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How to Become a Professional Guide, Tour Director/Manager or Travel Director
If you are already a guide or TD, and interested in joining,

CONTENTS:
Becoming a Professional Guide (Tour/Tourist Guide)
Becoming a Tour Director or Tour Manager
Becoming a Travel Director

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We have received numerous requests for information on how to become a Professional Guide, Tour Director/Manager or Travel Director.

Right now we have limited information that you can find below. We are currently developing this section of the site, which when complete will give detailed information on how to get into the field, including:

Courses and Programs Around the World
Organizations and Associations that can help you get started
Information on starting your own guide service or tour company
Frequently Asked Questions on topics such as what guides earn and what it's really like
Additional Resources and Advice
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Becoming a Professional Guide

Professional Guides, often known as Tourist Guides or Tour Guides, are professional communicators who are very passionate and knowledgeable about their city and often the surrounding area. Most tours that they lead are from a few hours to a day in length, though they can sometimes lead overnight trips . Professional guides can lead group tours, often as a step-on guide, walking tours, or private tours for independent travelers, small groups, families and business travelers.

The training required to be a Professional Guide varies widely depending upon where you live. In many places, formal training or licensing is not required. However, many cities or countries do require that you pass a formal licensing tests or graduate from a university. In some places there are schools and programs that train guides, certifications offered, or companies that will train guides. And in some cases guides are self-taught or learn from other guides.

To learn about local training programs, and guide organizations where you live, navigate to your destination, click on the "Travel Tips and Ask the Experts" link, and look for the special topic called "Information About Professional Guiding."

To list as a Professional Guide under a specific destination at Worldwide Guides, we do require experience, training, (a license, if applicable) or equivalent experience. Read more about this here.

We will soon post more information here on becoming a guide, including training programs and information about finding work, earnings, how to break in and how to develop your own tour business.

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Becoming a Tour Director or Tour Manager

Tour Directors or Tour Managers are professionals who travel with groups around the world, usually for one to two weeks at a time, managing the itinerary of a tour. Sometimes they live close to where the tour is located, sometimes they live where the group originates and they travel with the group to the destination and sometimes they are from somewhere else altogether.

The responsibilities of a tour director/manager varies widely with the type of tour (luxury, adventure, motor coach, seniors, students, etc) and with the destination of the tour (sometimes you give commentary, sometimes there is a local guide who does it, sometimes you are required to speak the language of the country, sometimes you are not).

The qualifications of a tour director/manager also varies widely: Some have advanced degrees and some never attended college. Some have attended training programs and some have not. Also, the age of tour directors/managers varies from those in their 20 to those in their 70s. Many Tour Directors/Managers have graduated from training programs and we will have information about these programs soon.

Because there are many tour companies around the world that will hire tour directors without previous experience or training and will usually send them on training tours, we do permit those seeking an entry level position as a tour director/manager to list in the ITDD , the International Tour and Travel Director Directory. (This is a separate section from the Professional Guides/Destination Experts section found under "Select a Destination." )

Listing in the ITDD will allow Tour Companies to find you and you will receive notice of job/tour openings that we receive. To read how you can list in the ITDD, click here

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Becoming a Travel Director

Travel Directors are professionals who travel worldwide staffing or coordination special events, corporate meetings, incentive programs, conventions and exhibits.

We will soon be posting more information about becoming a Travel Director.

If you are interested in being a Travel Director, you can list in the ITDD , the International Tour and Travel Director Directory.. As an ITDD member, companies looking for Travel Directors will be able to find you and you will receive notice of job openings that we receive.