Customer service skills are essential
Good guide listens to the customer, is discreet and is able to make quick decisions. Anything and everything can happen in travel business, and sometimes even the best plans don’t work out. A good guide will solve the problems and small mishaps even without the customer noticing.
Technical skills matter
Professional guide has all the details planned out and a back-up plan in a pocket. Security plans, tourism industry safety licence and first-aid skills are essential and up-to-date. Good guide keeps updating one’s expertise and also follows the current affairs.
Specialist in your own field
“We would like to see urban architecture. First time in a new place and we have only one day. We want to have high-quality tour and all our wishes catered for.“
A city-guide knows the cities. Guide knows the best sights and interesting places to visit and can tell many interesting stories from past to present. City-guides are specialists in their chosen themes, serving the customers with multiple languages and with rigorous professionalism.
“We want to go to the forest to pick mushrooms. Nature interests us but we don’t want to go there on our own. We want to have a professional wilderness guide who knows the mushrooms and can tell us about Finland’s nature.”
Nature and wilderness guides are accustomed to moving around in the nature. They know virtually everything about Finnish nature and have fun facts to share. They are familiar both with the urban nature as well as more remote areas – and are not scared of tougher conditions either.
“Our group would love to meet with the locals! We have been to Finland before, but never visited anyone’s home. We want to see how Finnish families live and get on with their everyday lives.”
Local guides like to share their own life, open their homes and tell how they like to spend their free time.
Local guides know the best places for shopping, and what’s happening in the area. They also know where to party! With a local guide you can deepen your knowledge of the local culture and meet the most interesting people.