How to be a Tour Guide in your Hometown Overnight

Name: How to be a Tour Guide in your Hometown Overnight
Rating: 4.3 (79 reviews)

Deliver an engaging 1 hour walking tour around a local town or city and become a trusted tour guide for visitors

Role Play

Created byLita Doolan

Last updated 5/2025

English

What you'll learn

Give a one hour walking tour to a small group around their home town.

Course content

7 sections • 22 lectures • 2h 23m total length

Introduction1:08
All you need is a voice and an interest in your home town to get started on putting together an interesting tour for visitors to enjoy.
Pick a speaking style that suits you4:25
Discover your storytelling style to give yourself a structure to write your tour around.
Tips on how to present yourself along with your content so visitors regard you as a tour leader while you welcome them to your home town
Deciding on your perfect audience3:47
Pinpoint who you are writing for when scripting your tour and gather ideas of where your customers will come from.
Improve your own commitment to your goal by getting a big enough crowd for your first tour. Reach out to friends, co workers and families so you can get support for your project and make it a viable lifestyle small business or hobby. Be ready to set a date for your first tour.
How to gather the information you need to write a tour2:54
How to gather everything you need and start writing your tour
Resource Readiness Check with the Tourism Manager

Brainstorm what you know already and gather facts about the locations3:44
Look for common dates - or periods like Victorian, Georgian, Saxon, Celtic to tell the story of each location. Find out any famous visits from monarchs or presidents in the past.
Research who marched through each location was it Romans, Saxons. Pioneers, Royalty or Soldiers.

Use the layers of social history from your research to tell the story.

Describe the passage of history through what you can see. Tell stories through the existence of who has walked through the key buildings at each locations.
Find a title that matches your content3:07
Do a brainstorm of what you love for added ideas to nail what you are uniquely offering on your tour.

Set your stories around a particular Monarch, President or a historical period to give a bold clear theme.

Use the worksheet to look at other theme like battles, ghosts, or gardens.
How to put together the title of your tour

Map out the route, walk it and design it to 1 hour3:33
Break down the whole tour into manageable chunks.
Look for consistency at each location and through your tour3:57
Use this guide to go through each location and build your description of a similar length and structure so visitors get into a rhythm with the tour.
Honour your skill in taking people to somewhere new.

Discover how the beginning and end there are exceptions to using a continuous style.

At the beginning of the tour let the visitors know what they are in for.

End the tour with your best lines and resources for onwards research.
How to increase your creativity

Tips on scripting each location4:33
Script each location to keep your visitors engaged. Plot your tour so you give clear directions and provide an enjoyable experience along your route.
How to put together a story that works for you
Plan ahead for unexpected events on the tour3:56
Know how to keep a group connected to your topic during your tour.
Sometimes there is a need to fill in time as the timing of each location can depend on traffic and speed at which the group walks. Research and identify extra information that is not essential to tell the story of your tour and will improve your visitors experience of the destination.
How to cope with hecklers and critics on your Fine Local Walking Tour

Go live and give a test tour4:46
Use the layers of social history to tell the story and find the heart of your tour so you can find your theme.
Tweaking your tour4:19
Communicate in a style that is of help to the visitors. Be honest, listen to them, be open to their needs, empathise and validate their dreams

Don't be attached to them liking your course. Be transparent about your own needs too as they will spot if you need a sip of water, need to put on an extra layer or move the group to a quiet spot.
How to Use your natural skills and personality to perform to a group in public
How to continually improve your tour
Nothing Ordinary Is Truly Ordinary

How to deliver an Art Themed tour20:29
Use your local knowledge to deliver an Art tour of your hometown
How to make an Art Tour
How to put together a military themed tour12:53
Use this check list to write a tour that tells the history of a military conflict in your home town.
How to make a Military Themed Tour
How to deliver a Transport Themed Tour13:01
How to make a Transport Themed Tour
How to deliver an Architecture Themed Tour14:54
Put together a tour inspired by your local Architecture
How to make an Architecture Themed Tour
Theme-Hunt Chat with Mr Evans, the History Mentor

How to monetize your tour4:47
Websites such as https://www.guruwalk.com/ and www.freetoursnetwork.com/ offer opportunities to list your tour.
Other options include creating a local tour book or an online audio tour.
Making more money from your tour6:25
Ideas on how you can make more money from a tour
Monetizing a tour
Fresh Opportunities for Tour Guides7:45
Ideas on different opportunities to use your tour guide skills
Travel Journalist7:54
Getting a tour guide job
Getting over nerves
More ideas on how to write your tour6:14
Adding extra value to your tour5:05
How to increase your productivity

Requirements

The Background history of their home town.
2 or 3 unusual stories about the local attractions like churches, monuments or castles.
In addition visitor information about museums and galleries will help.
How to speak to a crowd.

Description

Ever wondered how you can turn a city or town you love into an exciting experience for others?

As tourism increases with low cost travel deals you can turn your love of history, architecture or nature into a unique guided tour.

We’ll learn about how to find interesting stories and research local history fast.

I designed 5 modules plus resource sheets to be easily understood by absolute beginners.

We’ll learn about how stories about old buildings and famous visitors can be made into a great tour.

At the end of the course, you will be able to welcome visitors to your hometown with a one hour walking tour.

We’ll discover tips for adding personal flair, handling questions with confidence, and creating memorable moments that leave visitors wanting more.

We’ll cover route planning and how to adapt your stories for different audiences, from curious school groups to seasoned travellers.

Whether your hometown is bustling with landmarks or tucked away with hidden gems, I'll show you show to showcase its best features. By combining practical know-how with a passion for sharing, you’ll be ready to turn every tour into a journey through time, culture, and local pride.

Perfect for aspiring guides seeking flexible, rewarding, and creative work.

Who this course is for:

Local History Enthusiasts
Adventure Travellers
Local Group Leaders
Drama students.

How to be a Tour Guide in your Hometown Overnight

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Research tour information that matches your voice5 lectures • 12min

Section 2 Finding the Title of your Tour2 lectures • 7min

Section 3 Map out the route of your tour2 lectures • 8min

Section 4 Object story telling - one stop one story2 lectures • 8min

Section 5 Performance skills to deliver and engage your visitors3 lectures • 9min

BONUS TOUR TEMPLATES - How to write a themed tour -5 lectures • 1hr 1min

BONUS SECTION - boost your tour business6 lectures • 38min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: