Do you love telling stories and meeting people from all over the world? A career as a tour guide could be perfect for you! But before you dive in, a certain amount of preparation is essential. You don't just become a guide on a whim! Behind the seemingly effortless poise of great speakers lie many hours of hard work and meticulous preparation. Here are the 5 steps to follow to embrace this exciting career!
1/ Create your guided tours
A tour guide is nothing without their guided tours. What do you want to tell your clients, and what will you bring to them? In other words, and to put it plainly, you need to know what you are going to sell!The very first step is to establish the concept of your tours and your positioning in the market. You need to design the route of your tours and the content you will share with your clients along the way, whether in terms of history or interesting anecdotes.
Also take the time to look at the competition and see what other tour guides are offering. It is very much in your interest to offer fresh, original tours to stand out and carve out your place in the market. Ask yourself this question: why would clients buy your guided tour rather than one offered by your competitors?
Pay close attention to the title and presentation of your guided tours to encourage potential clients to book. Play the originality card and build excitement by giving a taste of the highlights of your tour.
Test your tour with friends to get their feedback. There will almost certainly be elements to fine-tune. Take the opportunity to ask them to photograph you in action too. This will come in handy when promoting your tours on your website and on social media.
2/ Complete the legal formalities
Whatever country you live in and wherever you plan to offer your guided tours, you will need to comply with local regulations regarding guided tours and business registration.The requirement to obtain a professional card
If you wish to offer guided tours in museums or at historic sites, you will need to check whether or not you are required to hold a professional card. In France, for example, it is forbidden to guide in national museums or historic monuments without holding the professional guide-lecturer card. The card is also required for services sold through a tour operator. The professional guide-lecturer card is issued:- to holders of the professional license in guide-lecturing;
- to holders of a national master's degree who have completed, during or after their studies, the 3 supplementary teaching units for guide-lecturers;
- to holders of a degree conferring master's-level status who can demonstrate a minimum cumulative professional experience of one year over the past 5 years in the oral mediation of cultural heritage.
If you do not wish to offer tours in national museums or historic monuments, you do not need to obtain the guide-lecturer card. You will not need one, for example, if you want to run guided tours of Montmartre or a trail exploring the traboules of Lyon.
Register your business
Before you even begin your guided tours, you will need to formalize your professional activity by registering a business. In France, the simplest and most accessible option is to register as a self-employed micro-entrepreneur (auto-entrepreneur). The process is completed online and presents no particular difficulties. In Switzerland and Belgium, you will need to register as a self-employed individual (indépendant). Here too, the process is straightforward and allows you to get started quickly.You will then be able to invoice your clients and receive their payments legally. You will also be required to pay tax on your profits. Note that you will not be subject to VAT, which simplifies matters further.
If your tour guide business grows and you need to bring other guides on board, you will need to change your business structure. You could then opt for a limited company (SARL). In France, you may also choose the status of SASU (Société par actions simplifiée unipersonnelle), a single-shareholder simplified joint-stock company. You will then need to engage an accountant to manage your bookkeeping and legal obligations. But that is a good sign: it means your business has truly taken off!
3/ Build your website
It is simply not possible today to be a tour guide without a website! Your website should allow you to introduce yourself and showcase your guided tours. Once again, you need to stand out from your competitors by answering one simple question: why choose your tour over anyone else's!Present your guided tours
Create a dedicated page for each of your tours, covering the essentials visitors need to know. Be careful to share enough information without giving away everything about the places you visit. You need to maintain a sense of suspense and keep the appeal of joining one of your guided tours.Do not hesitate, however, to share your background and post photos of yourself in action. Better still, you can also add a video so that potential clients can get a feel for the tour experience and your personality.
You can also display reviews from your first clients, provided you have their permission. This will show that your tours are genuinely up and running and already attracting visitors. Ask your first clients to play along by agreeing to appear on your website.
Remember to update your website regularly by adding new photos, new reviews, and new tours. Your website is the shop window for your offering, and it deserves careful attention.
Sell your tours directly on your website!
Your website should not be limited to a simple presentation brochure. Above all, it should be designed as a tool for selling your guided tours. You have two options for managing enquiries and taking bookings:- The first option is to add a contact form or a link to your email address and to respond to enquiries as they come in, when you get back from your day out and can get online. This approach clearly lacks responsiveness, and in the absence of a quick reply you will inevitably lose sales. What's more, you will quickly realize how time-consuming the back-and-forth with people writing to you at all hours of the day and night can be.
- The second option is to install the Explorates booking system directly on your website. You enter your tour descriptions, prices, schedule of dates, and all relevant information into the system, and all of this data powers a dynamic booking widget displayed on your site. Clients can then register for your tours and pay immediately, without any intervention on your part. See our dedicated page for our booking system for guided tours.
4/ Build your presence on social media
Beyond your website, social media is an important tool for raising your profile and showcasing your guided tours. Once your website is ready, go ahead and create your professional accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok, if you are familiar with that platform.You can then document your tours by sharing photos, videos, and other content captured during your guided visits. Respond to comments and do not hesitate to engage your community, encouraging them to share your content and share their thoughts.
In any case, make sure you post regularly on social media. It is far better to have one well-maintained account on a platform you enjoy than several neglected accounts spread across multiple platforms.
Social media is essential for raising awareness of your guided tours and sparking client interest. Make sure you offer quality, up-to-date content.
5/ Sell your tours all over the world
Have you created your guided tours? Are you already registered as self-employed? Do you have your website and your social media accounts? Then you are ready to take on the entire world by selling your tours on all the major global platforms!The Explorates booking system gives you the ability to list your guided tour on all the major online travel agencies, including Viator, GetYourGuide, and Vizitoo.
How does it work? You simply sign a contract with each of these platforms and agree to their commission terms. And after that? There is nothing more for you to do! The Explorates booking system takes care of displaying your tour details, with prices and availability, across the different platforms. As soon as a sale is made, the availability for the tour in question is updated in real time!
You will then be able to sell your tours anywhere in the world, without worrying about time differences. A client from Belgium, Switzerland, or Canada can book your tours directly, without waiting for your response. A fantastic boost for your guiding business!
