The Art of Guiding
In a world where we have pictures of almost every place imaginable in our pockets, people who book a group tour arrive with expectations. They pay for a trip. They’ve read the highlights. They’ve seen photos of the beaches, waterfalls, wildlife, hikes, meals, hotels, sunsets and experiences long before they arrive. A guide’s job is to deliver what is promised, safely, clearly and well. It’s also knowing what to do when things change, because they will. It’s knowing how to break the news in a way that feels calm, human and clear, so “the train not running” doesn’t become the whole story of their trip.
After guiding for a while, you realise something: the itinerary is not the whole trip.
Guests see an itinerary. Guides get a set of guide notes. They’re called guide notes for a reason. They guide you. They’re not a script or a strict set of instructions. They can’t predict the mood of a group, the weather, the roadworks, the daylight hours, the energy, the sore knees, the uncontrollable changes in itinerary, or that moment a kangaroo jumps across the road and everyone loses their mind.
I think a good guide knows the notes. But a really good guide learns how to read the room, the road, the tides, the sky and the humans in front of them. I’ve run the same itinerary more times than I can count, but I’ve never once run the same tour.
Seasons change, and so do the daylight hours, significantly. Every trip, I map out timings depending on sunrise and sunset. Some trips vary slightly, some much more. In summer, we might have time for one more swim, a longer hike, an extra lookout, a longer lunch, an earlier morning, or just one more golden-hour moment. In winter, the days are shorter and people tend to go inwards, but the wildlife comes alive in a completely different way. The whales are migrating, and it’s great weather for hiking and stargazing.
The weather changes too, and the reality is that the forecast can change the plan. Rain or shine, the tour obviously goes on, but I remember pulling into Yamba for lunch one day. It was raining so hard I could barely see the car in front of me. As I pulled in to let people out, the streets were flooded, with water past ankle-deep in most places. No one wanted lunch that day, so we found a toilet, kept moving north and checked into Byron earlier than normal.
Some days, the rain is the story. Some days, it is way too hot, and I need to make sure I have extra water on the bus and a bag full of electrolytes before I even consider who I feel safe taking on the scheduled hike. Some days, I encourage longer swims. Other days, the ocean is wild, and I won’t even mention a swim option. Some tours, the sun arrives every time you stop the bus, and the rain starts again every time you drive. You tell guests you ordered the weather ahead, and suddenly look like an otherworldly genius.
Besides the weather, there are the people. Without them, we would need to get real, and probably very boring, jobs, so they are a priority and I’m forever grateful for them!
In one group, though, there are many sub-groups. Some want more movement, longer hikes, sunrise swims and every optional activity available. Others see the word “walk” and look like they want to kill me, so there are always multiple options at any stop. These come with knowing the areas, and they’re not always in the guide notes. Some want to party and go wild, others want wildlife and stargazing, and some want it all. The drives are long, so some groups love bus karaoke and others want peace, quiet and a window seat. There are people on these tours who have dreamed of Australia their whole lives and others who are just trying to prove to themselves they can travel alone, and this is a safe way to do so.
It’s our job, as guides, to find the balance. And that balance will never be the same from one group to another. Knowing there are things we can control and things we can’t is important. That’s the art of guiding.
You're not there to make the trip suit only the loudest people, the fittest people, the party people or the ones who like the same things you do. You are there to hold the shape of the trip while making space for different people to have different versions of it.
Deliver the itinerary. Tick the boxes. Make sure people get what they came for. But within that, learn to adapt.
Offer longer walks for some without making the non-walkers feel like failures. Make space for the party crew without letting them dominate the whole mood. Honour the early-night stargazers by pointing out the clear nights and the less light-polluted skies. Encourage the nervous swimmers without pushing them past their limits, because you know they dream of snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef when they get to Cairns. Notice who needs a nudge, and who needs to be left alone.
This is the part guide notes or leader training won’t really teach you. They will tell you where to stop and where you’re sleeping, they’ll even suggest places to eat, but they’ll never tell you that someone on your bus is about to cry when they see a koala, and how you should respond to that!
Learn the itinerary and know your route, the logistics and all the non-negotiables. Read the guide notes and know the important timings, like when you have to catch a train, or meet another provider. But also, know when timings can be changed and when you need to give safety briefings.
Then, have fun! Go and do the optional activities with your group so you know what you’re recommending when people ask about them. Network! Try different restaurants. Make sure people can pay separately. Make sure there are options for all the dietaries and food preferences, even if you personally just want a pub meal. Get out of your comfort zone. Remember what it feels like to not know.
That’s what your guests are doing every day when they wake up on your tour. They’re trusting you with their dream trip. They’re in a new country, a new group, a new rhythm, a new landscape, a new version of themselves. Your job isn’t just to move them from one place to the next. It’s balancing out all those in-between moments.
Saying that, you don’t have to know it all. You are human. You’ve never led this tour, this group, or this moment before now. Most importantly, be yourself - everyone else is already taken!
Have fun and go take those people on the best holiday of their lives.
Lucky last: Never assume people know anything. Because some day, a guest will shout “EMU” out the window, as you drive past a paddock full of alpacas…. And you’ll be the one, with the microphone, navigating this moment to the rest of the group.
Any guides reading this? What have I forgot?!!!
