Confessions of a tour guide
We talk to six travel veterans about what not to do, where to go in the world and their scariest moments.
Tour guiding is a complex art. Take X number of disparate guests, deliver each the experiences and knowledge they’ve come searching for, then send them home enriched and happy. It’s a delicate dance of diplomacy and logistics that is in constant motion during the course of a tour, even if the best guides have a talent for keeping the machinations whirring out of sight.
For the guides themselves, their job is a ticket to see the world, providing interactions with guests but also the wide array of destinations and local people encountered along the way.
We’ve brought together six top guides to ask them about the do’s and don’ts of travelling.
Jo Taylor
A retired police officer from NSW’s Lake Macquarie, Jo Taylor made the change to guiding when she joined Captain’s Choice in 2007, managing its overseas tours.
I’ve been to: Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Russia, the Arctic and many European countries, managing tours across the world since 2007, mostly with Australian-owned Captain’s Choice. I’ve been lucky enough to return to many destinations on multiple occasions, some more than 10 times.
My most frequent destination: Central Asia, Africa, India and Britain.
My favourite place: It’s almost impossible to name, but I love game drives in Africa. I’ve also fallen in love with Central Asia (particularly the Stans) and India.
On my wish list: Canada and Alaska, with Antarctica a close second.
My best experience as a guide has been: Participating in game drives in Africa, interacting with gorillas in Rwanda and meeting local people throughout the world. I also like the joy of guests’ experiences on tour – the euphoric sense of happiness when guests reach Machu Picchu, interact with gorillas in Rwanda, photograph polar bears from Zodiacs in the Arctic, or wander the grounds of the Taj Mahal.
Dear guest, please don’t: It doesn’t happen often, but I do get disappointed when a guest is repeatedly not punctual and doesn’t consider the impact this has on their fellow travellers.
Iain Shearer
Australian archaeologist Iain Shearer spent 25 years working on sites and museums around North Africa, Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Middle East before leading his first lecture tour in 2004. He now leads trips for Renaissance Tours.
I’ve been to: North America, Central America, North Africa (including Sudan, Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa), Europe, Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Iran, Pakistan, India, China, Mongolia, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand. I’ve not travelled enough in the South Pacific and, to my shame, nowhere in South America.
My most frequent destination: Central Asia, Middle East, Caucasus and North Africa. Nearly all my lecture tours are multi-country. Most modern Eurasian and North African land borders are relatively recent political confections, cutting across historically and culturally connected regions.
My favourite place: A tie between Algeria, Armenia, Afghanistan, Iran, Bulgaria, Jordan, Turkey, Syria and Tajikistan. Please don’t make me choose. I’ve excavated at the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan, which is one of the most extraordinary, beautiful and remote sites I’ve had the privilege of visiting.
On my list: Albania, Mongolia, Armenia, Pakistan, Turkey and Kurdistan.
My best experience as a guide has been: Watching The Minaret of Jam under a full moon; sunrise over the Hoggar Mountains in the deep Sahara with Tuareg and Algerian friends; sitting in the same chair, in the same room, where Yuri Gagarin spent his last night on Earth in 1961 before becoming the first human in space. I was lucky enough to fulfil a childhood dream of watching a rocket launch at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the last “Soviet” city, on the same trip for National Geographic.
Dear guest, please don’t: Freak out about the amount of food served in the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa. Hospitality means an overabundance, which often sits awkwardly with Australians who’ve been told: “Eat everything on your plate or no dessert. Think of those poor starving children!” Just remember, nothing goes to waste, even if you don’t eat it.
Jackie Parsons
Jackie Parsons has been guiding for almost three decades, starting in backpacker buses and now as co-owner and guide for Australian-based luxury walking operator Hedonistic Hiking.
I’ve been to: Singapore (my first trip outside Europe at the age of 16), while my love of modern languages and my first degree in Spanish took me on expeditions to Mexico, the Andes and Chile. I travelled in Canada and the US, and my first job post-university was as a tour guide for Contiki, which took me to most European countries, including Scandinavia, Russia and Ukraine.
My most frequent destination: Italy, hopping over to France, Austria and Slovenia. I trained as a teacher and went into British classrooms as a Spanish and French teacher, but the passion for adventure, hiking and the great outdoors won. In 2001, I left teaching and moved to Italy to work as a hiking tour guide. My husband Mick and I set up Hedonistic Hiking in 2007, running tours in Italy and Australia.
My favourite place: Chile, for its spectacular beauty, wonderful people and the impact the experience had on me as a person.
On my wish list: Georgia in Eastern Europe, but until that opportunity arises I’m happy exploring new places closer to home in both Australia and Italy, as long as it involves hiking.
My best experience as a guide has been: When we get repeat guests – we’ve had two guests who have taken 20 tours with Hedonistic Hiking.
Dear guest, please don’t: Bring oversized luggage. If you’re taking an extended holiday, take advantage of a service such as Send my Bag.
Ian Morris
After growing up in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory and studying zoology and science at university, Ian Morris has spent more than two decades guiding for cruise operator Coral Expeditions.
I’ve been to: The Pacific, New Guinea, Indonesia, Malesia, Vietnam, India, Africa, America and Britain. My real education came from the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land, where I spent many of my formative years. After World War II my family was absorbed into the Yolngu social system, and from an early age I was fascinated by how these people related to their land and looked after it.
My most frequent destination: Along Australia’s northern coastline. My focus is to give people a greater appreciation of Australia’s global uniqueness, its natural systems and its long and extraordinary human history.
My favourite place: Ashmore Reef. One of Coral Expeditions’ points of interest out from the Kimberley coast, it has large seabird breeding colonies, turtles and sea snakes, clear waters and extensive coral reefs that present so many options for the visitor and guest lecturer.
On my wish list: The Amazon River system. In addition to its amazing fauna and flora, it has ancient Gondwanan connections with Australia that have always taken my attention.
My best experience as a guide has been: As a young man, I missed the national service call-up at a time when mates were being sent to fight in Vietnam. I was always embarrassed by what we did to Vietnam in the war, until I was persuaded to take a group of Aussie environmentalists there for a month visiting UNESCO World Heritage sites. I thought the people would hate us for spoiling their country. On the contrary, they welcomed us everywhere we went. I came back to Australia a different person.
Dear guest, please don’t: Be afraid of native animals. Growing up in the bush, I loved establishing relationships with wild animals and proving to people that it’s possible for humans to relate to any of them, provided there’s no fear on either side of the relationship. Nowadays, I enjoy showing our Coral Expeditions guests that once fear is put aside, there’s no limit to the kinds of native animals you can relate to. And I still have all my fingers and toes.
Peter Bergman
Australian marine biologist Peter Bergman has been guiding for Silversea Cruises for six years, including as expedition leader for the past two.
I’ve been to: I’ve recently ticked over to 70 countries across six continents. I’ve travelled around Southeast Asia a few times, including my first backpacking trip when I was 20, crossed off a fair bit of Europe and Britain, Canada, the subcontinent and most of Central and South America. Expedition guiding has taken me to such far-flung places as Antarctica, Greenland, the Falkland Islands, Seychelles and right across the South Pacific from Papua New Guinea to Easter Island.
My most frequent destination: Australia. I grew up in the Top End and East Kimberley, so some places we go to are the same places I went when I was young.
My favourite place: The subantarctic island of South Georgia. As a wildlife spectacle, it’s like nowhere else – king penguins, fur seals, elephant seals, seabirds, all in mind-blowing abundance. Then there’s the significance of its sealing, whaling and expedition history. I’d encourage people to think about getting there if they’re planning a trip to Antarctica.
On my wish list: South Africa. Africa is the one continent I haven’t been to, and I know South Africa is going to tick a lot of boxes in terms of wildlife, culture, landscape and adventure – all factors I look for.
My best experience as a guide has been: Stepping foot on the Pitcairn Islands, following in the wake of the Bounty. I’d heard a lot about the islands’ history and the challenges and difficulties in landing due to the sea conditions. My first time there, we managed to get everyone ashore and were welcomed by descendants of Fletcher Christian – a truly special experience.
Dear guest, please don’t: Forget that customs and cultures in some parts of the world are very different to ours. The more you come to a destination with an open mind and respectful of local traditions, the more welcomed you’ll be into the community and the more rewarding and immersive your experience will be.
Bahadir Han Eryilmaz
Abercrombie & Kent guide and Turkish national Bahadir Han Eryilmaz has been leading tours since 1988, when he was studying at university in Turkey and attending a separate school to learn tour guiding.
I’ve been to: All continents except Antarctica. What’s struck me most over the decades I’ve been travelling has been the effects of globalisation. I see less and less local colour. Of course, there are advantages and benefits to globalisation but, as a traveller, my vote would go to preserving cultures.
My most frequent destination: Turkey, but also Greece, Italy and Spain, and I’ve led a number of private jet group trips with A&K around the world, as well as private ship charters in the Mediterranean.
My favourite place: Is the one where I feel the best. That “best” can be because of the things I’ve learned, the experiences I’ve shared with friends or family, or simple things like a local dish or the sunset at a village. If I had to choose one place, it would be Turkey. No other destination comes close to its wealth of culture, history and beauty. And I think I’m only being partially biased.
On my wish list: Central Asia. I’d like to follow the Silk Road, and I’d like to do it in the way those merchants did back in the 13th and 14th centuries.
My best experience as a guide has been: In the relationships we develop with our guests, rather than where we are and what we’re doing. Over the years, I’ve met so many valuable people, made many great friends, learned so much from them, and I treasure each and every one.
Dear guest, please don’t: Go home without taking something that will live in your heart and your mind other than pictures, souvenirs and a crossed-off checklist. Everywhere I go, I see big crowds of tourists and most of them are so busy taking pictures to post on social media without really appreciating where they are. Take a moment to look up and around. Go into little alleyways. Meet the people. Try to learn about their worlds and their lives.
My scariest moment
Jackie Parsons
We were hiking in Piedmont and came across a section of the path where there had been a landslide and we needed to pick our way over the rocks. One guest had a panic attack and I needed to walk backwards, talking to them and holding their hands to guide them across. We all made it and everyone was euphoric at the end – they said it was the best hike of the week.
Bahadir Han Eryilmaz
When I realised the jungle trail we were exploring was way too difficult for the group of senior citizens I had in Papua New Guinea. It worked out in the end and somehow we managed to make it fun.
Jo Taylor
When cruising the west coast of Africa, the captain informed me there were reports of pirates ahead and the ship would be implementing precautionary procedures. Explanatory flyers were placed in cabins, and all cabin windows were blacked out. The captain spoke with our guests directly before holding a general briefing, when some guests became unsettled, anxious and quite agitated, not appreciating the low probability of coming into contact with the pirates. I organised a private dining venue for our group and kept guests updated. During the night, the captain did increase speed and slightly change course to maintain a safe distance. It wasn’t uncommon for the captain and crew, but obviously unsettling for guests.
Iain Shearer
My scariest moments have always involved one common factor: teenagers with guns. Whether Yemeni, Afghan, Azeri, Israeli, Syrian or US soldiers, teenagers with guns are always terrifying as they are jacked up on testosterone and video game Call of Duty, have no sense of consequence and are looking for a reason to pull the trigger.
