Tour Directors on Student Foreign Tours
Effective Relationships with Tour Group Facilitators
Dec 10, 2008
Even before departing the United States, the assignment of a local tour director (TD) by the tour company will establish a crucial relationship between teacher group leaders, other chaperones, and students. Group leaders should request contact by the TD before departure by email or telephone to begin this relationship. The TD will have all of the tour information including itinerary and lodging and will be the primary facilitator of all on-tour details.
Establishing a Rapport with the Tour Director
The assigned tour director will meet the group at the airport upon arrival. If several different school groups have been consolidated into one group (usually determined by bus size), other representatives of the tour company will meet the group and escort it to the hotel. A meeting between all group leaders and the tour director should take place during that first day to review the tour itinerary, set group expectations, and establish guidelines everyone can agree with.
For a good number of tour directors, escorting students and adults is a passion and this is reflected in their preparation. One exceptional TD distributed self-made booklets for every country being visited that included vocabulary terms, maps, and contact information. Some tour directors excel with commentary, particularly during long bus rides. Bus activities often include singing, games, quizzes, and trivia contests.
The relationship with the tour director must be professional at all times. Even in cases where the tour director appears mediocre, complaints and criticisms should never be shared with students. Frequently, veteran teacher group leaders may compare tour directors to more successful past tours in which an excellent TD went above the call of duty to share information. Yet as long as the tour participants are enjoying the trip, these concerns should be kept private.
Tipping the Tour Director
Suggested tips vary from company to company. Some tour companies pay tour directors less per tour than other companies but make up for the lower stipend by promising higher tips. It is not uncommon to be asked to tip $5.00 per day, per participant. A twelve day tour involving thirty participants amounts to $1800.00. Separate tips are collected for bus drivers and local city guides.
The best practice is to collect the tip before departure during the final participant trip meeting. Converting the amount into large bills will make the tip easier to carry. Cash is the best way to tip. International money vouchers and/or travelers checks are often difficult to cash even though they represent a more secure way of transporting.
Limits of Tour Directing
Tour directors are not on the job twenty-four hours. Although they are required to stay in the same hotels as their group, time after dinner is their own. Tour directors are on call for emergencies and to make recommendations for non-included excursions and activities, but such communications should not be abused.
An open relationship should mean that discussion is possible throughout the tour on positive and negative matters. This should be handled professionally. Acute problems should be addressed beyond the tour director but only if particular circumstances have become unacceptable and the problems persist. Ultimately, the tour is an investment for every participant and the tour directors should be reminded of this if serious problems arise.
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