves leading groups of visitors through places of interest, providing them with insightful commentary and information about historical, cultural, and social aspects of the sites.

Another skill I’ve developed is crafting engaging commentary and adapting it for different audiences. During my White House and National Mall tours, for example, I enjoy sharing the intriguing story of Congressman Daniel Sickles. He infamously shot his wife’s lover, Philip Barton Key, the nephew of Francis Scott Key. Later, Sickles introduced his mistress to Queen Victoria under a false name. He lost a leg at Gettysburg, and would annually visit the Medical Museum to toast and smoke a cigar beside his preserved limb. These are the anecdotes that peak interest but some topics like murder and adultery are not suitable for schoolchildren.

Reflecting on my journey I realize that while in the beginning I may not have possessed the necessary skills my years of legal experience honed. My background equipped me perfectly and through dedication, continuous learning, and a passion for sharing the local culture, I have transformed my second career into an entrepreneurial venture offering unique and personalized experiences to travelers.

The Never Ending Journey

The journey to becoming a successful tour guide is never-ending. There will be growth, improvement and adversity. The journey to becoming a successful tour guide comes through personal experience and commitment, it transcends mere knowledge of sites and their histories. It encompasses a holistic development process, where formal training and real-world application merge to cultivate guiding skills and essential business acumen.

Destination Success

Tour guiding rewards the curious and the passionate, offering endless opportunities to learn, grow, and connect with people from all walks of life. Whether starting fresh out of college or as a retirement gig the experiences and skills accrued over the years can perfectly equip one for this enriching career. Whether through structured training or self-directed learning, each step taken is a step towards mastering the art and practice of tour guiding—a profession that is as rewarding as it is challenging.