ON THE JOB: A SEASONED TOUR GUIDE TELLS ALL

We interviewed Cherie Anderson, owner and president of Professional Tour Management Training in Lake Forest, California, to get her insights on what it's like to be a tour director. Ms. Anderson has led tours across the globe. When she is not busy touring, she is training others how to become tour guides. In the following interview, she also explains some of the benefits formal training can provide.

What is the difference between a tour director and a travel agent?

Tour directors are actually out in the field leading the tours. Travel agents work for an agency selling the tours and making the reservations. The two roles are completely different one is hands on visiting various countries, dealing with people and logistics while the other works mainly in the office.

As a tour director, I don't work in the office at all. I don't sell the tours and I don't market the tours. I am hired to travel with the tour group. For example if I am doing a tour in Australia and New Zealand I meet the tour group in Los Angeles and we fly together to New Zealand. I return 3 ½ weeks later with the group and go home. I avoid the office. Travel agents have to know computer codes, the computer programs and all that other clerical work, that's not what we do As tour directors.

Most people who are interested in the tour directing and tour guiding don't want a desk job. I know I never did. If you want a steady 9-5-office job then becoming a travel agent may appeal to you but you won't find that as a tour director or tour guide.

How did you become a tour guide?

I was in education, sales and a variety of other jobs before I became a tour director. I actually found my way into this industry by volunteering on a cruise ship as a children's activities counselor. That job led to working as a cruise host on the cruise line. Tour operators would hire me to escort their guests on cruises to all their various destinations. That experience eventually lead to escorting tour groups for international tour operators.

How did you evolve from a tour guide into teaching courses on how to be a tour guide?

In 1993, I realized there was a need for a college course that would provide direction to those who were interested in tour guiding, tour directing and cruise hosting. I decided to combine my education background with my career in tours and developed my course, "Get Paid to Travel".

In the United States there is very little available to educate people on how to be a qualified and successful tour guide and/or tour directors. Most people would apply to tour operators and state in their applications that "I love people and I love to travel." But that doesn't mean they are qualified to lead a tour, especially overseas. Tour operators need to feel comfortable that the people they hire know the procedures, briefings, documentation, safety and behind the scenes work that goes into being a successful tour guide and tour director. That is exactly what my course offers. I had to learn all the procedures the hard way!

I approached the local colleges about teaching my course and found a lot of interest. That led to credit and non -credit classes in tour management and cruise hosting. In the beginning I was working with 15 major colleges and now I work with over 1,200 online.

Why did you decide to put your course online?

September 11th hit the tourism industry hard. Everything slowed down, it was frightening. At first no one wanted to travel. After the initial shock of 9/11 wore off, the travel industry gradually picked up but things had changed. People now wanted to travel domestically. Many of the International Tour Operators had to build up more domestic tours to stay afloat.

I took advantage of the tourism slump to re-work all of my teaching material and offer it as an online course. I also wrote my textbook, Tour Director Training Guide. It took a while to put together but the slump lasted a while so I was okay.

How has September 11th impacted the tourism industry?

As I mentioned more people wanted to travel domestically. Tour operators added domestic tours to their itineraries. In that sense it worked to the advantage of the new tour directors. Tour directors could now be trained domestically which is easier for both the tour director and tour operator. After gaining experience they may be placed on international tours.

Another thing that really impacted the tourism industry is that the economy fell after 9/11 and it hurt the incentive market. As the economy tightened up companies shortened their trips and looked for ways they could still offer incentive trips but more economically. For example, an incentive house before 9/11 might rent out Sea World for the night would instead offer a "dine around" and take their guests for fine dining.

You've mentioned several times Incentive Houses, what exactly is an Incentive House?

The incentive houses work with Fortune 500 companies in planning their company trips. The trips may be a reward for their employee's job performance, training, meetings, team building, a convention or an introduction to new products. Tour directors, often called "travel staff", are hired to travel to the destination and make sure their guests receive VIP treatment.

The incentive house will then hire a DMC or Destination Management Company which is a company located in or near the trip destination. They hire local tour directors and tour guides to assist the guests by meeting them at the airport, covering hospitality desks, taking them to attractions, leading city tours, assisting with dine-a-rounds, taking them on car or boat rallies, assisting with parties and events and so on. DMC work is fun and a great way for new tour directors to start getting experience and networking. I cover the job responsibilities in my training. My new tour directors have been very successful starting with the DMC's.

If someone came up to you and asked you how to get into the tour guiding business what advice would you give them?

Take my online class "Get Paid to Travel". It's convenient because it's online, it's offered through the colleges and it's in expensive. The course costs around $100. It's a six week course that offers students resources to all the employers, what they are looking for, the necessary tour procedures, what to cover in their briefing, what to do if there is a medical emergency etc. In addition I offer my students a list of potential employers and how to gain experience in the industry.

The other thing I would tell someone interested in becoming a tour director is; don't quit your day job. It may be very competitive to become a tour director or guide and it will take more than a "passion to travel and love of people" to land your a job. Get experience wherever you can. You can work as a step on guide for a local tour operator, work locally for destination management companies or volunteer to docent at a local museum or historical site. There are lots of ways to gain experience in the field that will vastly help you land a job with a major tour operator.

Finally I tell my students to network. Often a tour director or a guide will be offered a job and when they are not available, the tour operator will ask, "Do you know anyone who can do the tour?" Word of mouth recommendations go far in this business so it's a good idea to build up a network within the tour guide community.

What kinds of career advancement can a tour guide look forward to?

The future opportunities are amazing. Tourism is the largest and fastest growing industry in the world. The baby boomers are beginning to retire and many of them say they want to spend their retirement traveling.

Tour directing can also lead to other opportunities. I've done lectures throughout the US doing seminars and workshops for a number associations and companies.

I've turned down jobs promoting hotels, cruise lines and countries.

Tour directors have become product managers (developing tours), vice presidents and presidents of tour operations. This kind of work also develops excellent leadership skills for other careers.

Do you have to be an expert on any given subject before you get hired as a tour director?

It depends on what kind of tour operator you are working for. Most U.S. domestic tours include a lot of history. It might be difficult to get a job giving tours of Gettysburg if you're not familiar with the Civil War. However, the internet has made research much easier, so if you tell a specific employer that you have had my tour guide training and are willing to do as much research as possible on the Battle of Gettysburg, you may have a good chance at getting hired.

When I lead an international tour, local guides deliver the narration. I don't need to be know the history of Australia or wherever the tour may be. I'm also not bilingual, my local guides help if I need an interpreter. My job is to manage the tour group, not deliver the narration.

How difficult is it to juggle a family life while being a tour director?

You can work locally for a destination management company, receptive services or lead local tours, which will allow you to be home at night and still be a part of the tourism industry. However, if you work for a domestic or international tour operator you might be gone for several weeks and then home for a few days or a few weeks. Some families may like that set up, for others it's not really an option.

Would you say that the work for land tours is pretty much year round or is it more of a seasonal job?

There are high and low seasons, but tourism is year around. I lead international tours so we are busy all year round. For example, when it is winter above the equator, it is summer below the equator. In the fall we usually started our South American, Australian and New Zealand tours. In the winter when the domestic tours slow down the domestic tour directors and guides may work for the incentive houses and destination management companies to keep busy. They're busiest in the winter and spring. There really are opportunities all year.

You mentioned tour directors are always busy doing work behind the scenes. Do you even get to experience the "fun" of traveling?

Of course we have fun! We get to experience all the things that people pay thousands of dollars to do. Some people think that the tour group is with you 24 hours a day, but they don't want to be with you all the time! The tour group wants time to themselves and go off on their own. So you may have some days where you are working from morning until night but then there are other days when you may have a half day tour. When this happens you can go off and explore the destination on your own. Not to mention we participate in all the fun evening activities that are planned for the guests. For example, the evening might include a night out at the Moscow Circus or Shanghai Acrobats. As the tour director you get to be part of these incredible events. It really is a fantastic experience.

Do tour directors usually freelance or do they work through a company?

I would say that most tour directors and guides freelance. Most people start out working for several companies. When I started as a tour director I worked for a couple companies. After the tour, operators received the evaluations from the tour members and saw that I could do the job, they kept me busy from there on out.

Can you draw any parallels between tour guiding and other types of employment?

There's a lot of carry over. Teachers, mothers, actors, health care workers, administrators, managers, I find almost any responsible career has carry over that will help. I think I've used every skill I've ever had in tour directing and guiding. We do it all, we're teachers, caretakers, lecturers, sales people, administrators, actors, customer service reps, we do it all. Most people think we are mainly a host, we are much more than that.

Do you have certain qualifications or any restriction you're looking for before you let someone take your classes?

My courses are offered through public education, everyone is welcome. I find most skills can be learned if the student will follow my instructions and say exactly what I list in the lessons.

I've had students I didn't think would be particularly good tour directors or guides and they turned out to be excellent. I've had others I thought would be excellent and they couldn't show up on time or cancelled at the last minute.

If they are not responsible then they shouldn't be tour directors or guides. It's not the type of job where you can put on your voicemail and hope that will cover for you. You have to actually be there and on time. Better yet, be early!

What would you say your typical student is like? Are they usually college age or adults?

Most of my students are mature. It's a great job for those that are 'mature'. They have experience and maturity is an asset since most people on typical escorted tours are mature, 70% are over 50.

I like seeing younger people in the training too. There are so many opportunities now! Tourism is the largest and fastest growing industry in the world, yet most people know very little about it. There are also specific tours where young people are desired for the tours such as: Contiki Tours or many of the adventure, camping, or Alaska programs.

I trained a young man years ago that became a tour director and now has worked for years as an assistant cruise director for Princess Cruise Lines. He's on his way now to Europe to join the ship for his next assignment. He loves it. There's opportunity for all ages.

Is there any other kind of work experience that is particularly helpful?

Narration is important for domestic tours, so public speaking skills are very helpful. If you have worked as ski instructor, camp counselor or other kind of activity that you have led a group of people that may help your chances.

Volunteering as a docent is also very helpful. In California the mission docents are very knowledgeable of California history.

Customer service skills are important, sometimes handling tour members under stress can be challenging. You need to be able to think and make decisions.

You have to think on your feet, obviously, when there's a crisis or other emergency situation.

Yes, you'll be making the decisions for the group. Even though the tour is set up a year in advance, things change and there are challenges. It's up to the tour director to decide what's best for the group.

In my training I give information on handling challenges and emergencies and I have to say, they often seem to happen in the middle of the night.

We do the best we can when there's a crisis. In my experience most things that happen may be a hassle and inconvenient but not fatal. Yes, you definitely have to be able to think on your feet.

Perhaps some minimum CPR training would help?

Yes, first aid and CPR are important and some companies require an updated card.

Are there physical demands?

Yes. Often there is a lot of walking. On some tours like in China, it may be miles of walking, which I love.

Active tours have become so popular that it may really be to your advantage to be in shape.

You don't have to be real strong, but we do have long days and jet lag on international tours. And as I said emergencies seem to happen in the middle of the night. You should be able to function occasionally without a lot of sleep.

Since it's difficult to replace tour directors before or during a tour, the tour director should be healthy.

Why do you think people typically pursue the tour industry?

Some because they are retired and want to do something new and fun.

Other people go into it because they are tired of the day-to-day routine job. They are looking for something that is more fun and less routine.

In some cases the kids are grown, out of the house and now there's time for mom to travel and have some fun.

Most go into it because they love travel. Since our job is strictly on tour with the tour members, there's lots of travel!

What would you say the average entry-level pay would be?

It varies a lot, depending on the tour operator, type of tour, and destination. Normally, on escorted tours, we earn salary, commission and gratuities. Most tour directors should be making between $200 and $350 a day with experience.

The entry-level destination management companies are starting out their newly trained tour directors at about $15-18 per hour. Experienced tour directors are earning $20-25 per hour, earning time and a half after 8 hours.

Experienced travel staff working for incentive house's are now making $350 to $400 a day when working for the major companies.

You mentioned some of the benefits. Is there anyway to get things like medical or retirement?

Some of that's changing. In the past we had to buy our own medical insurance. However, in the last few years there have been major lawsuits over companies hiring us as independent contractors. The IRS determined that we are in most cases employees. The lawsuits cost the major tour operators millions of dollars, so hopefully it will change things. We're sill in the wait and see mode right now.

Are there any particular jobs in the industry that people consider more glamorous or popular than others?

I'm sure most would say international tours are more glamorous. Most of my students say they want to go international.

Some of our major tour operators will start their new tour directors on domestic tours before assigning them to international tours.

Actually I have students that prefer the incentive market. They stay at four and five star hotels and work as a team. The income can be just as good and sometimes even better than on escorted tours.

Do companies help the guides with the transportation costs or anything like that?

Absolutely.  It's like any other job that requires travel. All of our travel expenses are paid including flights, hotels, meals, and tips. The company will give the tour director funds to cover their expenses and the tour expenses before they leave home.

Can you summarize quickly some of the advantages of training, like your, versus somebody who just goes it on their own?

As I mentioned the tour operators get a lot of resumes from people that say they are qualified because they love travel and people. By saying that it may tell the tour operator this person thinks the job is being a host. It's much more than that.

The job includes safety, legal aspects, specific procedures, documentation, narration, challenges and emergencies. What are they going to do if someone gets ill or dies on the tour. Unfortunately that's part of our job too.

Another big advantage to the training is being able to locate the employers and types of employers. Some people still think we work for travel agents. There are lots of different types of employers offering careers locally, domestically, and internationally.

The training will help you be successful and get hired. I hope my students learn from my mistakes and hard lessons what works and does.

Your job does not end when the tour ends, correct?

If you're talking about the end of the day, after the tour members get off the coach, you're right. There's lots that goes on behind the scenes. These are responsibilities the tour members don't know anything about. I cover it all in "Get Paid to Travel", the online course. It's not really difficult, you just need to know what is expected.

Do you have a favorite story you might want to relate?

My favorite stories are from my students on their first tours. They tell me I'm right there on their shoulder the whole time. I also enjoy the fact that they get most excited about the challenges during the tour and are so impressed with their own skills when they handle challenging situations.

One young man said, "I want to tell you that everything you said is exactly right." What I stress is that you have to know your job, you have to be direct, and you have to stick to procedures. He said he had tour members that when he told them what time they were going to be departing the next day they said, "No, we want to go later." So he changed the time to just 15 minutes later. He than had the others in the tour very upset because he changed the time just because others wanted it. So you have to know the psychology of the group, too. You make the decision, you stick with the decision, and you never ask for a vote. It's not a democracy. People take tours because they want to be led, they don't want to deal with decisions, that's why they're on an escorted tour.

I have another student who was up in Washington State and he called one of his first tours the Red Cross Tour. Within a couple of days he had a woman who slit her knee open and had to have 20 stitches and a man who had to be taken by helicopter to a hospital because he had a heart attack. These are sort of typical stories and things we talk about in class. When the students start working they find out this is what really happens! This is the reality of it all.

I have a student, who is now over in the Alps working for Tauck Tours . Her first tour was with Dominico and they sent her to the East Coast. She was to lead a tour from New Jersey to Myrtle Beach. She prepared all the narration and when she arrived, she was told, "Now you're doing the tour from New Jersey to Niagara Falls!" And she had tour members from Germany, the United States, and England. She had to translate documents, do the tour in two languages, and prepare the narration until two o'clock in the morning. So, it's a job! When the new tour directors get back, I always ask, "How did you like it?" They all have said they absolutely love it! They absolutely love it.

If you could give people your best advice before pursing land tours as a career, what would it be?

Research the job and responsibilities. It's not for everyone. We're not a host, we are on the tour working. With the Internet you can research and learn a lot about the career. If you find it is the career for you, than you'll absolutely love it. Most tour directors will tell you they can't imagine having a 'real job'.

If you do want to be a tour director or tour guide, be persistent. Get training and experience. Get your resume out there, network and be persistent. The jobs are out there. It took me about one and half years to get my first job in travel. It doesn't need to take that long, that's why I started my training. The students leave the course with information it took me years to learn.

You can email Cherie Anderson directly at Cherie@tourtraining. com

“Tour Director Training Guide”  - Tourtraining.com