The basics for recognizing a good tourist guide
Your trip is perfect: you take the time to relax and enjoy every moment to the fullest. You set off to discover other cultures, different people and new places.
The tour guide is there to give meaning to your feelings, to accompany you and take you where you never thought you would go.
He is there to tell you stories where you only see stones, to narrate intertwined lives where you only see signs and names, to make you climb this hill and admire a breathtaking landscape.
You could contemplate the most beautiful painting in the world, but knowing the torments of the artist who painted it would make it even more moving.
You could cross the most picturesque alley of this old neighborhood, but discovering the life of its inhabitants of yesteryear would make you travel back in time.
The best guide does not exist: his qualities will always depend on his audience, the spirit of the times and a thousand and one surrounding factors.
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Here are the qualities you should expect from a good tour guide
- Passion
A good guide is above all a passion for his job. Without passion, he will not be able to convey anything, and you will only feel boredom. Without passion, time will seem endless, and little by little, the group will fade away. With his passion, the guide will know how to enchant you and captivate you on a subject that you did not know existed five minutes before. - The Dosage
A good guide is a clever mix of historical stories, dates, anecdotes and also silences, to give tourists time to appreciate, observe and dream. - Humor
A good guide must have humor. He will captivate his audience even more with a little joke, an unexpected remark or a touch of spontaneity. It is up to him to bring fantasy to his visit, which will leave a lasting impression on people. - Eloquence
A good guide must, of course, know how to speak in public with a loud and intelligible voice, but without excessive emphasis. He should not consider himself a teacher, but a companion of discovery. - Availability
A good guide must be available, both to answer questions and to deal with the unexpected events of a visit. Always respectful towards the group, he must be fair to everyone. However, he must not let himself be overwhelmed by unpleasant or disrespectful behavior. - Observation
A good guide must know how to observe his group and adapt to each person: an elderly person walking more slowly, a crying child, or a tourist absorbed in his photos. He must also plan the necessary breaks for everyone’s comfort. - The pace
A good guide must know his visit inside out and manage his travel time. He must ensure a balance between walking, explanations and planned or unplanned breaks, without letting himself get overwhelmed. - The smile
Finally, and this is often the key to everything (not just for a good guide), a smile brings kindness and sympathy, and it helps to defuse many situations.
Who better than a guide to show you the must-see or unusual tourist sites?
Being a guide is much more than a job: it’s a passion, and their only goal is to share it with you.
