Travel Guide

If you like discovering new places, people, traditions, and cultures, then becoming a travel guide is the best choice of career you can make.

Reasons why you should choose to be a tourist guide!

• You'll gain knowledge that will help you in your future career.
• You will visit more nations and cities than you ever imagined.
• Your travel will be paid for. Your daily task will be to guide tourists who have never been before around a new location.
• You'll gain knowledge about history, fine art, and architecture.
• Everyone you work with within the travel industry shares your passion for exploring new places.
• When you work as a guide, your travel, lodging, and some meals are all paid for, so you may save half of what you make.
• While traveling, you can save a respectable sum of money because you won't have to pay rent, a car loan, or petrol expenses.
• You'll get knowledge about different destinations.
• Your network will grow, and you'll get to make many new friends.

Who is a travel guide?

A travel guide is a person who provides many services, they accompany individuals, or groups of people on trips, sightseeing tours, and excursions and also on tours of places such as historical sites, industrial establishments, and theme parks. They clarify customer inquiries and help tourists to understand the historical backgrounds and the importance of the places, and the architectural significance of monuments. These experts coordinate the group's travel arrangements, lodging, and even meals.

They frequently travel with the group and stay in the same accommodations. Additionally, they handle any issues that may arise both before and during the tour and guarantee that the customers, particularly those with special needs, are happy and well-cared for while traveling. They are adaptable and professional at all times, and they can effectively manage challenging situations. Following the conclusion of the group's trip, they may also ask for comments to improve their offerings.

How to become a travel guide?

Entrance tests must be passed to become an authorized guide. For the benefit of the Ministry of Tourism, the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management provides guide training. They publish an advertisement in the newspaper around once every two years. As soon as the ad is posted, you must apply.

• Study at one of the many campuses of the Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management.
• Show up for the license examination held by the tourism ministry.
• Gain experience in a relevant field, employers might consider your work experience to be just as useful as your education. This experience is very transferable for individuals who want to be tour guides.
• After starting work, you might get one to two years of on-the-job training from more seasoned travel guides. You can even apply for authorized apprenticeship programs offered by tourism businesses.

Few courses to study:

• BA in Travel and Tourism Management
• BA in Hospitality, Travel, and Tourism Management
• BSc. in Travel and Tourism Management
• BSc. in Hospitality and Travel Management
• Diploma in Tourism Studies
• Diploma in Tourism and Ticketing
• MBA in Hospitality Management

What does a travel guide do?

For instance, travel agents deal with booking travel, responding to travel-related inquiries, and managing customers' travel arrangements every day. Travel agents design, market, and organize tours for groups or individuals that are typically located far from the residences of their clients. These guides compile comprehensive itineraries that incorporate events and leisure activities and then give their clients access to that data.

They arrange travel routes that will best suit the group because they are knowledgeable about the topography of the places. They even plan for emergencies by choosing routes that could lead to nearby medical facilities if that becomes required. These experts coordinate the group's travel arrangements, lodging, and even meals. They frequently travel with the group and stay in the same accommodations.

Additionally, they handle any issues that may arise both before and during the tour and guarantee that the customers, particularly those with special needs, are happy and well-cared for while traveling. They are adaptable and professional at all times, and they can effectively manage challenging situations. Following the conclusion of the group's trip, they may also ask for comments in order to improve their offerings.

Scope of a travel guide in India

The career of a tour guide has a very broad range. As the number of tourist destinations rises, so does the breadth of the tour guide profession. Everyone likes to travel or is interested in learning about all the places around the globe, as we all know, in today's world. Therefore, it is the perfect opportunity for individuals who wish to explore the world and make a nice living at the same time. One can work in this industry and make a nice living while traveling.

Key Skills Required:

• Good customer service skills
• Communication
• Energy
• Dynamism
• Memory
• Humour
• Patience
• Professionalism
• Confidence
• Empathy
• Energetic nature
• Knowledge about places
• Passion
• Storytelling
• Research

Employment sector & Top recruiters (Career opportunities)

The tourism business is renowned for its benefits and employment opportunities. One can investigate and anticipate prospects in one of the fastest-growing sectors. There are several work alternatives, but there is also the exciting future potential that involves travel, trip leading, etc., not to mention the well-paying job that goes along with it. Students who study travel and tourism have chances in both industries, which automatically puts them on the path to a successful career.

Job options:

• Travel agent
• Tour guide
• Tourism manager
• P R manager
• Event manager
• Airline grand staff
• Transport officer
• Travel writer

Top recruiters:

• Cox & Kings Ltd.
• Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.
• MakeMyTrip (Ibibo Group)
• Balmer Lawrie Travel & Vacations.
• Yatra.
• ClearTrip.
• Curly Tales (Blogging and Vlogging Content Creation)

Pay scale of tourist guide:

The average salary for a Tour Guide is ₹3,00,000(based on 35 salary profiles).