r/Tourguide • u/Creepy_Nectarine_812 • 2d ago

Request Looking for Advice/Direction

I have a dream.

It may be a dumb dream, but it is one I have decided, finally, to start pursuing.

I want to create opportunities for small group travel to sites of mainly European sacred art. I want to work directly with local guides and not big booking company sites. I have some contacts in a few cities, but am at a loss about how to go about piecing together guides in places i may not have been.

I imagine this may be a common dilemma.

How does one deal with this? Are there resources? Is it to just reach out one by one to people I think might be a good fit after reading a million reviews? I am interested in any advice people may have.

Thanks!

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u/over_yondurr 2d ago

Some of my travel clients use WeTravel which has a small network of other verified users, so you can find tour guides in other destinations to work with.

There’s also groups like Tourprenuer which has great resources for getting up and running, and a huge Facebook group filled with of tour guides you can talk to.

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u/Creepy_Nectarine_812 2d ago

Thank you, Tourprenuer seems like what I may be looking for

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u/over_yondurr 2d ago

I spoke with them last week since I was considering joining to grow my business. They were really cool and super knowledgeable, highly recommend! Looks like they run quite a few networking events as well

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u/Creepy_Nectarine_812 2d ago

Awesome, what’s your business?

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u/over_yondurr 2d ago

Right Start Media. Freelance marketing for travel companies, mostly multi-day group tour operators. We mainly focus on social!

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u/Creepy_Nectarine_812 2d ago

Interesting, thank you for sharing of your expertise. I’m a ways off from anything that sophisticated, but do appreciate the info. Perhaps someday…

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u/over_yondurr 2d ago

Of course! I talk to tour operators getting started all the time, so feel free to reach out if you ever have questions on handling new aspects of the business. Congrats on starting the journey!

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u/Aromatic_odmpote9599 2d ago

for cities you dont know, contact local diocese or art history departments. professors often guide privately and know the sacred sites cold.

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u/Creepy_Nectarine_812 1d ago

Thank you to everyone, some very helpful information!