By Michael Wong | January 3, 2022.
Tour Guide Jobs
Does your city/town attract tourists?
Have you ever thought it might be fun to give guided tours around your city/town?
Maybe you have searched for tour guide jobs.
But have you considered being your own boss and making money as a guide for tours you designed?
If that sounds interesting, read on...
- Design Your Own Guided Tours
- How Much Can You Make Running Your Own Guided Tours?
- Your Guide Requirements
- Top 2 Sites To Make Money As A Tour Guide
Design Your Own Guided Tours
Here are some guided tour ideas:
- Top 10 tourist attractions.
- Walking/running tour of the city.
- Downtown tour.
- Chinatown tour.
- Celebrity homes tour (Los Angeles).
- TV show tours, visiting famous locations used in the show.
- Historical tour of the city.
- The most interesting or award winning architecture.
- A foodie's guide to the best places to eat around town.
- Places that serve the most interesting drinks.
- Top 10 haunted places.
- Top 10 nightlife hangouts around town.
- Photography course shooting the best locations around town.
How Much Can You Make Running Your Own Guided Tours?
Here are a few guided tours to give you an idea of what people are charging:
- 3 hour New York City Chinatown Tour (includes food and soft drinks): $85 per person
- 2 ½ hour Navigating Chicago Tour - from Ground Zero to the neighborhoods: $315 (1-6 people)
- 8 hour Los Angeles, Hollywood & Beverly Hills, Grand City Tour: $695 (1-6 people)
Your Guide Requirements
To successfully make money giving guided tours you designed, you should:
- be very knowledgeable in the tour you are designing
- be passionate about introducing a new place to other people for the first time
- be committed to delivering a high quality experience to every guest
- be personable, outgoing and fun
- be professional at all times: friendly, responsive, dependable and organized
- offer value for money - not rip off guests
- present a clean, tidy appearance, appropriate for the tour
- prioritize safety of your guests above all else
- avoid activities that might offend others: smoking, foul language, etc.
- ideally speak more than one language (it helps to attract more customers)
Top 2 Sites To Make Money As A Tour Guide
Here are my top two sites to earn money as a tour guide. Visit each website for more information:
1. Viator (Visit viator):
- Earn 80% of the tour price, which guests pay you directly in cash on the day of the tour, on the Viator online marketplace.
- Fees:
- Create your Viator Private Tour Guides profile: Free
- Receive client messages and questions: Free
- Receive SMS phone alerts for bookings: Free
- 24/7 email support.
- Mobile app ratings:
- Android: 4.3 (6,200+ reviews / 1 million+ downloads)
- iOS: 4.4 (110+ ratings)
- Stats:
- 13 million+ website visitors per month.
- 875,000+ user reviews.
- Viator was acquired by TripAdvisor, Inc., a $7 billion publicly traded company (http://c1ick.us/tripadvisor-ndq), in 2014.
- Employees: 201+ (est. 1995) (http://c1ick.us/viator-lkd)
- BBB accredited rating: A+ (http://c1ick.us/viator-bbb)
- Minimum age: 18+
- Countries: USA, worldwide.
- Free to join: Yes
2. Tours By Locals (Visit toursbylocals):
- Earn 80% of the fee you charge on the ToursByLocals online marketplace.
- Earnings paid weekly by wire transfer, PayPal, Skrill, Payoneer, or direct deposit in select countries.
- Tour guide requirements:
- 6 monthly reference and background check through the Thomson Reuters World-Check service.
- In-depth interview by video, phone and/or in-person.
- Legal requirements: You must meet all legal requirements to give tours in your area, which may mean a specific credential issued by an appropriate authority.
- Locals only: You must have lived in the area for a reasonable length of time.
- Personally deliver the tours you have agreed to do in a friendly, professional manner.
- Respond quickly (within 24 hours) and professionally to customer inquiries and booking requests.
- Keep your availability and account up to date.
- 24/7 toll-free phone and email support: (866) 844-6783 (North America)
- Stats:
- 500,000+ travelers.
- 1,600+ tour guides.
- 150+ countries.
- Employees: 51+ (est. 2008) (http://c1ick.us/toursbylocals-lkd)
- BBB accredited rating: A+ (http://c1ick.us/toursbylocals-bbb)
- Minimum age: 18+
- Countries: USA, worldwide.
- Free to join: Yes